NYC is home to hundreds, if not thousands, of amazing companies, and those companies are all powered by some pretty great employees. Smart businesses are investing more in team building for several reasons: team building has been shown to boost employee job satisfaction, loyalty, retention, and performance.
Here’s the thing: team building is no longer about trust falls and boring team building retreats. Today, team building can be anything from high-intensity escape rooms to casual paint nights to museum tours to food-making competitions and holiday parties.
Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Jersey City (or elsewhere in New Jersey), and the surrounding area are home to some of the best team building activities, fun corporate events, company outing ideas, and just general fun group activities for adults in the world!
We know it can be overwhelming to find the right team outing, so we created this list of the best team building activities in New York City to get you started.
1. Museum Hack
If you haven’t heard of Museum Hack, then you might be missing out on the best company team building activity in NYC. Museum Hack offers offer cool, one-of-a-kind company team building activities in New York City’s best museums. A museum probably isn’t your first thought for a fun team outing, but trust us when we say this is the most fun you’ll ever have in a museum and probably team building, too.
Museum Hack’s tours include the following:
- unconventional storytelling about history and art
- games and activities built specifically for team bonding
- icebreaker activities and photo challenges
Museum Hack’s team outings can be customized to fit your goals, mission, industry, and values. Past team building clients include Google, Facebook, KPMG, LEGO, Johnson & Johnson, and Chipotle.
Learn more about Museum Hack.
2. Gingerbread Games
Gingerbread Games is the most epic company holiday party ever. Gingerbread Games is a great option; all the supplies for an awesome end-of-the-year party (including all the fun and festive vibes of the season) are included.
Here is what you can expect:
- 90 minutes with highly talented hosts
- mini-games and photo challenges
- a high-intensity gingerbread house-building battle
Hold your corporate event anywhere, like at your office, a local venue of your choice, or Gingerbread Games’ NYC spot. Gingerbread Games can accommodate any size team, large or small, and can provide optional add-ons like gift bags, extra snacks, cookie platters, and professional photographers. Unlike other events, Gingerbread Games allows BYOB, which helps make it a more cost-effective option for your next company holiday party.
Learn more about Gingerbread Games.
3. The Great Guac Off
The Great Guac Off™ is a fun event full of hidden but effective corporate team building activities. You may be thinking, how is making guacamole team building? Great question! It is so much more than just making the best guac; The Great Guac Off is the perfect combination of challenge, competition, and tons of fun.
The Great Guac Off includes the following:
- 90 minutes with world-class facilitators
- avocado-themed team bonding games like trivia and pun-acado
- premium guacamole ingredients with an optional secret ingredient
- a highly competitive guacamole-making competition
You can also do add-ons like full catering, drinks, swag bags, trophies, and more. One of the best things about a Guac Off event is the flexibility of location and the ability to accommodate any group size.
Learn more about The Great Guac Off.
4. PUTTING GREEN
PUTTING GREEN is an 18-hole mini-golf course that is perfect for a team outing. This space is also a project that discusses environmental issues. The course is made from recycled and eco-friendly materials, and the plants around it are local to create a green space in the city.
Different community groups and artists designed each hole, focusing on topics like green initiatives and animal habitats. For instance, the first hole is called Down the Drain and shares info on how rain washes litter into waterways and affects marine life. Thus, players can learn about climate change as they play.
Additionally, part of the proceeds go to local groups fighting climate change in NYC. To have a great afternoon with your team and support the local environment, be sure to stop by!
Learn more about PUTTING GREEN.
5. Area 53
Area 53 provides a variety of exciting activities, including an adventure park, paintball, and laser tag. The adventure park offers numerous attractions, such as a ropes course, rock climbing walls, and a roller skating rink. Paintball sessions last a full three hours and come with all the needed gear. Teams will get to go head-to-head in a massive 20,000-square-foot arena!
