It was two of my friends’ birthdays (twins, btw) and our friends group was in crunch time: T-1 week before their big 2-5. We had to go big or go home. We discussed surprise parties and “Twinner” (Twin-dinner), but we knew they wanted to go out and have a night on the town, God bless them, so we constructed a scavenger hunt of sorts, where the clues led them to bars and more friends waiting for them at those bars.

Do you have a friend (or friends) you want to surprise with an amazing night out? Lemme tell you how I did it:

Step 1: Pick your route.

We targeted Washington Ave., but Houston has plenty of other hoods to hit up:

• Midtown: Have a pre-dinner drink at Cook & Collins and then fajitas at Gloria’s. You then have PLENTY to choose from to get drinks at, but I’d recommend a quick visit to Shot Bar being on the itinerary.
• Rice Village: You might not have a TON of options to choose from, but walkability is easy peasy. Plus you could incorporate some shops too. I say dinner is either Torchy’s Tacos (for beer and cheap tacos) or Helen’s Greek Food (for wine and fancy foods).
• Downtown: Focus on either Greenstreet or Main Street, and then pick your spots. For Greenstreet, you got to go to McCormick and Schmick’s and Pete’s Piano Bar. For Market Square, do Botanga (for small plates) and Okra (for charity).

Step 2: Assign friends their locations.

We had a “Twin” theme, so each spot had a pair of twins, and by dinner we all had our twins. Tell your friends when and where to wait for the bday princess(es), and politely remind them to have a drink in hand for the honorees.

Step 3: Write your clues.

This one takes some creativity. I happen to love rhyming, but it was kind of tough. Your clues don’t necessarily have to rhyme. Maybe you could play hangman? Either way, make it cute, because your friend(s) will love it and want to frame it, apparently. Ha!

Here’s a sample:

Now that you’re stuffed and tipsy
With fine drinks and foods that were crispy.
It’s time for the games to begin
We think you’ve earned a spot of gin.
Or maybe a shot followed by a ding dong
Because surely this bar will sounding the gong.
Ok by know you know what to do,
Meet more of your friends at ____ __!

Answer: Kung Fu

You girls like to move it, move it
We would be friends worth shit
If we denied you a dance
When you’re in your party pants.
Do you hear that down the street
Some Cowboys moving to a beat?
Let’s head that way—avoid the pebbles.
Our final stop is at _______!

Answer: Rebels Honky Tonk

Step 4: Execute (the plan, not your friends).

Deliver the first clue and hit the town. Honestly, I was really nervous. I was scared it would rain (it did), someone would be late (they were) or they wouldn’t figure out the clues (oh, they def did, ma girls). Anything that happened didn’t ruin how amazing the night ended up! We walked (a lot), drank and ate (a lot) and then danced (a lot). We walked home in the rain, but we actually were walking on clouds.