Teambuilding activities can be a great way to foster relationships, improve communication, and create a sense of community among employees and meeting participants. The long-term value of those activities is enhanced if they are unique and memorable experiences. So if you are looking for something a bit out-of-the-ordinary on this front for your group, here are 14 options that tap into the traditions and specialties of their specific locations.
Polynesian explorers used canoes to travel along Hawaii’s shores. At Hilton Hawaiian Village, groups work together to build a canoe out of plastic and cardboard and then test it on the waters of the resort’s Duke Kahanamoku Lagoon.
At Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club on Cape Cod, groups can do a guided tour of oyster farms and learn about aquaculture.
Tacoma, Washington, is known as the heart of the art glass movement. Hotel Murano, a short distance from the Museum of Glass, has partnered with the Tacoma Glassblowing Studio to create a glass-blowing experience for meeting and event guests. Participants work with one of the studio’s instructors to create a glass piece, which they can pick up a few days later or have shipped to their home.
At Mission Point Hotel on Michigan’s Mackinac Island, attendees can work together to experience one of the region’s favorite pastimes—creating cairns, or small stacks of rocks—in a remote spot overlooking Lake Huron. Following the cairns creations, the group can create and sample custom cocktails made with items from the property’s “cocktail garden.”
At the Hilton New Orleans Riverside, planners can arrange for culinary classes to make local favorites such as beignets.
Guests at Kimpton’s Taconic Hotel in Vermont can partake in adult coloring sessions or art lessons led by staff from the nearby Southern Vermont Art Center. The hotel also offers other activities such as team kayaking and canoeing on the Battenkill River and hikes using Manchester Woodcraft walking sticks.
A new 22-slip marina at Gurney’s Newport Resort in Rhode Island is the starting point for group sailing lessons on Newport Harbor.
The New York Hilton Midtown recently added 450,000 bees to its 16,000-square-foot green rooftop. Planners can arrange for a lesson in beekeeping with fourth generation beekeeper Andrew Coté and sampling of new menu items such as whipped ricotta cheese crostini with honeycomb.
Kentucky produces more than 90 percent of the world’s bourbon. Groups that meet in Lexington can learn how to incorporate the spirit into meals at the “Everything is Better with Bourbon” cooking class led by Wild Thyme Cooking.
Hilton Los Cabos Beach & Golf Resort offers a variety of locally inspired teambuilding activities, including salsa dance classes on the hotel’s waterfront terrace and cooking classes focused on the flavors of the Baja region.
At Hilton Waikoloa Village, a resident kumu hula, or teacher of hula, can provide lessons to groups.
Guides from Firelight Camps in New York’s Finger Lakes region can take guests on a foraging adventure through the property’s expansive acreage. After the hike, Firelight Camps co-founder and Food Network Star finalist Emma Frisch teaches participants how to use the ingredients they found to prepare a feast.
