19 Insanely Fun Team Building Activities in NYC for 2023
Big teams make big dreams happen for businesses, but it can be hard to keep everyone together. If you’re running a large team that is known to have issues with the occasional conversation silos, a team-building exercise might be exactly what your team needs. Let’s explore some of the fun ways that teams are working together and enjoying each other’s company in New York!
Why Corporate Team Building is So Important in This Day and Age
Businesses are built upon teams that work together and know how to solve problems effectively. Team building is an opportunity for you to encourage your team to work together and solve problems without the pressures of the actual work environment. Events like this can bring your team closer together and increase communication.
Fun Ways to Pass Time with Your Team
There are plenty of ways for your team to work together and have fun at the same time in New York. Whether your teams want good food, strong drinks, or just an opportunity to unwind, we’ve got you covered.
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New York is a city that offers a uniquely blended cultural experience, and few things show it better than the local food. Sidewalk Food Tours offers a variety of tours in different parts of New York, giving you the opportunity to enjoy everything from beer and pizza to delicious local falafel. The possibilities alone will dazzle your tastebuds—and you might just learn something too!
Best bites in our favorite neighborhoods!
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Choosing a cooking class for team building is something that more teams are doing now that people realize what an opportunity it is. When your team chooses to enjoy a competitive or basic cooking class, they are really signing up for a huge bonding activity.
3. Learn About the World Through the Intrepid Museum
Celebrate with your team by exploring unique history relating to the sea, air, and space with the Intrepid Museum. Ideal for teams that celebrate science, there is plenty to learn and see. One visit will leave your team remembering the days when they were young and the world seemed so large. It’s a fun and educational experience that always has something new and interesting to offer.
4. Work Together at Escape the Room
Escape rooms are so much fun that everyone is talking about them, but they also require a ton of teamwork. Help your team to build bonds and work on communication by challenging them to escape one of the many intricate escape rooms offered at Escape the Room. Accommodating different challenge levels and offering different themes, an escape room is fun for everyone.
5. Bond Over a Nice Meal at Time Out Market
Offering both food and shows, Time Out Market is a wonderful location to grab food and drinks with your team. This unique restaurant offers foods that accommodate a variety of different tastes and preferences. Your team can enjoy something delicious that suits their dietary needs and spend time chatting too!
6. Work Together at My Cooking Party
My Cooking Party offers unique hands-on corporate team-building events centered around private cooking classes. Offering a fun opportunity for your team to hang out, have fun, and enjoy delicious food, this is a great team-building opportunity.
7. Get Out and Explore with Scavenger Hunt NYC
For teams who want to think, learn, and discover together, this is a wonderful choice. Your team can unite to solve intensive puzzles and explore New York through the eye of an investigator. Offering plenty of opportunities to work together and think critically, these scavenger hunts are available in a variety of places around New York City—all for an affordable price!
8. Try Out Adult Night at Shipwrecked
This Brooklyn hotspot is a great way to have fun with your team. While this location can usually be found full of kids, they regularly offer adult nights on Thursdays, giving adults a chance to benefit from all of the fun without having to worry about running into a birthday party. Offering mini golf, arcade spaces, and escape rooms, Shipwrecked has plenty of opportunities for your team to connect and have a lot of fun. They even offer tasty drinks too! It is a little non-traditional, but still one of the most fun corporate team building activities.
9. Enjoy Drinks and Paint with Paint & Sip Studio
This New York location offers delicious drinks and an educational experience focused on creativity. Their talented instructors will guide your team through creating different paintings that your group will love to show off after the fact. Everyone gets an opportunity to enjoy drinks while they create their very own masterpiece. With guidance from their talented instructors, your team will explore their artistic capabilities and have a lot of fun!
10. Experience Modern Hibachi at Flame
Hibachi is known for blending performance and amazing food, which is why it is so popular. Flame is bringing traditional hibachi forward with a new modern twist. Offering delicious food and an experience that your team will be talking about for months, Flame is one restaurant that gives way more than just good food. Let your team have fun playing games and celebrating this incredible culinary feat!
11. Take a Virtual Tour of New York City
With so many teams still deciding who is and is not in the office, being able to share in on a digital adventure can be a good option. Allow your team to gather on Zoom or a similar video chat platform and then join in on this browser-based virtual tour of New York City. Whether you’ve lived in New York your whole life or you’re hosting a team in a completely different city, this virtual tour is full of fun and games that will keep your team talking.
12. Get Crafty at The Craft Studio
Team building is all about making connections, communicating, and having fun. At The Craft Studio, your team can do all of these things and make some pretty exciting crafts that they can take away at the end of the day as well. From pillows to beach totes, your team can create fun items that will remind them of this day for years to come. This is one of the best team outings to make lasting memories.
13. Have a Team Picnic in Central Park
Central Park is a wonderful place to spend time, especially when the weather is nice. With one quick permit application, you can take your team or teams out for a lovely picnic with some great food. This is a cost-effective way to get outside and enjoy some fresh air. For teams under 20 people, a permit isn’t even needed. For low-key teams that enjoy the simple opportunity to spend time and chat, this is a wonderful way to pass the time. For some teams, the real team-building exercise is coming together to plan a great picnic!
14. Visit the Temple Bar for Some Drinks
Some of the best business deals in history have been made over a drink, and bars can be a great place for your team to unwind. Offering both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, this is a great place to get the team together for a little bit of fun outside of traditional working hours. Offering a full drink menu and a surprisingly great meal menu, it’s perfect for bringing people together.
15. Bond Over Culture
The Alamo Drafthouse chain is a popular backdrop for team-building events all across the United States. Offering delicious cocktails and an expensive food menu, these luxury movie theaters are a fan favorite for large groups. Plan your evening around a great work-friendly film, then let everyone order a dreamy meal. Since you can purchase tickets in advance, it’s always easy to secure a venue for your group. Sometimes the classic large group activities are the best.
16. Hold a Private Showing with Illusionist Alex Voz
This top-performing illusionist is no secret to big corporations. Known for his private shows that dazzle and delight audiences, he is always a popular choice for entertainment—but that’s not all. Alex Voz is also a master of subliminal messaging and will entertain your teams by teaching them exactly how to get into the minds of customers to drive that sale. As educational as he is entertaining, Alex Voz is perfect for businesses.
17. Try Team Building with Bowling at Frames
Dedicated to serving audiences of all kinds, Frames is no stranger to hosting corporate events. They even offer a complete team builder package with featured menu items that your team will love. Bowling and good food just can’t be beaten. Considered one of the best team outings for ages, bowling never gets old.
18. Get Active with Laser Tag
Hidden away in Brooklyn, Area 53 NYC is waiting to show your team a ton of competitive fun. For those teams that are more active and looking to really work together, laser tag can be a wonderful opportunity. As long as your team doesn’t mind moving, this is a great way to shake off nerves or celebrate a new project coming to a close. The best team building activities are the ones where everyone leaves smiling.
19. Enjoy Drinks and Games
The Barcade is a wonderful opportunity for some serious fun and nostalgia. Your team can enjoy drinks and access to a variety of classic arcade games that are guaranteed to keep everyone laughing and working together—or in a competition! This fun location is great for teams that want to work hard and play hard together.