Florida is a land of surprising natural contrasts—still springs and running rivers, swamps and sugar white beaches, coral reefs and barrier islands, dense wilderness and open prairies, and wildlife ranging from alligators and birds to zebra butterflies. It’s only natural to want to get out and enjoy it all, especially when there are no seasonal boundaries to all the fun. But don’t be surprised if your group takes a raincheck on the great outdoors in favor of living it up inside one of the state’s world-famous attractions. In fact, here’s your first test as a team—deciding on what to do first.
1. Zipping
Peter Pan has nothing on these guys! It’s the new Zipline Safari at Forever Florida (www.floridaecosafaris.com), a 4,700-acre cattle ranch and nature preserve southeast of Kissimmee. The two-and-a-half-hour treetop nature tour reaches heights of 55 feet and speeds up to 25 miles per hour as participants sail over the pine flatwoods and forested wetlands of Central Florida. A team of 12 bands together to tackle seven different zip lines and two bouncing skybridges while cheering each other on from nine aerial observation platforms. "It’s a fantastic way to get everyone supporting each other," notes Matt Duda, Forever Florida’s director of sales and marketing.
2. Crabbing
Small groups (up to four) become part of a working crew aboard a crab boat that sails the waters off St. Augustine. You’ll learn the salty terminology, gain an understanding of the lifecycle of these fascinating (and delicious) creatures, use GPS to track your traps and check for poachers. "It’s a lot of fun. People really enjoy it," says Nancy Ranquette, who with husband Mike, operates the tours. "They can just watch or they can help out. It’s very educational." The program is available Oct. 15-May 15, and then the Ranquettes head to Alaska for salmon season. Call 904.794.4476.
3. Kayaking
With more than 11,000 miles of rivers, streams and waterways, it won’t surprise you to hear that kayaking is popular all over Florida, including offshore in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. But those meeting in North Florida will want to experience the pristine beauty and utter tranquility of kayaking the nine-mile Wakulla River, which is fed by an underground spring that emerges at Wakulla Springs State Park and eventually reaches the Gulf of Mexico.
"There are manatees there year-round, and it’s just a beautiful gin-clear river," says Kerri Post, senior marketing manager of Visit Tallahassee. Attendees can get outfitted at T-n-T Hide-a-Way Rental (www.tnthideaway.com), open year-round for two- and three-person canoes as well as single and tandem kayaks.
4. Dolphin Research
Aboard the Dolphin Explorer (www.dolphin-study.com), attendees can join a survey crew for a three-hour expedition to sight and study the dolphins of Southwest Florida. Groups can be broken into teams to work alongside naturalists in collecting, recording and evaluating data. Dolphin Explorer is home to the 10,000 Islands Dolphin Project, "the only scientific ocean mammal research project supported by tourism," says Jack Wert, executive director of the Naples, Marco Island, Everglades CVB. Tours depart daily from Marco Island or Naples (with advance notice).
5. Pit Stops
The pressure is on as attendees attempt to change the tire of a real NASCAR race car in less than 16 seconds during the Pit Stop Challenge at the Daytona 500 Experience (www.daytona500experience.com), a 60,000-square-foot interactive motorsports attraction located at Daytona International Speedway. They can also take part in the ARCA Driver Development Program or go head-to-head at Acceleration Alley, which pits people against each other in a race for the checkered flag. "Either a group can rotate between all three, or if it’s a large group, they can split up and each do something different," says Lisa Shavatt, Daytona 500’s director of sales.
6. The Final Frontier
If they can put a man on the moon, why can’t they come up with the ultimate team-building experience? Wait, they did, at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex (www.kennedyspacecenter.com) in Cape Canaveral, where an Astronaut Training Experience gives attendees a true taste of space flight as participants ride space simulators, build and launch their own rockets and perform a Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station in a full-scale orbiter mock-up.
7. Learning to Fly (Fish)
With abundant waters and year-round mild weather, Florida is one of the world’s great fishing capitals. But what if you’ve never cast a line before? Lessons with expert instructors from the Orvis Fly Fishing School (www.orvis.com) at Ocean Reef Club (www.oceanreef.com) in Key Largo will have you selecting your fly, tying knots and safely catching and releasing fish in no time. "There is an element of ‘the hunt’ involved, which is a lot of fun and creates camaraderie," says Truel Myers, Orvis’ head fly-fishing instructor. "Overall, it’s a great group activity."
8. Backwater/Beach Bonding
Based in the Northwest Florida town of Milton, Adventures Unlimited (www.adventuresunlimited.com) will take groups tubing down the clear, swift-flowing streams of Blackwater River State Forest or plan a corporate wilderness retreat, "but they also have a team that will come down to the beach and bring hula hoops and other things for great team-building fun," says Sherry Rushing, travel industry sales director for the Emerald Coast CVB.
9. Paintball
Good, not-so-clean fun is waiting at Paintball Partyz (www.paintballpartyz.com) in Charlotte County, a 56-acre, wooded site where groups of all sizes enjoy private paintball sessions, facing off to find Bigfoot or play games themed around The Matrix, Braveheart, National Treasure and others. Camouflage jackets, paintguns and goggles are included, while the use of "limited paint" makes for "a very friendly environment," says Keith Woerner, owner of the company.
10. Do the EcoMotion
The fun of riding a Segway combines with the pristine parklands of Fort George Island in Northeast Florida, where EcoMotion Tours (www.ecomotiontours.com) gets your group riding through a coastal wilderness of dunes and salt marshes as a guide points out the resident birds, butterflies, lizards, bobcats and tortoises.
