Let’s talk team building activities in Austin!
We know this won’t come as much of a surprise, but we love corporate events, team outings, and team building activities. We’ve seen the transformative power of what an incredible team event can do for your company. Could your office benefit from increased communication, collaboration, creative thinking, problem solving, and morale? Would your teammates find value and appreciation in a fun company off-site?
The answer is almost undoubtedly yes. Even if you think your office is firing on all cylinders, your employees will embrace the opportunity to spend a few hours away from the desk having a great time, coming together, and enjoy some well-spent team bonding time.
Since we love team building so much, we wanted to ensure you’re picking the right corporate event for your next team outing. With all of the choices out there for team building activities in Austin, it can be hard to know where to start, especially if you’re new to putting together team events. Our hope is that this list of the best team building activities, corporate event ideas, team outings, and team bonding opportunities will serve as the ultimate resource for planning your next company off-site in Austin, Round Rock, Georgetown, Elgin, and Lakeway.
1. The Great Guac Off
If booking long-term team building activities sounds a little overwhelming to you, then we’d suggest giving The Great Guac Off a try! The Great Guac Off is our favorite standalone team outing in Austin.
Your time with The Great Guac Off includes:
- fun team building activities, games, and challenges
- an epic guacamole-making competition
- small groups who compete to craft the office’s best guac recipe
- optional secret ingredients for an extra competitive twist that team members will love
The Great Guac Off is fun, a friendly competition, fast-paced, and has great food. This experience touches on key elements that make for an effective team building event. You can also add upgraded catering options like a burrito bar and BYOB to really wow your employees.
Bonus: The Great Guac Off can accommodate any group size and each team event can be held in any location, from your office to a local Austin venue of your choice to the company’s Austin location. You will love how much fun The Great Guac Off is!
Learn more about The Great Guac Off.
2. Gingerbread Games
Gingerbread Games has revolutionized the standard for company holiday parties! Gingerbread Games is our favorite niche provider of company team building activities.
Your holiday event with Gingerbread Games includes:
- fun team bonding time
- a competition to build the most creative gingerbread house in the office
- holiday-themed games, activities, and trivia
- catering, snacks, and BYOB options available
Hint: Gingerbread Games’ elves answer the phone year-round, but corporate events are only held from October to December. With such great pricing, Gingerbread Games tends to book up fast, so we would recommend getting your company holiday party on the calendar ASAP.
Learn more about Gingerbread Games.
3. Independence Brewing Company
Established in 2004, Independence Brewing Co. is the ultimate destination for brewery fans. The brewery offers a variety of beers, from IPAs like Stash IPA to Pilsners like Native Texan. The taproom is open five days a week, and they now offer beer to go in crowlers and growlers. Additionally, visitors can enjoy the venue’s exciting events. For instance, teams could participate in a chili cookoff, eat tacos at a popup, or check out some dark wave dancing and fashion. Independence Brewing Company is a great place to enjoy some local brews and get involved in the local community!
Learn more about Independence Brewing Company.
4. Antone’s Nightclub
Antone’s Nightclub was one of the first blues clubs in Austin. This historic venue has hosted incredible performers, such as Muddy Waters, B.B. King, and James Brown. Today, visitors can enjoy a huge range of performers, such as Addison Grace and the Texas String Assembly. The venue hosts shows most nights of the week. If teams want to book the space for a private event, then they can choose between the concert hall or the upstairs space. The concert hall can accommodate up to 400 individuals, and the upstairs space is big enough for 250 folks. Antone’s Nightclub is a great place to grab a drink, enjoy a historic location, and relax to some amazing tunes!
Learn more about Antone’s Nightclub.
5. Sport Battles
Sport Battles is perfect for various occasions, including team building, corporate events, fundraisers, and birthday parties. Sport Battles offers a thrilling mix of action-packed activities for you and your team to enjoy! To engage in friendly competitions, choose from Archery Battles, Bubble Battles, Dart Battles, and Glow Battles. You can knock your friends off their feet with Bubble Battles or target them with Archery Battles. If you are up for a good old-fashioned shoot-out, then give Dart Battles a try. For those who want to play in the dark, Glow Battles offers a unique experience. Sport Battles offers a fantastic time with your friends while staying safe and active.
Learn more about Sport Battles.
