For the past decade, Puzzle Rides has been helping locals and visitors experience Scottsdale and Prescott in a completely different way. This year, the Arizona-grown company is celebrating its 10-year anniversary, marking a milestone that reflects its evolution and its ties to the communities it serves.
Founded in 2016 as Ride Prescott and Ride Scottsdale, the company operated as a free shuttle service, transporting residents around Prescott during the summer and Scottsdale during the winter. But in 2020, owner Katie Dufort saw an opportunity to transform the business into something more interactive.
“I wanted this golf cart business to be more than just a taxi service,” Dufort said. “I wanted to start something more exciting and experimental.”
That vision led to the creation of Puzzle Rides, an entertainment and team-building company that combines elements of escape rooms, scavenger hunts and guided tours. Today, guests explore Old Town Scottsdale and historic downtown Prescott aboard golf carts while solving clues and puzzles with the help of a puzzle master. The concept turns streets, landmarks and businesses into part of the adventure.
The idea for Puzzle Rides came to Dufort during a family outing in early 2020. While participating in an escape room with her daughter, inspiration struck.
“I had this shuttle service, but I wanted to do something more interactive, and I didn’t want to step on the toes of some of the amazing tour companies in Scottsdale,” Dufort said. “One day I went to an escape room with my daughter, and while working on a combination, I thought, ‘I could do this on a golf cart’.”
That growth culminated in the opening of the company’s Prescott puzzle store in April 2025. The brick-and-mortar location is currently the only dedicated puzzle store in Arizona, and plans are already in place to open a second location in Scottsdale in the future. As it celebrates its anniversary, Puzzle Rides is introducing new experiences designed for individual participants and corporate groups.
Among the additions is “Time Warp Escape,” the company’s first new Scottsdale puzzle ride since 2022. Scheduled to launch in October, the experience will add another interactive adventure to the company’s lineup. Puzzle Rides is also expanding its corporate offerings with Relay MAX, a large-scale team-building experience designed for groups of up to 300 participants.
As Puzzle Rides looks ahead to its next chapter, Dufort says the company’s success is rooted in the support it has received over the years.
“We would not be where we are today without Old Town Scottsdale and Prescott lifting us up,” Dufort said. “Everyone from the small business owners who collaborate with us, the chambers and governments that support us, and the customers who keep enjoying our experiences is the reason we are here ten years later.”
Ten years after launching as a golf cart shuttle service, Puzzle Rides has become a one-of-a-kind Arizona attraction that blends puzzles, local history, teamwork and adventure. Learn more: puzzlerides.com.