If folks are more interested in laser tag, then they can book one of the 90-minute sessions. This space also features a 21-and-up lounge for those who are of age. On top of these experiences, Area 53 offers regular events, such as 18+ skate parties, horror Tuesdays, and adult laser tag nights. Also, Area 53 is an ideal venue for events like birthdays or group gatherings. Overall, this location is a great place for an afternoon of play!
Learn more about Area 53.
6. Museum of Food and Drink
The Museum of Food and Drink, or MOFAD, aims to share the history of food and its impact on culture. Examples of past exhibitions include Chow: Making the Chinese American Restaurant and BOOM! The Puffing Gun and the Rise of Cereal. The museum holds in-person events as well, such as The Core of an Onion. Additionally, the venue plans to start holding various trips, such as agricultural tours, demonstrations and workshops, and, of course, trying local restaurants. For the foodies on your team, the Museum of Food and Drink is a great place to stop!
Learn more about the Museum of Food and Drink.
7. City Island Stable
For a unique team building activity, consider going horseback riding! Based in Pelham Bay Park, City Island Stable offers a range of courses to fit your team’s needs. For example, folks can check out trail rides that last from 45 minutes to an hour. Teams new to horseback riding can check out English and Western-style lessons, ranging from 30 to 60 minutes. If you are interested in having a private event, then you can book the space for a full-blown horse party! Visiting horses is a great way to get outdoors, even in the middle of the city.
Learn more about City Island Stable.
8. The Russian Tea Room
You can give your team a taste of the high life by taking them to an afternoon tea at The Russian Tea Room! The Russian Imperial Ballet founded this space in 1927. Afternoon tea originated in Britain and is a luxury way to enjoy tea and snacks. First, diners will snack on small sandwiches cut into little fingers. Then, teams can eat delicious scones, clotted cream, and jam. Small pastries and cakes round out the snacking experience. Best of all, teams get to choose their favorite teas to sip on! The Russian Tea Room also offers vegetarian and gluten-free menus for those with dietary restrictions. Afternoon tea is a memorable experience that your team will talk about for ages!
Learn more about The Russian Tea Room.
9. Frames Bowling Lounge
Ah, bowling. So simple, so nostalgic, and so easy to plan as a company team building event in NYC. We have no doubt there’s a convenient bowling alley near your workplace, so why not consider this classic game for your next team outing? Here’s why bowling works as a team building event: it’s relaxing but competitive, it’s outside the office, and you have the option to include food and drinks.
One great bowling alley option is Frames Bowling Lounge. This huge venue features 28 lanes, a seasonal menu, and lane-side service. Plus, teams can check out the other activities, like ping-pong, pool, karaoke, and darts. If you’re looking for a team event that’s beyond simple, we’d recommend looking into your local bowling alleys.
Learn more about Frames Bowling Lounge.
10. ZogSports
ZogSports offers company outing ideas for teams in New York City. ZogSports’ corporate events promote getting active and living a healthier life. ZogSports has a variety of fun corporate events like Field Days, Family & Company Picnics, Off-site Retreats, Game Nights, Scavenger Hunts, Sports Games & Tournaments, and more! All of these company team building activities are high-energy and fun. In addition to these one-time activities, ZogSports offers sports leagues (think softball, volleyball, basketball, hockey, tennis, lacrosse, and badminton) for company teams.
Learn more about ZogSports.
11. Court 16
Sitting down all day is generally thought to be one of the worst things for your health and unfortunately, in some working environments, this reality is unavoidable. Help promote a healthy lifestyle for your employees by investing in company team building activities that get your coworkers out of the office, moving, and active. Court 16 is one of the best team building activities in New York City if you’re looking to boost physical activity in your team. Court 16 customizes fun activities for employees, like innovative tennis team-building exercises and inter-office competitions. Court 16 has indoor tennis clubs for team building activities in Brooklyn and Long Island City.
Learn more about Court 16.