6. Austin Duck Adventures
Teams can explore Austin like never before with Austin Duck Adventures! This unique tour company offers an unforgettable land and water experience. The firm conducts these amphibious tours in high-quality Hydra Terra vehicles that can accommodate up to 44 passengers. Teams can dive into a 75-minute adventure that showcases Austin’s highlights. Guests will get to see Historic Sixth Street, the State Capitol Building, the Governor’s Mansion, and Lake Austin. Austin Duck Adventures is the best way to see the city from both land and water. For group events and private lake tours, Austin Duck Adventures offers customizable options, making it perfect for various occasions. Whether it is a special celebration, corporate event, or just a fun day out, Austin Duck Adventures is a great way to discover Austin’s charm!
Learn more about Austin Duck Adventures.
7. Antonelli’s Cheese
Antonelli’s Cheese is your destination for an amazing culinary experience. The firm offers a variety of classes that are perfect for team building. Groups can explore custom events, guided tastings, and farm tours. Classes include themes like Cheese 101, Cheese and Chocolate Tastings, and Cheese and Wine. Participants can also book custom and private events, like tastings and farm tours. Best of all, guests can snag some merch or cheese to bring home!
Learn more about Antonelli’s Cheese.
8. Novel Escape
Novel Escape offers a truly unique adventure in Austin with its private escape rooms. You can enjoy an exclusive experience without any strangers joining your group. Novel Escape is home to literary-themed escape rooms inspired by classic novels. However, you do not need to be a bookworm to enjoy these rooms. Any player can have a fantastic time trying to escape! The firm’s current room is themed after 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. The space challenges you to find hidden treasure on a submarine as your air supply shrinks, offering a thrilling race against time. Whether you are an escape room veteran or a first-time escaper, Novel Escape’s rooms promise excitement and adventure.
Learn more about Novel Escape.
9. Twisted Texas Tours
Twisted Texas offers a variety of unique and exciting activities to explore the vibrant culture and attractions of Austin.
Here are some of the tours you can enjoy:
- Brewery tours: Visit some of Austin’s most amazing breweries, enjoy special beer releases, and even have a live band on board to keep the party going.
- The Brunch Bus: Experience a delicious brunch, complete with a live band.
- The Weird Austin City Tour: You will experience the city’s peculiar culture, uncover hidden secrets, and visit top attractions.
- Way Out Austin Food Tour: This tour offers dishes from some of Austin’s best restaurants and food trucks.
- BBQ & Brews Adventure: Teams will enjoy a barbecue feast and craft beer tastings.
- Wild About Texas BBQ Tour: You will visit four of the state’s best barbecue joints and enjoy a VIP behind-the-scenes tour of barbecue smokehouses.
- Live Music Experience: The tour takes you to three local live music venues and shares info about Austin’s rich music scene.
Private tours are available for these activities, allowing you to customize your adventure.
Learn more about Twisted Texas Tours.
10. Rock-About Climbing Adventures
Rock-About Climbing Adventures offers a safe and well-organized learning environment for climbers of all levels. Whether you are a beginner looking to learn the basics or an experienced climber seeking a challenging adventure, Rock-About has courses tailored to your needs. The instructors at Rock-About are highly trained, ensuring a safe and memorable climbing experience.
For beginners, there are classes covering safety measures, proper technique, and equipment usage. Advanced climbers can take programs that challenge their skills and push them to their limits. Whether you are new to climbing or an experienced enthusiast, Rock-About Climbing Adventures is the perfect choice for a thrilling adventure in Austin, Texas.
Learn more about Rock-About Climbing Adventures.
11. St. Edwards Park
Austin is a beautiful city, and weather permitting, it’s a cool idea to take advantage of the great outdoors. Explore St. Edwards Park and incorporate an element of physical activity and exercise into your next team event. St. Edwards Park offers dozens of trails, scenic views, and cool water features like creeks and even a waterfall. St. Edwards Park is a good choice for companies looking for active team building activities on a budget.
Learn more about St. Edwards Park.
12. Austin Bike Tours and Rentals
Austin Bike Tours and Rentals offers team building in a similar vein to getting out into nature and enjoying the sights of Austin. Reserve bikes for your team members and take a spin around town on a DIY-crafted bike route or book one of the company’s corporate event packages. A guide will take your group to the location of your choice, whether that be the Butler Trail, Pedestrian Bridge, or Lady Bird Lake. Your guided team building activity will touch on Austin’s impressive history as your group pedals through town. We recommend this team building event for small groups who may not need as much face-to-face time to improve morale and connections.
