12 Best Company Outings in Los Angeles
It’s a proven fact that regularly scheduled, out-of-office activities can boost effectiveness, productivity, satisfaction and success among co-workers. Why not test out your collaborative problem-solving skills in a low-stakes environment? Luckily, we’ve created this free, comprehensive guide of the best team building activities in the Greater L.A. Area.
Bring out the fun, friendly and competitive sides in your co-workers. When it comes to all the best team building activities in Southern California, we’ve got your back.
Scrumptious DTLA Cheese on a Sidewalk Food Tour of Downtown LA
1. Sidewalk Food Tours of Los Angeles
There’s no if, ands or buts about it — food is one of the world’s greatest unifiers. And there’s no better way to bond with your team than to break bread with them.
Both L.A. locals and transplants will learn something new about the city, its culture and culinary landscape in a customized tour of the best mom and pop restaurants, hard-to-find foods trucks and age-old favorites. Your team will not only learn about the food — but about the history, culture and architecture of L.A.’s neighborhoods while getting to know each other on a more intimate and personal level.
Swap stories over tacos and share anecdotes while sipping mimosas. We provide a quiet, relaxed environment and even a little fodder for conversation.
It’s all the fun of visiting some of the city’s most popular food trucks and restaurants with your co-workers. (Just without the lines!)
Companies such as Google, Facebook, American Express, MTV and Sotheby’s have come to Sidewalks for team building activities. For more info on their delicious and fun food tours of Los Angeles go to https://sidewalkfoodtours.com/los-angeles/
*Offered in multiple cities throughout the U.S.
Companies love Wise Guy Events because they have a ton of activities to choose from. In fact, these guys specialize in team building activities, so there’s a good chance you can find one that will fit your crew. It’s kind of like a buffet of awesome. Events include an “Amazing Race” style competition, scavenger hunt pub crawls, treasure hunts, escape rooms and decathlons. Some of our favorites include:
WGE Amazing Race
Got a competitive team? The WGE Amazing Race will bring out the competitive sides in even the least competitive members of your team. This 3-4-hour event forces your team to work together to solve physical and mind-bending challenges.
Booze Clues
What better way to get to know your co-workers than a beer-fueled round of pub trivia with a scavenger hunt? While drinking is not required to take part in this team-building activity, it’s definitely accepted and appreciated.
Got an HR/finance department that isn’t cool with a team-building game called ‘Booze Clues?’ No problem. The activity called ‘Challenge Dash’ is Booze Clues without the booze.
Camera Assassins
If your company’s team-building budget can’t be described as “sky’s the limit” (hey, you’re not Oprah, right?), Camera Assassins is a “Carmen San Diego”-style scavenger hunt with a bounty hunter twist that’ll whip your team straight into bonding mode — for a price that’ll also keep Todd from accounting happy.
Satisfied Wise Guys clients have included big-name companies, such as Google.
3. Foodstory
If you want to get more hands-on with international ingredients, grab your team and your chef knives and head over to Foodstory (JK about the knives, all tools and ingredients are included!). Your team can choose from a large menu of Asian fare cooking classes. Some of the class offerings include:
- – Seafood Market Tour
- – Japanese Cooking 101
- – Vietnamese Cooking
- – Bento Boxes
- – Japanese Sweets & TeaWith training, ingredients and master chef guidance, the power of food can bring your team together.4. Stratus Bubble Soccer
- Ever get the urge to tackle your office mates? How about while wearing a giant inflatable ball that makes you impervious to pain? Even those of us who weren’t what one would call “coordinated” in high school gym class can get behind this version of a soccer-meets-team- building activity.Stratus Bubble Soccer allows you to wear a giant inflatable ball on your body while working together with your teammates to knock the other team on their backsides — literally. You can live out your fantasy of crushing your project manager without causing any real pain (and work out your issues on the field instead of in the file room).
5. The Go Game
The Go Game creates team building experiences that showcase Greater L.A. neighborhoods, such as Venice Beach, Santa Monica, Pasadena and Hollywood. Not only do you get to take in some of the city’s most picture-perfect neighborhoods, but these challenges were created to be mixed and matched to fit your team’s strengths.
