Ten Best Team Building Activities in Washington, DC
Hosting your company off-site in the nation’s capitol or gathering your team for a monthly meet-up? We've compiled a list of must-try team building activities in DC sure to satisfy your team! Because when you invest in quality team building events, you get results that boost employee engagement and morale, increase sales and profits, and overall productivity. Each company's culture is unique, and there’s no one-size-fits-all option for your team events. We make it easy and always categorize events to help find the best fit for your group’s vibe... Let's dive in!
Active Groups
Photograph by @tsnydc
Trapeze School DC is ideal if you want to challenge your fears and insecurities and work alongside your peers to accomplish a goal. An experience like this is so valuable because of how one-of-a-kind and memorable it can be. Being able to provide that as a business is rather impressive. Learning flying trapeze and aerial arts fosters camaraderie, vulnerability, and trust. Most folks will be learning a new skill, leveling the playing field, and bonding over overcoming this new challenge.
The benefits of exercise seem endless, but it's not always easy to motivate yourself or find fun-filled ways to get those endorphins flowin. Having team-building activities around fitness is a great way to plant the seeds for healthy habits that can translate into the workplace. Not to mention you may just find a new sweat buddy from work! 305 Fitness is praised for its thrilling and uplifting dance classes, body-positive and inclusive environment, and unique playlists that feel as if you're in the spotlight dancing at your fave club.
New and Trendy
Photograph by @vrzonedc
Virtual reality arcades have been popping up all over the country, and it's a great way to get in touch with your inner child and immerse yourself in worlds unseen. These games stimulate and strengthen one's creativity and imagination, which is always a plus. Not to mention, it's incredibly entertaining to watch people get in the VR Zone.
Kraken boasts eight axe-throwing lanes with bar service offering a wide selection of drafts, cans, wines & ciders, and rage rooms designed to let out all your pint up emotions by destroying and breaking glass and ceramic items- it's quite cathartic! Live out your office rage fantasies and get to work with the tool of your choice, including baseball bats, crowbars, wrenches, and sledgehammers.
Tried and True
Photograph by @oldebbitt
Old Ebbitt Grill is a DC classic with rich historical significance as the oldest dining saloon in Washington, located steps away from the White House. The restaurant itself carries an essence of a museum. Exhibited throughout are preserved antiques and memorabilia, taxidermy caught by Teddy Roosevelt, and stunning murals depicting the capital city. You and your guests can sip on a Manhattan and slurp up some mouth-watering oysters while allowing the Victorian interior to transport you to another decade. Whether you're a native or a newbie, Old Ebbitt Grill is an excellent thing to check out!
Visiting the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History is perhaps a right of passage if you live in The District. I'm sure natives of other cities would agree about their cultural staples, which is why this can be an exceptional experience to share with those you work with. Curated trips to museums are educational and nostalgic, and at the Smithsonian, there's plenty to digest! The ever-evolving exhibits range from bones to butterflies, Ancient Egypt to epidemics, and everything in between.
Small Groups
Photograph by @crumbs_whiskers
Calling all animal lovers, do we have the place for you! Crumbs & Whiskers is a cat cafe where the cats and kittens are rescued from the risk of euthanasia and are also available for adoption. This would be the perfect morning team-building activity for an intimate group before heading into the office. Grab some coffee and cuddle with the cutest kittens to reduce stress and release oxytocin, the hormone associated with empathy, trust, and relationship-building.
There's nothing like a bit of healthy competition to take the edge off from work and, even better, over sensational cocktails and incredible street food from DC's top vendors. Swingers Crazy Golf is known for its eccentric putting courses equipped with cocktail caddies. After a 9 hole game, you and your team can keep the ball rolling in a swanky private event lounge space and rehash the play-by-plays.
Tipsy Tours
Photograph by @paddleclubdc
Again, we're fans of keeping happy-hour exciting and fresh, so we recommend the first paddle boat booze cruise in DC! It's a fun way to sip and site-see with your colleagues, taking in DC's waterfront and monumental attractions. There are 10 cycle stations, and the boats accommodate up to 20 people and have a lounge area and a motor, so not everyone has to pedal.
Most of us are familiar with the happy-hour tradition, but why not keep it interesting by throwing in a tour! Cotton & Reed offers group distillery tours where you can learn the art and science of rum. Each tour comes complete with a draft cocktail and a rum flight, featuring spiced rums, white rums, dark rums, and barrel rums. They can host your private event in The Distillery or The Annex, a giant warehouse space. They only have beverages, but BYOF (bring your own food) is allowed and encouraged.
Are you looking for more out-of-the-box ideas to boost team engagement and productivity?
Head over to Happied, and we’ll do all of the work for you!