Learn more about Austin Bike Tours and Rentals.
13. Company Meetup
A meetup is a cool corporate event option designed to be more inclusive than your standard team building activity. What is a meetup? Great question! A meetup is a gathering of people with the intent to make new connections and deepen old bonds. All you’ve got to do to have a great meetup on your hands is settle on your guest list (we recommend inviting employees, employees’ families, vendors, customers, and suppliers), then find a venue that can accommodate your group size (local park, local venue hall, your office parking lot, etc.). A meetup is a great way to explore exciting and innovative locations around Austin. Consider going to a location you have never been before, like a historic music hall. Great creative with the team building activities at your meetup; we suggest games like Human Bingo designed to foster new connections or a photo challenge. Include snacks or a full meal to round out the meetup.
14. DIY Snack Bars
Smart companies don’t miss opportunities to incorporate team building activities wherever possible, and that includes your regular team meetings. Upgrade your next scheduled meeting and surprise your team members with something fun and tasty, like a build-your-own burrito bar or make-your-own ice cream sundae station. This is a simple, easy, and relatively low-cost way to DIY team building activities in the office and ensure you are constantly mindful of building company culture. Your team members will feel appreciated and enjoy the unexpected twist to your next meeting.
15. Austin Panic Room
Escape rooms are an obvious choice for company team building activities. We like escape rooms for small groups. Austin Panic Room has four different escape rooms to choose from. Your group will have an hour to solve the puzzle and break free from the escape room. Success in an escape room requires communication, problem solving, and teamwork, which is why so many companies have turned to this as a team outing option.
Learn more about Austin Panic Room.
16. Archery Training Center
Archery is another option for a team building activity in Austin that most of your employees probably haven’t done before. Learning a new skill together is a cool way to come together and spend some time team bonding. Archery Training Center will provide a lesson on how to shoot a bow and arrow, then will split your team members into groups who will battle it out for medals, Olympics style.
Learn more about Archery Training Center.
17. Board Game Challenge
Who doesn’t love a good afternoon full of board games? We love this simple DIY team building activity because it can be held anywhere, it’s cost effective, and it’s fun. Ask your employees to bring in a few favorite games from home and take over your conference room with some fun, friendly competition. Also, consider providing the team with unique board games you have never played, like Stardew Valley. Order in catering like burritos or sandwiches, or just pack the room full of yummy snacks and beverages, and you’ve got all the makings for a fun afternoon away from your computer screen.
Learn more about Stardew Valley.
18. Bake-Off
Host an in-office bake-off to inject a delicious bit of friendly competition. Assign each employee something to bake, from brownies to cookies to cake to cupcakes, and then appoint a judge. Consider giving this activity an Austin-themed twist by asking bakers to use local seasonal ingredients, like blue corn or pecans. Award points for different categories, like most creative cupcake or craziest ingredient used. Hand out prizes, then let everyone come together to sample the delicious baked goods. This is an easy DIY team building event that can help boost morale in the office.
19. Food Eating Competition
Host a hot dog eating competition, or a watermelon eating competition, or a sandwich eating competition, or really any competition with any food that you and your coworkers enjoy. Turn your conference room into the annual Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating contest and see which of your team members has skills like Joey Chestnut. You can also have participants compete to speed eat local Austin delicacies, such as tacos or barbecue. Hand out prizes for the winners, then consider making it an annual competition with the winners’ photographs hanging in a place of honor somewhere in your office building.
20. New Restaurant Outing
Austin is home to dozens of cool new restaurants. Find a new one that no one on your team has tried and make it a team outing to give it a whirl. Eater Austin maintains a list of the top Austin restaurants, such as Con Todo and House of Three Georges. Play a few fun games at dinner, like Human Bingo, or host a photo challenge, and incorporate some team building into your evening. Your coworkers will enjoy coming together over a delicious new meal, drinks, and time spent away from the office.
Learn more about Eater Austin.
The Final Word: Austin is a hotbed of team building activities.
Austin has so many cool companies, and so many cool opportunities for hosting regular team building activities. Done well and done often, team building will help produce a better company culture. You’ll see better communication, stronger bonds, and more creative thinking; plus, your employee loyalty, engagement, and retention should increase. We believe team building is one of the most important investments you can ever make in your business.
Questions about planning your next company off-site in Austin? Send us a message; we’d love to help!
