Creative Team Building Activities in NYC
Whether you want to bring together a group of friends, family or employees, New York City is full of activities that encourage team bonding. From black-light bowling and escape rooms to beat the bomb and pizza-making lessons, team building outside of the office/home can be more engaging and exciting for the participants.
We’ve rounded up some of our favorite group activities for large and small groups alike! These team building activities are perfect for creating memories, promoting problem-solving and creating improved relationships.
(Midtown East)
With 14 locations across the country, The Escape Game has created a successful series of escape experiences with personalized storylines and interesting twisted stories. Escape rooms are a great team-building activity for business groups as they test communication within the group while teaching a team how to win (or lose) together.
For 60 minutes your team will have to exercise their brain power and work together as they follow the clues an attempt to escape the room.
The Escape Game has themed five rooms: The Heist, Prison Break, Gold Rush, Playground and Special Ops: Mysterious Market (one of the most popular/challenging ones).
(Times Square)
Bowling is the “go-to” place for group bowling. With 48 lanes, a full kitchen and a bar- there’s a lot of room to plan your group’s bowling trip exactly how you want it. They offer private lanes for groups which is ideal for minimal outside distractions. They have open bar packages as well as a catering menu available. You can also opt to just pay for the bowling experience and have team members to pay for their own food.
There’s also an arcade, lounge and billiards and sports bar on-premise. There’s no shortage of things to do at Bowlmor Lanes.
(Staten Island)
If your group is an adventurous one, New York’s first trampoline park Fly High may be the perfect destination. It’s hard not to let your guards down while flying side by said with your team members in the air.
This trampoline park consists of the main track, an elastic sling, a flying foam pit, massage chairs, and a diving area so make sure your group is energized and ready to fly high! Also check out their activities “Flip’s Dodgeball” which take the team sport to another level allowing attendees to bounce on trampolines while they dodge, duck, and dive their way to victory.
Gagopa Karaoke (Midtown West)
Who’s the Beyonce of the group? Find out at Gagopa Karaoke. Gagopa Karaoke is a popular Korea Town karaoke destination with private rooms starting as low as $32 an hour. They have a large room can that accommodates up to 30 people and their song list includes more than 20,000 songs.
They’re also BYOB (bring your own bag) which means you can opt to make this a dry activity for your group or bring some bubbly to get the party started!
(Hudson River)
Have you ever rode the BEAST?
The BEAST Speedboat is New York City’s only jet-powered thrill ride attraction! Get your team blood pumping as the speedboat travels up to 40 knots (about 45 mph). The ride is full of twists, turns and even gets less than 100 meters from the Statue of Liberty giving you an up-close view of Lady Liberty.
The speedboat offers a panoramic view of the city center and lower Manhattan. The captain and crew are always cheerful and ready to have a blast with any group.
Sure we’ve all taken a taxi in the city, but your team has probably never taken a ride like this.
Looking for a more subtle water adventure for your group? Chartering a Water Taxi may be a good idea. New York Water Taxi provides private charters for all occasions including corporate events, social events, fundraising and more. Their fleet capacity ranges from 64 to 149 passengers depending on the boat. Group packages include open bar, snacks, and dining menus.
Williamsburg is one of Brooklyn’s most vibrant neighborhoods. Foodies trek there for some of the best eats in the city while others go for the buzzing breweries, art galleries, third-wave cafes, and unique vintage shops. We have several tour options for groups looking to explore Williamsburg. There’s such a wide variety of things to do in Williamsburg that even residents of the neighborhood frequent our tours.
For “foodie” focus groups our Williamsburg Bites Tour is a great fit. Taste award-winning BBQ, artisanal chocolate, the BEST NYC pizza and more. The best part of the tour (besides the food of course) is learning about the Brooklyn street art scene while walking past beautiful large scales murals between restaurants.
Really like BBQ? Our Brooklyn BBQ Tour hits up 2-3 of the neighborhood’s best BBQ spots including Mable’s Smokehouse, Fette Sau and Pies N Thighs or Dokebi.
Looking for your group to cut loose more, give our Sunday Funday tour a try. Ditch the typical office “Happy Hour” and take the fun to the streets of Williamsburg. Visit Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn’s older bar, and more on the tour.
Whether you’re looking to explore Brooklyn or Manhattan, our tours are customizable and can accommodate most group sizes and a wide array of interests. See more of our private tours HERE.