Rules

Play fair, stamp honest

Simple guidelines so every coffee crawl stays fun for crawlers, shops, and neighbors on Main Street.

Hometown Crawls is a digital stamp passport for real sidewalks. The rules below protect independent shops, keep prizes meaningful, and leave room for kindness at the counter.

Visiting shops

Every stamp starts with showing up. Remote stamping, photo-sharing of codes, or sending a friend to “grab you a stamp” breaks the trust shops place in the trail.

  • Stamps must be claimed in person at the participating shop.
  • Scan the official QR or enter the printed counter code on the tent card.
  • Be kind to staff — they are hosting your adventure between real customers.
  • Show some love if you can and buy something at the shop.
  • Respect posted hours, seating limits, and neighborhood quiet.

Passports & stamps

Your passport is personal. Progress should reflect your own walks through town.

  • One stamp per shop per passport (unless a trail page says otherwise).
  • Sharing QR secrets or counter codes online, in group chats, or on social media voids your progress and may void prize eligibility.
  • You must be at the shop. Location is required, and a claim farther than 50 meters from a shop that has a map pin is refused. A shop without a pin can still be stamped once location is shared.
  • Join the correct passport for the trail you are walking.

Prizes & completers

Completer prizes reward finishing a season’s trail — not racing or gaming the system.

  • Completer prizes are while supplies last each season.
  • One completer prize per crawler per trail per season, unless a trail announces otherwise.
  • Hometown Crawls may ask for passport confirmation or stamp history before fulfillment.
  • Shop-specific specials (punch cards, discounts) are set by each shop and are separate from the trail completer prize.

Shops & organizers

  • Display your QR and tent card where staff can help crawlers quickly.
  • Do not share seat codes outside your location; seats are for your storefront.
  • Organizers should recruit real, independent stops and keep trail pages accurate.

Conduct

Harassment of staff or other crawlers, vandalism, or unsafe behavior can result in passport removal and prize ineligibility. When in doubt, leave the shop better than you found it.

Questions? See FAQs, read how a coffee crawl works, or email hello@hometowncrawls.com.