Top 10 team-building activities in New York
1. Museum Hack: learn the inside scoop on famous New York museums
There’s no reason to settle for an ordinary museum experience when bonding with your team in NYC. Forget the food tours, with the Museum Hack, you can explore famous places like the American Museum of Natural History, and the MET, all while your guide shares inside knowledge and quirky stories on the exhibitions.By touring with Museum Hack, your team will get the exhibition hall VIP experience along with icebreakers, and mini-games to foster communication and strategic thinking. It’s a one-of-a-kind activity for teams that love learning about art, culture, and history.
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- Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Duration: 2 hours
- Group size: up to 60
- Cost: $$
2. Afternoon Tea at the Palm Court, Plaza Hotel: luxury team-building in New York’s historic hotel
What do Frank Sinatra, F.Scott Fitzgerald, and Miles Davis have in common? All of them regularly visited the Palm Court! Famous for its historical and cultural significance, this historical landmark is a luxury gathering place with 20th-century charm, sophistication, and overall elegance.The Palm Court is also renowned for its traditional afternoon tea service since its construction in 1907. Besides fine teas and lavish decor, the staff also offers event packages such as themed evening cocktails, adding a lighthearted element to an exclusive New Yorker experience to your team outing.
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- Location: 768 5th Ave, New York
- Duration: The Palm Court serves afternoon Tea from 10:30 AM - 4:00 PM
- Group size: up to 300
- Cost: $$$$
3. Chocolate tasting: exercise your taste palate with your team
If everyone on your team has a sweet tooth, then you’ll love Chocolate Noise’s signature chocolate tasting activity. Besides trying award-winning artisanal chocolates, team members will learn all there is to know about turning beans to bars and tasting notes.For a complete experience, you can also go with a single or triple wine pairing. The whole session lasts only an hour and participants get chocolate to take home, a light selection of palate cleansers, and a drinking chlorate wheel to make in their own time.
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- Location: New York City (Chocolate Noise comes to your event space)
- Duration: 1 hour
- Group size: up to 60
- Cost: $$$
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TravelPerk's Meetings & Events team can help you book venues and get exclusive discounts on group travel.
4. Chelsea Pier Fitness: shoot hoops, score goals, and serve aces with your team members
Some people prefer their team-bonding with a bit of active camaraderie and friendly competition. If that sounds like your team, then you’ll love Chelsea Pier fitness. With facilities with over a dozen sports, your team members can try everything from rock climbing to volleyball. It’s perfect for active, large groups that can be split into smaller teams.Chelsea Pier Fitness also offers classes for a range of sports, giving you everything you need to work on your teamwork and collaboration skills. After a long session, you can relax in their outdoor spaces, massage and wellness studios, and cafe.
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- Location: Chelsea, Brooklyn, and Stamford
- Duration: up to you!
- Group size: small to mid-sized teams
- Cost: $$$
5. Pizza School: learn the secret recipe of New York-style pizza
Not many can resist an authentic, thin-crust New York style pizza. With Pizza School cooking classes your team can take the secrets of this recipe home. For this team-building event, you’ll get guidance from a professional pizza chef and an extensive selection of top-shelf toppings.After you finally settle if pineapple belongs on pizza or not, your team gets to making pies and finally tasting them in this hands-on experience. Perfect for mid sized groups, it’s a team- building experience that focuses on strengthening team members' bonds and bellies.
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- Location: 371 Grand Street, New York
- Duration: 3-4 hours
- Group size: up to 24
- Cost: $$$
6. High Line Scavenger Hunt: explore a freight rail converted into a public park
Is your team feeling particularly adventurous? Then they’ll love walking the High Line, a public park built on a freight rail line elevated above the streets on Manhattan's West Side. During this scavenger hunt storytellers will unveil city secrets not even many locals know while your team solve tasks and complete challenges.Complete with a backdrop of iconic New York landmarks, The High Line Scavenger Hunt is ideal for teams ready to exercise their problem-solving skills and stretch their collaboration muscles. Plus, it’s a place to take some unique team photos and golden hour skyline snapshots.
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- Location: 371 Grand Street, New York
- Duration: 1-1.5 hours
- Group size: up to 250
- Cost: $$
7. Throw axes at Kick Axe: practice your marksmanship in a cozy cabin
Sure, you could grab a few cocktails and try darts, or you could make your team-building experience unforgettable with axe throwing. Kick Axe is a cabin-themed bar where you can book a range and start axe throwing with the guidance of a few pros.Not in the mood for competing? Kick Axe also has other group activities, try some fun or alternative board games like giant Jenga. To make team-building easier, the bar offers a wide range of packages, including drinks and plenty of delicious dishes.
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- Location: Brooklyn, New York
- Duration: 1 hour
- Group size: up to 20
- Cost: $$
8. HeliNY: take your talent to new heights
Perhaps your team wants to see all New York has to offer from the birds-eye-view. With HeliNY, you can see the Big Apple’s biggest attractions and escape the crowd from the seat of a helicopter. Guided by a professional pilot with at least 1,000 flight hours, you’ll be able to see famous landmarks like the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the Empire State Building.This exciting team-building activity offers three main tours varying in duration including the New Yorker tour with 17 major landmarks, the Ultimate tour with 23 attractions and the Deluxe tour with a whopping 25 in all.
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- Location: Downtown Manhattan Heliport
- Duration: 30 minutes
- Group size: helicopters can hold up to six passengers per flight
- Cost: $$
9. StageCoach Improv: a fun and wacky team outing to practice communication skills
If you’re aiming to get out of your comfort zone with your team, make deeper connections, and laugh the whole time, then look no further than StageCoach Improv. In this team event, instructors will be teaching your members how to build creative confidence with the help of team-building exercises and games from the world of improvisation.StageCoach also offers areas of focus including storytelling practice, enabling empathy, and problem-solving, meaning you’ll be able to tailor this corporate team-building activity to your unique needs. Can’t make their venue? StageCoach Improv offers in-person classes and virtual classes for remote teams.
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- Location: New York City
- Duration: 1-5 hours
- Group size: no limit, but improv classes are generally held with five to ten people
- Cost: $$
10. Hudson River Kayak Tour: Glide through Manhattan’s west side
Who ever said you can’t experience the great outdoors in New York? These guided tours take you paddling through the iconic river running four miles along Manhattan’s west side while giving you a view of surrounding parks, green spaces, and the New York City skyline.This team-building experience is a beginner-friendly bonding activity. Along with paddles, kayaks, and life jackets, your team can hire a tour guide, get lessons, and even arrange specialized team-building water games.
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- Location: Pier 26, Hudson River Park
- Duration: 1 hour
- Group size: up to 30
- Cost: $
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