Constructing a memorable teambuilding experience is basically child’s play in Florida, home to a year-round funscape of beaches, parks, wilderness preserves and attractions. If you factor in subtropical savannas, shimmering harbors and placid lakes, Gulf of Mexico waters and unexpectedly diverse activities, you’re probably taking a group to Southwest Florida, where the teambuilding is built right in.
“Just being in a quiet place, surrounded by natural beauty, can help people to focus,” notes Wendy Schnapp, managing owner of Tarpon Bay Explorers, concessionaire of the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island, west of Fort Myers. “When we take groups out on kayaks, they have to work as teams as well as help each other spot and appreciate the wildlife.”
Here are a few more ideas that promise to turn your group into team players.
Stepping Out
It’s just you, the alligators, the birds and the amazing scenery in the Everglades, the country’s largest subtropical wilderness, and naturalist guides from Sawgrass Safaris can explain it all. The new Naples-based tour operator offers hiking, biking and kayaking excursions for small groups of up to four and also operates a manatee-viewing deck boat that seats six.
“Hikes are great for getting people out, talking and learning together,” says Gary Hannan, owner of the company, who boasts over 40 years of outdoor experience in Africa, Australia and New Zealand. “We also kayak through the mangrove tunnels and bike along Jane’s Scenic Highway,” the latter running through the heart of the wetlands.
In addition to his Everglades jaunts, Hannan says new ATV adventures are in the works.
Taking a Shot
Clay shooting combines with subtropical foliage at Gulf Coast Clays, set east of Marco Island on the edge of Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park. For corporate groups, manager Corey Rugg recommends sporting clays, which he says is “like golf with a shotgun.”
“Every station you go to has several target presentations, like holes on a golf course,” Rugg says. “We can set the targets to be easy or difficult, whatever you want. It’s not about pulling the trigger, it’s about breaking that first clay. Most people get so excited when that happens, and it’s a great stress reliever.”
Rugg says that a group of 20, with 50 targets apiece, should take about two hours to complete the course. From October to June, an onsite kitchen serves up light fare, or planners can arrange their own food and drink.
Art Works
The great indoors beckons at Masterpiece Mixers Paint & Party Studio, which welcomes up to 30 for private art events in Naples.
“We do a canvas from start to finish; I take them step by step and line by line,” says Debbi Whitney, owner of the studio, who can also bring the activity to hotels and other venues for larger groups. “I’ve done off-site events for as many as 275 people. I also work with spouse groups. It’s an icebreaker and an interesting way to get to know people.”
To a Tee
Duffers take note: there’s a new game in town at Alico Family Golf, home to 18 holes of miniature golf and a driving range, along with what manager Blaine Lytle says is a great option for groups—SNAG (Starting New at Golf), open to all skill levels.
“It’s similar to real golf but uses tennis balls,” Lytle says. “It’s a blast. Men, women, kids, grandma, whoever—everyone can participate.”
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The new 30-acre golf center in Fort Myers also features a PGA teaching school, a 5,000-square-foot clubhouse and sports cafe, and a meeting room that can host up to 45 seated, including a big-screen TV with computer interface.
“Lots of groups come in for a meeting then move on to teambuilding with a long-drive competition or miniature golf tournament,” Lytle says. “The name of the game is to have fun. It’s a good way to get people to loosen up.”
If the game is baseball, Greenwell’s in nearby Cape Coral offers eight batting cages with speeds ranging from 30 to 75 mph. Also a hit with groups are go karts and a new midway of rides.
Shell Shocked
For many who come to the Fort Myers/Sanibel area, it’s all about the angel wings, baby’s ear, kitten’s paw, alphabet cone, paper fig and rare brown speckled junonia—just some of the 400 species of multicolored seashells that wash ashore and are collected by shelling enthusiasts.
“The wave action brings the shells rolling up,” explains Captain Jessica DeGraw, who takes groups of up to six people on four-hour shelling excursions with Island Time Dolphin and Shelling Cruises.
The company goes to an island that’s only accessible by boat, she adds.
“We walk the beach and teach our guests about the ecology of the area. They might even see nesting loggerhead turtles,” she says. “At certain times of the year the water is crystal clear, so we keep snorkeling gear onboard. It’s definitely a bonding experience.”
Captain Mike Smith of Fort Myers-based Mangrove Island Charters can take from five to 40 people on private shelling trips that also include a look at shelled animals still living beneath the waves.
“I take people to a secret location and let them look at live shells like conchs and whelks,” he says.
Air Time
Going from blue waters to blue skies, your group gets airborne with Harborside Aviation, based at Charlotte County’s Punta Gorda Airport and offering a variety of flight plans, including an introductory 20-minute lesson that attendees can take in turns or just go along for the ride.
“It gets their hands on the controls and teaches them to make turns and other maneuvers,” says John Sockwell, the firm’s owner, whose wife, Jean Lewis, is the flight instructor.
Onsite flight simulators are available for additional instruction, or groups may simply opt for a scenic sightseeing flight.
Tracks & Trails
Slated for a phase one completion this December, Florida Tracks & Trails, located east of Punta Gorda, promises to be a teambuilder’s nirvana, with several motocross and supercross mixed tracks, mud courses, miles of all-terrain and off-road vehicle trails, paintball, ziplining, RV camping and a 15,000-seat outdoor amphitheater.
