How Carleton Place Turned a Local Legend Into a Visitor Magnet
Jan 1, 2026
A Town With Stories to Tell and No Easy Way to Tell Them
Carleton Place is the kind of place where history hides in plain sight. Most visitors stuck to the main drag, never realizing that the ghostwriter of the Hardy Boys once called this town home.
The tourism team wanted to change that. But with limited staff and no time for print campaigns or guided tours, they needed a simple way to help people explore deeper and discover something worth talking about.
A Mystery Tour Worth Solving
The team created a scavenger hunt inspired by the Hardy Boys, complete with illustrated clues, hidden stops, and audio that told McFarlane’s story in his own backyard.
Visitors scanned signs posted around town and unlocked pieces of the story one stop at a time. There was no app to download, just a mobile-friendly tour that worked on any phone.
The whole experience was designed in a day and launched with no ongoing staff time required.
A Town With Stories to Tell and No Easy Way to Tell Them
Carleton Place is the kind of place where history hides in plain sight. Most visitors stuck to the main drag, never realizing that the ghostwriter of the Hardy Boys once called this town home.
The tourism team wanted to change that. But with limited staff and no time for print campaigns or guided tours, they needed a simple way to help people explore deeper and discover something worth talking about.
A Mystery Tour Worth Solving
The team created a scavenger hunt inspired by the Hardy Boys, complete with illustrated clues, hidden stops, and audio that told McFarlane’s story in his own backyard.
Visitors scanned signs posted around town and unlocked pieces of the story one stop at a time. There was no app to download, just a mobile-friendly tour that worked on any phone.
The whole experience was designed in a day and launched with no ongoing staff time required.
Built Once, Used Everywhere
With Driftscape, the team could:
Add stops, images, and audio from one easy dashboard
Link the whole experience with QR codes placed around town
Make changes instantly without waiting on web developers
Track real engagement, not just clicks
It gave them the control they wanted and the simplicity they needed.
1,300+ Completions and a Community Rediscovered
In just a few weeks, over 1,300 people completed the tour.
Visitors came from three provinces. Some spent hours wandering from clue to clue, pausing for lunch or coffee between stops.
The story sparked pride in longtime residents and brought new foot traffic to local businesses. One student even convinced their class to take the tour together. The buzz grew enough to warrant a permanent plaque in McFarlane’s honor.
Small Story, Big Impact
It felt personal: local art, local stories, local pride
It was easy: no training, printing, or tech headaches
It invited curiosity: like a mystery to be solved
It brought partners together: from libraries to shops to schools
When technology disappears into the background, people connect with the place, not the platform.
Stories Still Sell. You Just Have to Make Them Findable
This project proved that even one well-told story can reignite interest, reconnect locals, and move people off the main street and into the heart of your community.
And you don’t need big budgets or tech skills to do it.
Want to Create a Tour That Locals and Visitors Will Love?
Driftscape helps tourism teams build interactive tours that get noticed with no downloads, no code, and no extra staff time.
Have an idea for a Scavenger Hunt? Let's connect to make it happen.