10 Group Activities and Teambuilding Ideas in Washington

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At DJ school Beat Refinery, deejaying newbies can learn the fundamentals during a two-hour "Beat Building Exercises" class for corporate groups, held at the school's Bethesda, Herndon, and McLean locations. Teachers will help students acclimate to the equipment, and explore how to mix two songs together along with the "baby scratch," the cornerstone of deejaying.  Class size can range from seven students up to 20 students, priced at $35 per person.

Guests can show off their best rock 'n' roll moves with the HariKaraoke Band, a live, four-piece band that backs amateur singers.  Performing in the Washington area since May 2010, HariKaraoke can play for corporate groups for up to five hours, offering a catalog of over 300 songs that guests can sing along to on stage via an iPad displaying lyrics.  And if a performance is truly painful, guests can bang on a gong a la The Gong Show— all in good fun, of course.  Pricing starts at $1,350 for two hours with the band for Friday and Saturday events within 50 miles of D.C., and from $1,050 for two-hour events Sunday through Thursday.

Black Restaurant Group’s new bar Black Jack on 14th Street has an indoor bocce court with 19 stadium-style seats that can be rented out for groups. In addition to the bar’s regular lineup of cocktails and food, Black Jack can create custom drinks and menus for events. For groups, the bocce room has a food and drink minimum of $3,000 Sunday through Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m; Thursday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., the bocce room minimum is $3,500. On Saturdays and Sundays from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., renting the entire floor costs from $3,000.

At Trapeze School New York's new indoor facility located in Washington D.C.’s Navy Yard, guests can take flying trapeze lessons year-round, regardless of the weather. In addition to high-flying trapeze classes, the school's latest offerings involve aerial silks, static trapeze, trampolines, acrobatic balancing, juggling, or stilt-walking. Outside catering can be delivered to the facility.

Guests can learn the basic skills of sailing and team work by booking destination management company District Experience’s new sailing regatta teambuilding programs. Beginners and experienced sailors alike can participate in afternoon lessons at the Chesapeake Sailing School in picturesque Annapolis. After the lessons, the day ends with a chance to race the sailboats, followed by a barbecue or crab feast.

Specializing in teambuilding scavenger hunts since 2001, The Go Game recently added a community-service focused game.  Players complete challenges that include missions with planted actors who hand over donation packages, like toiletries for local homeless shelters, for players to deliver to charities at the end of the game. And Go Game can set up stations at local non-profits where players will have to complete volunteer tasks like assembling care packages before moving on.  There's also the option to track the point totals of each team so that the team with the most points gets their total matched by the corporate group in real dollars.  Rates for the Giving Back Game range from $75 to $150 per person for groups of 30 to 100 players. 

Destination management and special event company CSI’s new group activity options include an immersive culinary experience at CulinAerie, a cooking school in Logan Circle. Past classes have included guest teachers like former White House chef Rolan Mesnier, who led 40 guests in the hands-on creation of a gourmet meal of red pepper, chevre and arugula croustade, seared salmon and lentils, and dried pear soufflé with caramel sauce and Chantilly crème for dessert. This activity is best suited for 25 to 35 students, but can be arranged for groups of varying sizes.

Students can test their knife skills during the Meat 101 class taught by Mike Smollon at My Butcher and More in Annapolis.  The three-hour class includes a knife handling demo, a tutorial on hog breakdown, a sausage making session, and tips on how to debone a whole chicken.  Included in the $149 per student fee is a commercial boning knife, three pounds of sausage, and a boneless chicken to take home.

Since launching in June 2010, ArtJamz's instructors have been helping corporate groups discover their inner Picassos. This month, ArtJamz moved into a brand new Dupont Circle lounge and gallery, equipped with features like a paint wall and a brush cleaning station. Groups of 10 to 22 painters can schedule a lunchtime session or after-work painting party at the new studio, from $65 per person for two and a half hours. This rate includes a 20- by 24-inch canvas, art materials, wine, beer, and light fare.