Only once did we do a big egg hunt. I was smart enough to bring a few eggs in my pockets so my D could “find” them. It was okay but the whole event was over so quickly it seemed anti-climatic. So we stuck with doing it in our own back yard.
But I hated the thought of so much candy…and of chocolate melting outside. So one year, we put in little pieces of paper in each egg. After all the eggs were found the kids took out the papers and put them together as a puzzle. The result was the first clue of a scavenger hunt. They loved figuring out the clues and finding the next one. At the end of the hunt was a basket full of goodies (toys, games, books etc.). It was a last minute inspiration one year and became a tradition after that for many years.