Just choose the size of your group and one more more styles of games including:
- – Scavenger Hunt
- – Physical/Sporty
- – Creative
- – Smarty Pants
- – IndoorsDoes your crew hate physical activities and team sports? No problem. Just choose from the categories that interest your employees, and The Go Game plans the perfect event. Need some ideas? You can choose from eight pre-planned games, such as Secret Agent, Build-A- Bike, The Mystery Puzzle Game and Go Game Classic (a scavenger hunt, mission impossible and creative hybrid game).Past Go-Game corporate customers have included Netflix, Facebook, Nike and HBO.
Museum Hack makes going to a museum actually fun!
7. Museum Hack
Museum Hack’s team building activities are for people who always wanted to “get”
L.A.’s* many museums — but never really had anyone to explain why museums are so cool.
True to its name, the company “hacks” museum exhibits by breaking down the meaning, quirky stories and cultural relevance behind each piece. Museum experts are fun, engaging and natural-born storytellers. Don’t be surprised if you find your team talking about Picasso’s Blue Period in the break room on Monday.
Previous Museum Hack clients have included everyone from Facebook to BuzzFeed and Chipotle.
*Offered in multiple cities throughout the U.S.
Got a female-forward team? Ever compare the dynamics in your office to the “Hunger Games?” Your employees will be channeling Katniss Everdeen at Archery Division, L.A.’s first arrow tag operator.
In case you’re not in the know, arrow tag is combination of dodgeball and archery. But instead of hurling rubber-burn-inducing balls at each other, you get to aim foam-tipped arrows at your co-workers. The best part is that you compete in teams, which means you get to bond with some co-workers — while obliterating others in medieval-style combat.
Archery Division has hosted corporate teams, including Cal Tech and Pandora.
Paint for a Purpose brings your team together in a creative way
Art can be used as both therapy and a unifier. At Paint for a Purpose, you can get to know your co-workers better while a professional artist draws out your inner Cassatt.
Classes can take place at Griffith Park or any other scenic spot. You can even bring your own wine or beer to help open the pathways to creativity.
Forget trust falls! The best way to gain trust in your co-workers is to hold the end of their rope as they belay down the side of a rock wall.
Whether bouldering, top-roping, auto-belaying or lead climbing, you can do it all here with guidance and encouragement from staff and teammates. Led by a professional instructor, your team can feel confident that they’ll be safe and sound while placing their lives in the hands of their coworkers.
11.Keith & Margo’s Murder Mystery Dinner
Not into trust exercises? If your team needs a little spontaneous fun to get motivated this quarter, a murder mystery party might keep them working together like a well-oiled machine. As your team arrives, they receive all the info they need to solve a crime — all before dessert. Not into busting crime? Just focus on the food and the company of your co-workers.
Don’t really dig the dinner and show? Keith & Margo’s also offers a CSI team building event that replicates three hours of a CSI investigation.
12.TeamBonding
Why build better bonds with your co-workers in a drab setting? TeamBonding takes your team building to the next level by hosting your experience in high-end, swank locations — such as the Biltmore Hotel, St. Regis and the Disneyland Resort.Need to stay close to the office? These experiences are made to be transported just about anywhere. They offer a large variety of activities, escape rooms, scavenger hunts and cooking experiences. Some of our favorites include:
- – Food Truck Challenge
- – Escape From Hotel California
- – Ice Cream Challenge
- – Team Mural
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Sail away with your team…
13.Blue Water Sailing Team
What if you want all the team-building benefits — without all the drama? The Blue Water Sailing Team will get your department out on the water to help them learn a skill totally unrelated to work (on the surface, at least).You can choose between sailing and racing team building sessions. Sailing simply teaches your crew the skills they need to work together as a team to get from Point A to Point B. Got a more experienced crew? The racing sessions include everything you get in the sailing sessions
— and add an added competitive element. After the basic sail lesson, your team will split into two to see who can get their boats to the finish line first.
Got more questions? We’re here to help. Fill out our activity form to find out which team building activities will help your team crush their goals this year.