17 Outdoor Team Building Activities For Your Entire Team
Being confined to four walls in an office isn’t the most thrilling way to spend each day, but it is, however, the case for most people. Corporate life is, more often than not, staring at a screen in a boardroom or cubicle, looking at a calendar full of various Zoom meetings and calls. But that’s not what it has to be!
Team building spices up the monotony of everyday corporate life and outdoor team building is a thrilling way for teams to feel refreshed, energized, and grateful for a new perspective with an exciting adventure.
Imagine stepping out of the boardroom and into the fresh air, leaving behind walls, screens, and fluorescent lights – and stepping instead into an environment where teams move, explore, and connect in new ways. Outdoor team building doesn’t just change the scenery: it changes the way people show up, the energy they bring, and the relationships they build.
In this blog we’ll explore different types of outdoor activities for team building, why it works so powerfully, how it differs from other team building events, and how you can structure a memorable outdoor event.
Types of Outdoor Team Building Environments
While any outdoor venue provides a much needed break from the day-to-day routine, we suggest finding an outdoor environment that best fits the needs of your team. When planning your next team building event, here are different outdoor team building areas to consider:
Beach Team Building Activities
The beach is a wonderful venue to plan outdoor team building activities at for traveling corporate groups who may not have access to a beach near home base, or for local groups who want to enjoy their favorite place. The beach offers a satisfying ocean breeze and a tropical paradise theme that reminds employees of the vacation they’re working towards! Here are the best outdoor team building activities for the beach:
Beach Bar Battle
For teams that want to raise the bar on their next work event and have a mini tropical-themed party – Beach Bar Battle is the perfect outdoor activity to host on the beach. Teams compete to create the best tropical beach bar, using provided materials like bamboo poles, thatch panels, and abaca matting.
To see which beach bar will win, teams name their bar and come up with a creative commercial advertising what makes their bar special.
Beach Dash
Nothing feels better than getting out of the cold and dry office air and running barefoot through the sand and feeling the warmth of the sun! During Beach Dash, participants get to do just that as teams participate in various, high-energy, beach-themed challenges. From slingshots and sandcastles, to hula skirts and pool noodles, these fun outdoor team building games are sure to encourage teamwork and lift team spirit – all while having fun at the beach!
The team at the end of the event that scored the most points from the challenges, receives award medals to show they made the biggest splash during their beach day.
Tropical Libation Container Creation
While enjoying some outdoor team building in the tropics, it’s a good idea to cool off and enjoy a tropical drink! During Tropical Libation Container Creation, your team gets to enjoy the ‘fruits’ of their labor as they compete to create the ultimate drink container. Each container must be made from at least one fruit and a variety of other decorations before being judged by fellow peers as the ultimate vessel for a tropical libation.
To aid in their campaign, each team presents their drink with a poster and/or a commercial before the ballots are handed out for the final voting. At the end of the event, teams get their bottoms up – along with the rest of their bodies – to the front of the stage where they receive award medals and toast to their magnificent tropical libation container creation.
Beach Buggy Battle
For groups that have a lot of pent-up energy from sitting in meetings all day, Beach Buggy Battle is a high-energy and competitive event that is guaranteed to drive positive results. Team members are tasked with building a “beach buggy” out of cardboard, duct tape, and a few other decorative supplies to then compete in a head-to-head race against other teams.
Teams select “drivers” who are in charge of running the buggy through a challenge course, as they meet up with the rest of their team to complete different team building activities along the way at challenge stations before crossing the finish line. Teams race in heats until all have completed the course. Awards are presented to the team with the fastest time and also to the team with the most creative beach buggy.
Lost Shaker of Salt
It’s 5 o’clock somewhere, especially for the participants who are ready to clock out of their meetings and log into the weekend. This Margaritaville-inspired scavenger hunt allows groups to enjoy the beach to the fullest and explore more of the outdoor space as they complete tasks and challenges within a GPS-enabled app in an effort to score the most points.
These challenges include tropical-themed trivia, fun photo/video challenges, brain-tingling clues and puzzles, and song tasks that even Jimmy Buffet would approve of. Kick off the weekend right and give your group a taste of paradise as you head to the beach for this tropical experience of team bonding!
