Did you hear the buzz? The second annual “Greenway Quest” kicked off on Monday, August 7, offering families the chance to find one of 250 hidden, hand-painted bee rocks. Great Rivers Greenway and the City Museum have teamed up on this adventure that encourages exploration of nature with a twist of fun.

Thirty rocks are hidden at City Museum, while the rest can be found along the 135 miles of greenways in the St. Louis region, which includes St. Louis City, St. Louis County, and St. Charles County. Adventurers who find a bee rock can bring it home and register it online at GreenwayQuest.com for a chance to win free tickets to City Museum and other fun prizes.

“The rocks have been painted by volunteers to look like our important pollinator friends, the bees,” said Dallas Adams, Great Rivers Greenway Communications Manager. “The native plants and habitats we install along the greenways rely on bees to pollinate and keep the plants productive. Bees are vital to our entire ecosystem and bee populations worldwide are on the decline. So if you see a bee, say thank you and please, let it bee!”

Greenway Quest begins August 7 and will continue until all of the bees have been found. This fall, Great Rivers Greenways will draw prize winners from the people who have found and registered their bees online.

Greenway Quest bee along the Mississippi Greenway.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE: Head out to a greenway or visit the City Museum to see if you can find one of the painted bee rocks. If you find a bee rock, take it home and log it at GreenwayQuest.com. You will be automatically entered into a drawing to win one of several prize packages with goodies like City Museum tickets, greenway swag, and gift certificates from St. Louis area favorites.

You are encouraged to post photos of you and your bee rock and tag @GreatRiversSTL and @CityMuseum, so they can see and share your Greenway Quest finds!

The bees will be hidden along the edges of the greenways or at designated trailheads, never on private property. Please stay near the greenway trail on your quest. Plan your greenway visit (and see where bees have already been found) at GreenwayQuest.com. Plan your visit to City Museum at CityMuseum.org

“We encourage people to look around and see how many animals and insects they can find as they walk or ride, but please enjoy them from a distance,” Adams said. “If they are lucky enough to find a bee rock, they can take it home and win prizes.”

If someone finds more than one bee rock, Greenway Quest partners encourage them to place it in the same spot, so more people can join in the fun.

“Exploration and curiosity are what we’re all about at City Museum, so we hope people will explore and have fun finding the hidden bee rocks both at the museum and along the beautiful greenways,” says Katy Enrique, director of marketing and sales at City Museum.

For more information, visit GreenwayQuest.com.