The Curiosity Passport is an art adventure for all ages! It promises to inspire play and exploration of the area. You will not want to miss out on any collection of locations!

It is more than just a scavenger hunt! It fuses art with adventure. It encourages participants to join in an epic, self-guided hunt for landmarks, public art and hidden history around the area.

Tap the "History" tab to learn more about the on-going evolution of the Curiosity Passport!

The Curiosity Passport is designed for everyone to be able to participate. Alexis has tried to make this experience as accessible as possible. This is not intended for just locals or just visitors. It is not intended for just kids or just adults. It can be good for a date night or a family outing or even just an "I'm bored & want to explore somewhere new." kind of day by yourself

It is fun to explore areas that you might not have visited (or even knew existed) before. If you do already know an area or landmark well, invite a friend to participate with you! Show them your favorite site in the Curiosity Passport collection you are exploring!

BEWARE! Participation in the Curiosity Passport has proven to create emotional ties to not only the adventure, but the area explored. You should NOT participate if you don't want to learn or see things you haven't seen before. Just back out of here now. We won't judge you...but we will go on this adventure without you!

Definitely bring your sense of adventure & curiosity to learn more about the area the Passport is guiding you! Double check the listing here on the website to see if there are any other recommendations for that specific collection or location.

In celebration of Missouri's Bicentennial celebration of statehood, the Missouri State Historical Society has launched a fun program to encourage exploration of our fine state. You can find the details of how to participate at missouri2021.org/missouri-explorers. The Curiosity Passport MO Explorer Bicentennial Collection is in the approval process to be included in the official list of programs (you are welcome to go ahead & go out to explore this collection now though!). Make sure to subscribe to the Curiosity Passport email list to be the first to know when it is officially official!

Atlas Quest has a wonderful explanation to many letterboxing questions. Here you will find the super-basic explanation, so that you can get out & explore ASAP!
A letterbox is a hidden box with a logbook & a handcarved stamp inside. Clues to the Curiosity Passport letterboxes are available here.

Atlas Quest is a great online resource for all things letterboxing. You can view clues here. Many people choose to become a member (membership is free, however there are paid options as well) to enjoy the fun digitally recording their finds & such. This is also a good way to get in touch with the "Planter."

To find a letterbox, first you need to get a clue! Clues to the Curiosity Passport letterboxes are found at CuriosityPassport.com and AtlasQuest.com. Then, follow the clues, find the box, stamp or write in the box’s logbook and use the box’s stamp in your passport. You get to walk away with a little image of your adventure!

From Atlasquest.com:
"If you follow clues for any box listed on Atlas Quest [all Curiosity Passport letterboxes are listed on Atlas Quest.], you are implicitly agreeing to the Waiver of Responsibility and Disclaimer. There is no button to click to formally agree to it--let's face it, most people click "Agree" to just about anything without reading it anyhow. We don't want to waste your time like that, but if you do follow any clues to boxes listed on Atlas Quest, you've implicitly agreed to them whether you wanted to or not!"

In the case of the Curiosity Passport, eco-artist / adventurer Alexis Webb Bechtold "planted" (a.k.a placed) them in their hiding spots & posted the clues online. However, anyone can plant a letterbox.

A letterboxing kit can be as simple or as robust as you prefer. To start your kit it is nice to have:
• logbook / Passport
• ink - either an ink pad in your favorite color or just a marker
• pen
• clue to the box - if you have a smartphone, you can just pull up the clue on there.
• signature stamp *optional, but darn fun to make & use!*

From Atlasquest.com:
"A signature stamp is a unique stamp that represents yourself in some manner, and can be stamped into logbooks you find to show you've been there. Most letterboxers will urge you to create a hand-carved stamp rather than a store-bought one because we enjoy seeing what others can create. No artistic talent necessary! Carving a stamp is surprisingly quick and easy to do with the right guidance and tools, and our stamp carving tutorial is an excellent place to get started. Many first-time letterboxers, too eager to get out and start finding letterboxes before carving a signature stamp, will use their thumbprint. Many experienced letterboxers who forget to bring their signature stamp have been known to use this method as well!"

The Kansas City Curiosity Passport letterboxes will be available beginning September 21, 2018. Alexis Webb Bechtold will maintain the boxes as well as she can throughout 2018-2019.

The full menu of the Kansas City Curiosity Passport letterboxes & associated links can be found here.

If you find a box in need of maintenance, please either contact Alexis through AQ mail (you must be a member of Atlas Quest to utilize AQ mail) or you may contact her through the "Contact" tab at the top of this page. Please let her know the box title & number, as well as the issue you found.

Alexis has committed to replacing every letterbox once. If the replacement letterbox goes missing, that letterbox will be retired. The location will still be included in the Eco-Wall of Curiosities.

Cool! If you feel comfortable, you might like to introduce yourself. Many letterboxers like to do an "exchange." An exchange is when you stamp your signature stamp into the other letterboxer's logbook & vise versa. If you don't want to meet new people while letterboxing, that is perfectly acceptable too.

Curiosity Passports are handmade by Alexis Webb Bechtold for YOU! They are available to order on Etsy, at Buttonwood Art Space, or in person from Alexis.

Official Passports are only $5! You do not need one to participate, but this is one simple way to support this art project, if you find value in it.

The mini-mosaics are made by upcycling used plastic gift cards, on birch tree slices.

The Eco-Art Curiosity boxes were created from many materials:
• All of the photographs are by Alexis Webb Bechtold & printed on recycled paper.
• The boxes are found objects (cigar boxes, clock bodies, etc) either given to the artist by friends, family or businesses, or were purchased from a Kansas City local cigar store who strives to help divert waste from the landfill.
• Any other purchased items are used items from ScrapsKC and Hillcrest Thrift Stores. The proceeds of both of these stores further benefit the Kansas City area homeless population and educators. They also help divert used products from the landfill.