If you’re looking for more activities to do at the beach, check out our beach team building blog!
Outdoor Team Building Activities – The Great Outdoors
Another area to keep in mind when considering an outdoor space is a local park or public space. There are so many outdoor team building activities that can be held at local parks, and even theme parks, that provide the perfect setting for a fun activity, creative thinking, and team collaboration!
While the beach is the perfect venue to invoke the feeling of vacation, the great outdoors create the polar opposite feeling of an office, letting your group reset and forget about the daily stresses of work. Whether it’s a local park with plenty of space for outdoor team activities, or a theme park where the entire team can enjoy entertainment, these outdoor team building activities are the best way to get your group outside to enjoy a unique event at an outdoor venue.
SurStrivor
Inspired by the hit show “Survivor,” teams are welcomed to the “island” where their “tribe” must survive a series of physical and mental challenges in order to keep their torch lit by the end of the event. While some on each tribe will excel at the puzzles and symbols, others will excel at the physical challenges that could include untangling knots, balancing objects, or throwing items. Everyone, however, will come together throughout the event to participate in head-to-head challenges against other tribes.
At the tribal council, teams vote against the other teams they perceive to in the winning position. In this dramatic voting ceremony, any tribe that produces a found immunity necklace will be spared from losing points.
Florida Fresh
Whether you live nearby or are visiting the state of Florida for a conference, Florida Fresh provides a fun outdoor group activity that’s fun for all team members! In this tropical-themed event, teams will flip-flop between different challenge stations where they’ll earn beads based on how well they perform in the challenges.
From stacking oranges and tossing citrus fruits, to skiiing through the “swamp” and bowling with flamingos, this event is full of fun games that really highlight the best of the sunshine state. Since Florida has temperate weather year-round, your entire group can enjoy this team building outdoor adventure any time of the year.
The Great Race
Get away from the traditional team building activity and play outdoors with this Amazing Race – inspired scavenger hunt. The Great Race is a scavenger hunt activity in which the goal is to explore an event area or outdoor space by completing tasks and challenges. On the game screen, teams will choose to complete Routes, Detours, and Roadblocks in an effort to score points and be crowned the winners. Unlike the Amazing Race, however, the winner is not determined by the first team to complete the race, but rather the team who scored the most amount of points.
Hotspot Theme Park Hunt
If your place of work is near enough, a theme park can also be a thrilling outdoor venue to get your group excited and reinvigorated. During Hotspot Theme Park Hunt, group members will work together on a team to locate GPS hotspots throughout the park using an app on a mobile device. Once teams are physically at these locations, the hotspots will unlock challenges inspired by the nearby attractions, themed décor, or fun signage. Theme parks make great backdrops for creative team photos and entertaining videos! Along the way, teams can follow the competition with a live scoreboard and message their Game Masters for any help they may need.
At the end of the event, the team with the most points will win! The day can either end with an award show and live presentation of the fun photo and video challenges that were submitted by the teams OR the winners can be announced at a later time, giving teams the freedom to enjoy the rest of the park. Either way, theme parks can make for one of the best outdoor team building spaces!
Resort and Hotel Outdoor Team Building
If you don’t have the time or means to travel to a beach or public park, the best way to treat your team after a long day of conference meetings is to host the team bonding event on the hotel lawn or around the resort!
Many resort venues have outdoor spaces that are designed for hosting events. In fact, some of the best outdoor team building activities are held right on hotel property where there is access to food, beverage, and accommodations. These outdoor venues provide beautifully manicured spaces that also come with alternative options for when weather becomes an issue, creating peace of mind for the planner and a refreshing change of pace for the attendee.
Here are some of the best outdoor team building activities to host at a resort or hotel!
Medal Rush
No need to wait until the Summer or Winter Olympics are in full swing to embrace the thrill of victory. Competitive and active teams can participate in their own form of Olympics right now with Medal Rush, our app-based activity that has teams competing in Olympic-style challenges around a resort or other event location.
