Are you ready to explore Northwest Florida's archaeology and history? Forget your fedoras and bullwhips, and pick up a GPS device (or download a GPS app to your smartphone)! The DARC Geo-Trail offers everyone an outdoor adventure and chance of discovery...

Geocaching? What's Geocaching?
Geocaching is a worldwide scavenger hunt game. Players try to locate hidden containers, called caches, using GPS enabled devices and share their experiences online. Caches are often hidden very well, but are never buried or placed in areas in need of protection. To learn more about geocaching go to this official brochure or visit this website. You can also view this video. Please follow all basic guidelines and rules when geocaching.

DARC Geo-Trail
A "geotrail" is a series of caches tied together by a common topic or theme. Discover your Florida history through museums and archaeological sites open to the public in the DARC Geo-Trail.

DARC stands for Destination Archaeology! Resource Center. FPAN has hidden geocaches at participating sites across Northwest Florida to form a geotrail called DARC Geo-Trail. All the sites on this geotrail are connected to Florida archaeology and are featured in the Road Trip Through Florida Archaeology exhibit at the Destination Archaeology! Resource Center in Pensacola, FL.

Adventure and Discovery

Players who participate in this geotrail will have the opportunity to visit many different types of archaeological sites at both rural and urban areas while looking for caches.

A few of the places this journey will take you:

• Ancient Native American earthworks once built by civilizations long before Columbus set sail for the Americas…
  
• Plantations that fueled the southern economy and ultimately led the country to the Civil War…
  
• Remnants of fortifications once put under siege during the American Revolution…
  
• Antebellum industrial areas that once powered the economy of Florida …

Chance to Win an Official DARC Geocoin!

The first 300 participants who record at least 15 sites will receive a traceable, special edition geocoin produced specifically for this geotrail.

To be eligible for the coin, please download the official DARC Geo-Trail passport here. You will need Adobe Acrobat to view and print this document. To download Adobe Acrobat, click here. Once you find a geocache record the name, date, and code word (located on the inside of the logbook) in this passport and take a photo of yourself with the geocache container. The first person to find a geocache will find an FPAN item inside!

 Here’s how it works:

• Log onto www.geocaching.com to retrieve the coordinates and location information for the geocaches. Basic membership for site is free.
  
• Search for the geocache online by GC code number or use advanced search by user name “DARC Geotrail.”
  
• Locate at least 15 DARC Geo-Trail geocaches and record the code word from each geocache in your passport. Take a picture of yourself with the geocache at the site and post it to the corresponding Geocaching.com page.
  
• Bring in your completed passport to the address below or mail it in for validation. The first 300 people to complete the challenge will receive the coin.*

Destination Archaeology Resource Center
207 East Main Street
Pensacola, FL
32502
Phone: 850.595.0050 ext. 107
www.flpublicarchaeology.org

The DARC Geo-Trail is a project of the Florida Public Archaeology Network and University of West Florida. This project is supported by the Florida Park Service and the Florida Geocaching Association.

*Coins will be awarded on a first come first serve basis as supplies last. Only one coin per person with a valid passport. Once your passport has been validated you will be rewarded with a DARC geocoin. FPAN and UWF are not responsible for any lost, stolen or misdirected passports or mail. All geocaches will be officially registered at www.geocaching.com. Participants will need to register at Geocaching.com to retrieve coordinates and other location information for geocaches. Participants must log the find with a photo from the cache location. Basic membership to Geocaching.com is free.

GEE WIZ! 

BRING THE GPS ADVENTURES MAZE

TO FLORIDA!

One of Florida's long-time geocachers, Captain Biggins, has started an effort and a petition to bring "Bring the GPS Adventures Maze to G Wiz Science Museum, located in Sarasota, FL.  This would be an awesome opportunity for the Florida Geocaching community!

 Just a refresher description of the GPS Adventures Maze.  According to Minotaur Maze Exhibits (http://www.minotaurmazes.com/mazedetail.html?maze=19), here's an overview of the maze itself : 

" Get lost in the maze and learn how to find your way using GPS! Visitors simulate a GPS adventure using a unique stamp card that leads each visitor to their own Treasure City. By collecting all 4 stamps, the visitor successfully simulates how a GPS unit locks into 4 satellites to determine a location.
But wait, you’re in a maze! After navigating around impassable obstacles including waterfalls, cliffs, and ravines, you’ll solve cache puzzles in four environments: city, local park, back-country and a historic site to find secret codes and gain access to each of four content-rich satellite rooms:
Satellite Room 1: The History of Navigation – Traditional navigation is complicated. GPS makes it easy.
Satellite Room 2: The Great Outdoors – The outdoors are for everyone. Be prepared, go play and LEAVE NO TRACE.
Satellite Room 3: GPS Today – Geocaching is a hot new GPS-enabled sport of treasure hunting.
Satellite Room 4: The Future of GPS – GPS is changing the way we live.

Once all four stamps are collected, visitors will discover their Treasure City at the World Map Station and can embark on an actual GPS adventure. "

 So why is this a good idea?


1. Well, we all know that Florida geocachers are awesome and we love opportunities for fun adventures like this in our own backyard! (Ok, so I'm biased...but it's true! :D)

2. This is a wonderful opportunity for both geocachers and non-geocachers (known as "muggles" in geocaching-ese) to learn navigation & GPS technology through a live-action, interactive experience, enhance critical thinking skills and memory retention, and to just get up, get moving, get exploring and discover the wonderful world of geocaching.

3. This is a chance to explore another one of Florida's museums, in this case G. Wiz, The Science Museum (http://www.gwiz.org/), located in the lovely Gulf Coast city of Sarasota.

Click on this link for an informative video about G.Wiz -  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wh3VItz-08

4. Florida tourism has been suffering due to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, even though much of the Florida coast has not been impacted.  The coast of Sarasota is fortunately one such city.  Geocachers often travel far and wide to find rare categories of caches, so there is a good chance this would attract out-of-state folks to visit.  It may not make a huge impact on tourism, but it certainly can't hurt!

So please help bring the GPS Adventures Maze to Sarasota and sign this petition -   Bring the GPS Adventures Maze to G Wiz Science Museum!