If you’ve been walking anywhere outside lately, you may have noticed hordes of cell-phone users walking in circles, stopping suddenly, and swiping on their screens. You’ve just witnessed an intense battle in a quest to catch ‘em all—that is, all 250 Pokémon available in a new free-to-play, augmented-reality app created by software developer Niantic.

Pokémon Go is a reawakening of Nintendo’s famed Pokémon franchise, with new technology providing players with a Google Maps-like scavenger hunt for hidden creatures called Pokémon. Since its beta release on July 6, the app has taken the world by storm, boasting more downloads on Android than Tinder and close to surpassing the number of active daily Twitter users on Android devices.

In order to catch Pokémon, collect essential items, and earn rewards, users are required to actually walk to specific locations, called “Pokéstops” and “gyms.” Social media users have both applauded and lamented the fact that exercise is necessary in order to become the next Pokémon master. But beyond the feat of getting players on their feet, the game has created an unparalleled and unexpected opportunity for users to learn about the arts in their community while on their quest.

In the game, players flock to Pokéstops to receive important items. To determine the location of these stops, the game’s creators used points of interest— often pieces of public art, monuments, museums, and churches—submitted by users of another Niantic game. Other locations for Pokestops and gyms were determined by finding spots that were frequently geo-tagged in photos posted online or through the Historical Marker Database. While collecting items from the stop, a title card displays the name of the artwork or building, as well as some information about its creator and history. The result? Pokémon trainers can expect to discover both well-known and hidden pieces of art while on their quest to be the best.

On my own search to find a highly-desired Mew near the New York office of Americans for the Arts, I visited a nearby Pokéstop located at Saint Thomas Church. While collecting five Pokéballs, I read about the church’s creation in 1913, as well as its gothic façade, wood carvings, and glass windows. As I walked back to the office, I passed by two teenagers who excitedly shouted to one another: “There’s a Pikachu by the Museum of Modern Art! Let’s go!”

Museums and cultural institutions across the nation are recognizing the newfound opportunity to diversify its audiences. A study by the National Endowment for the Arts found that in 2012, only 22 percent of 25-to-34-year-olds had visited a museum. With that precise age group composing the bulk of Pokémon Go players, artistic and cultural institutions should not be surprised to see new kinds of crowds flooding through their doors. In Palm Beach County, Florida, Ashley Svarney, director of public relations and communications of the county’s official tourism marketer, Discover the Palm Beaches, explained the momentum: “If tourism attractions can capitalize on this burgeoning app, it’s a simple and free way for them to reach a potentially untapped market. The Pokémon Go game is an opportunity for businesses to latch on to a trending social phenomenon that can act as a draw for visitors and residents to visit.”

Museums across the nation have begun to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the viral mobile app. The Alice Austen House Museum in Staten Island, New York, where the Victorian photographer once lived, has drawn large crowds of visitors, 40 percent of which came because of Pokémon. Capitalizing off the game’s popularity in Bentonville, Arkansas, the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art stated, "As general admission to Crystal Bridges is free, it will cost you nothing to visit the museum and rack up your Pokémon captures, and you can enjoy some terrific American art as you go.” A subsequent twitter post by the museum showed an image of a Pikachu sitting next to a Dan Flavin light installation.

While the app does have its limitations (and detractors), Pokémon Go offers a new way to explore the world and a great incentive to get people to explore museums and arts districts. In your quest to “catch ‘em all,” keep an eye out and you can catch a glimpse of a beautiful piece of art, too.