12. Chelsea Piers
Accessible from Manhattan, Brooklyn, and nearby places like New Jersey, Chelsea Piers is a good location to host corporate team building activities. Chelsea Piers offers meeting and corporate event spaces as well as team bonding events like bowling and laser tag. Chelsea Piers offers three different full and half-day programs designed for team building: experiential games, mini-Olympics, and hybrid games. All of the company team building packages include interactive experiences designed to build camaraderie, nurture leadership, and accomplish team goals. If you want to mix and match to build your own custom corporate event in NYC, then Chelsea Piers has options for that, too.
Learn more about Chelsea Piers.
13. Central Park
Central Park is a wonderful location for company team building activities in NYC. The park is a great place for hosting DIY fun corporate events like a picnic day, walking tour, and/or scavenger hunt (or maybe all three, depending on how much time you have). With any DIY team building event, it is important to bond with intention—this can be as simple as playing mini-games to connect with each other in new ways or exploring and learning new things together. The team outing options you can put together at Central Park are endless.
Learn more about Central Park.
14. Barcade
Barcade is a cool location for an after-work happy hour that has built-in fun activities for adults. The part-bar, part-arcade specializes in American craft beer and a full bar offering beer, wine, and spirits. Nom on yummy variations of classic pub foods like sandwiches, appetizers, and shareable plates. Choose from 40 to 60 different arcade games mostly from the classic period of the early 1980s and ranges through the early 1990s. If you have a small team or don’t mind sharing the space with a crowd, then head on over to Barcade anytime for some fun team bonding time. If you have a large group or would rather not share the space, then Barcade offers party packages for corporate events and space rentals.
Learn more about Barcade.
15. Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises
Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises provides high-end corporate team building activities in NYC. Circle Line offers two types of packages a) private boat rental or b) a private area on one of the larger boats. With either corporate event package, you’ll have the ability to add full catering and drink options. Your team will appreciate the VIP experience Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises offers. Choose from three different cruise options, all of which include incredible sightseeing opportunities. Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises are a fun team outing for extra special events.
Learn more about Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises.
16. Sidewalk Food Tours
Sidewalk Food Tours offers company team building activities for food lovers. During a Sidewalk Food Tours team outing, you and your team will sample the best of NYC’s hottest spots, amazing mom-and-pop eateries, and authentic ethnic restaurants. Each tour is immersive, entertaining, delicious, and educational. During these team building events, you’ll get outside the office, explore a neighborhood you may not normally find yourself in, make memories, take photos, and have lots of fun as a group. Sidewalk Food Tours can accommodate groups as small as ten and as large as 100+. Tours can be customized based on dietary needs.
Learn more about Sidewalk Food Tours.
17. Team Meetup
Hosting a company meetup is a great way to get your team together and connect everyone in your professional network. The cool thing about planning and hosting your own meetup is that the possibilities are endless. You could throw a BBQ, host a picnic, put on a field day at a nearby park, or take over a local bar for a company-themed trivia night, you get the idea. Whatever you choose to do for your meetup, make sure your company event includes engaging activities designed to promote authentic connection between people (think a small scavenger hunt, a photo challenge, or a human bingo game). Don’t forget to extend your guest list to friends, family, vendors, suppliers, customers, and your local community to achieve maximum impact.
Check out some unique NYC meeting spaces.
18. Pizza School NYC
When you think food in NYC, you think pizza, so why not put together a team outing focused on your city’s most famous dish? Come together over marinara and cheese, and battle it out over the best toppings to throw on your pie. Pizza School NYC is a great place to put your pizza skills to the test. The venue offers team building-specific activities as well as general classes. This four-hour extravaganza features dough-making, delicious toppings, tasty pizza, and cocktails.
Bonus: After your team is done cooking, you’ll all be able to sit down together, enjoy the fruits of your labor, and talk as a team outside the daily pressures of the office.
Learn more about Pizza School NYC.
NYC is full of great team building activities. Choosing the right one doesn’t have to be hard.
Don’t wait to invest in New York City team building activities. Start building a better and stronger team today!
If you read this list and still haven’t found the perfect corporate team building activities and company outing ideas for your team, then drop us a line! We’d love to chat and help you find the best team building activities for your group in NYC, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Jersey City, Newark, Secaucus, and Union City.