The resort or hotel area acts as the “Olympic Village” as teams navigate to different hotspots and challenge stations where they engage in a healthy dose of friendly competition. The challenge stations include fun games like volleying badminton, playing golf, passing batons, and throwing discuses through Olympic hoops! At the “closing ceremony,” the top three teams will be awarded with bronze, silver, and gold medals!
The Games
Outdoor team building games are one of the best ways to utilize a resort lawn, which is why The Games is an experience that active groups cannot miss out on. Lawns are turned into playing fields as a relay race is set up consisting of full lane lines and various props and game equipment. As corporate groups are split into teams, they participate in high-energy, head-to-head, competitive games that are sure to turn friendly competition into a memorable team bonding experience. Soccer, tennis, shot put, swimming, and gymnastics are just a few of the games that are featured during this fun activity. At the end, the team members who scored the most points across all games will be declared champions!
Amazing Chase
The Amazing Chase is another fantastic way to incorporate outdoor team building activities in your conference or meeting. Challenges themed to different countries are set up around the hotel or resort lawn. Teams access a map of their location on an app and navigate to different GPS hotspots in order to complete their chase around the world. Teams must work together to strategize and communicate if they want to succeed at earning the most points at physical challenge stations and in the trivia, photo, and video challenges that celebrate this virtual journey around the world. This event is perfect for adventurous groups who wish to improve their strategy and problem solving skills at their outdoor venue.
Tropical Trek
Tired of still being swamped with work even while at a hotel and resort for a conference? Tropical Trek brings the vacation to you as you trek around the resort completing tiki challenges during this tropical outdoor scavenger hunt! In a GPS-enabled app, teams are guided around the resort to different challenge stations where they must answer tropical trivia, complete clues and puzzles, take photos and videos, and partake in challenges that make them feel like they are on PTO!
Why “Outdoor” Team Building?
While the events may be the same, there is a substantial difference between outdoor and indoor settings for team building. While indoor team building has its benefits like ease of logistics, a controlled environment, and opportunity for higher production value, outdoor settings bring many unique advantages. Not only does the infinitely larger space allow for larger play, but the environment of the outdoors lets attendees take a breath of fresh air and a mental break from their indoor work life.
Overcoming challenges in unfamiliar and enticing environments creates greater opportunity for positive interactions among colleagues. It doesn’t matter if you have small teams or very large groups – when it’s time to care for the mental well-being of your team, it’s time to consider outdoor venues.
The Benefits of Outdoor Team Building Activities
Fresh air does a body good.
As previously mentioned, sunlight and fresh air gives a welcoming and refreshing break to the body when it’s been stuck inside a bland and stuffy building all day. Nature is known to reduce stress, enhance mental fortitude and boost energy, letting your group reset before heading back to work with a renewed focus.
Sparks creative thinking and adaptability.
Navigating natural terrain, managing weather, or confronting outdoor challenges provides a brand new way of thinking that teams aren’t used to. It encourages reliance on one another and allows people to step up, ask for help, and work on collaboration skills in real time.
Breaks down hierarchies and levels the field.
In an office or ballroom, it’s easy to fall into the typical hierarchy that you’re used to working in. When outside in a new setting, those roles fall away as leaders and new employees are taken out of the office setting and forced to work towards a common goal side by side. This cultivates vulnerability, empathy, and mutual respect.
Strengthens communication skills and problem solving in real time.
In indoor settings, communication is often done verbally and at a table. Outside, teams must use their actions and other forms of communicating as outdoor team building activities may require navigating, setting paces, solving unique problems, and completing active challenges. Inadvertently, this results in showcasing the previously unnoticed strengths of different team players and how best to utilize them. Leaders emerge in places you might not expect!
Creates lasting memories and stories.
People will more often than not remember that time their team “won the SurStrivor Challenge on the hotel lawn” or their “award ceremony in the city-wide scavenger hunt” more than they will remember “that trivia game in that one ballroom.” Outdoor team building activities provide a much more unique environment that your team will cherish and appreciate for a long time after.
The Benefits of Outdoor Team Building Activities
Fresh air does a body good.
As previously mentioned, sunlight and fresh air gives a welcoming and refreshing break to the body when it’s been stuck inside a bland and stuffy building all day. Nature is known to reduce stress, enhance mental fortitude and boost energy, letting your group reset before heading back to work with a renewed focus.
Sparks creative thinking and adaptability.
Navigating natural terrain, managing weather, or confronting outdoor challenges provides a brand new way of thinking that teams aren’t used to. It encourages reliance on one another and allows people to step up, ask for help, and work on collaboration skills in real time.
Breaks down hierarchies and levels the field.
In an office or ballroom, it’s easy to fall into the typical hierarchy that you’re used to working in. When outside in a new setting, those roles fall away as leaders and new employees are taken out of the office setting and forced to work towards a common goal side by side. This cultivates vulnerability, empathy, and mutual respect.
Strengthens communication skills and problem solving in real time.
In indoor settings, communication is often done verbally and at a table. Outside, teams must use their actions and other forms of communicating as outdoor team building activities may require navigating, setting paces, solving unique problems, and completing active challenges. Inadvertently, this results in showcasing the previously unnoticed strengths of different team players and how best to utilize them. Leaders emerge in places you might not expect!
Creates lasting memories and stories.
People will more often than not remember that time their team “won the SurStrivor Challenge on the hotel lawn” or their “award ceremony in the city-wide scavenger hunt” more than they will remember “that trivia game in that one ballroom.” Outdoor team building activities provide a much more unique environment that your team will cherish and appreciate for a long time after.
Charitable Activities & Events Outdoors
For groups looking to go above and beyond and want to give back during their event, there are many outdoor team building activities that can benefit the local community and aid in corporate social responsibility. No matter how you plan on donating, your charitable event and donation can still be accommodated in an outdoor venue and may even increase the impact. Here are some fun outdoor team building activities your team can be a part of to give back.
Play For Keeps
Celebrate sports and childhood games during Play For Keeps, an exciting charitable activity where the game equipment used for the event is ultimately donated to a chosen charity. Team members will be split up into groups and will compete in relay race challenges that can incorporate Hula-Hoops, footballs, baseballs, tennis rackets, and so much more.
While the team that wins the most points in these challenges are declared winners, the real winners are the children who receive all of the games and sports equipment!
Pack The Pantry
There is a need in every community to provide help for food-insecure families. In this creative and charitable event, your team can help a local non-profit by playing games to earn food items that will all be donated – thus packing the pantry.
First, team members must use their teamwork skills to assemble and decorate a utility cart before they begin completing challenges that will earn them food items to fill their cart with. While the winning team who earned the most food walks away with award medals, the non-profit will walk away with numerous utility cards of food that will continue to feed those in need. Hosting Pack The Pantry at an outdoor venue makes this event all the more beautiful!
Sustainability Quest
It’s hard not to think about our impact on Earth when enjoying the beauty of the outdoors. In an effort to appreciate and take care of our home, Sustainability Quest is the perfect activity for groups who want to play a more active role in sustainability and volunteer work.
Sustainability Quest is a scavenger hunt where team members work on their problem-solving skills by completing trivia, puzzles, and photo/video tasks that are themed to sustainability. The winner is not determined by the first team to finish, but rather the team who scored the most points in showcasing their sustainability efforts. An additional donation can be made to an environmental organization, but the education and knowledge teams receive, is enough to change the world.
For more options on charitable team building – we have many more available here!
Seasonal Outdoor Team Building Activities
When planning team building activities at a conference or meeting, the time of year is also a factor that’s just as important to consider as the outdoor venue. Depending on where a company is located, some events might be better suited and better received by team members in certain seasons. Check out our seasonal offerings for summer, winter, and fall team building for more information!
Play “Outside” The Cubicle With Wildly Different
Outdoor team building is more than just a nice change of scenery. It’s an investment in relationship building, problem solving, strategic thinking, mental well being, and overall morale boosting. When teams carry the memories of those cherished moments building company culture outdoors, the effects indoors will be far more beneficial than anticipated.
If your team is ready to explore the possibilities, we’d love to show you what we can build together. Let’s get outside together and transform your team!
Wildly Different
