Southern California is a region that insists on getting the group outside, due to its many beaches and supreme weather.
One way for planners to do this is to schedule a teambuilding activity that both allows attendees a few hours under the SoCal sun and fosters team camaraderie.
From scavenger hunts in Los Angeles to bonding with Mickey Mouse at Disneyland, there is no shortage of quintessential California teambuilding experiences awaiting groups.
Scavenger Hunts in Los Angeles
LA is one of the most exhilarating cities in the country to explore, and a scavenger hunt is one of the best ways to get well-acquainted with it—and fellow coworkers.
Two teambuilding companies, CityRace Urban Adventure Hunts and Feet First Events, are available to facilitate exciting scavenger hunts in Hollywood or downtown LA.
CityRace Urban Adventure Hunts arranges outings that focus on specific areas, including Chinatown in downtown LA, and themed adventures such as “Past, Present and Future” in Hollywood.
Teams have three hours to solve a challenging series of clues, including several customized clues that relate specifically to the group’s company.
Clues lead to various locations where players will have to answer questions, solve challenging puzzles, collect items, take photos and manage various game twists.
Similarly, Feet First Events offers tailored teambuilding outings, but these are based on the style of the Amazing Race television show.
Teams, equipped with video cameras and maps, must decipher puzzles that lead them to specific locations. When they reach a destination, they’ll shoot videos of team members performing entertaining activities such as reenacting scenes from famous movies.
Wellness Activities in Los Angeles Beach Cities
Year-round sunshine and scenic surroundings in LA beach cities invite attendees outdoors for team-bonding activities that will calm the group’s collective stress level.
Teambuilding Exercise, Santa Monica
Wellnness Activities in Marina del Rey
Year-round sunshine and scenic surroundings in LA beach cities invite attendees outdoors for team-bonding activities that will calm the group’s collective stress level.
Marina del Rey is an outdoor wellness haven where groups can cycle along easy trails, take a yoga class at a local park or try a yoga paddleboard session.
Marina del Rey
Here, groups can arrange a morning yoga class at the picturesque Burton Chace Park or a more challenging experience with YOGAqua, which blends the practice of yoga and stand-up paddleboarding on the calm waters at Mother’s Beach, according to Kat C. Jacob, communications manager for the Marina del Rey CVB.
Marina del Rey is also part of the 22-mile Marvin Braude Coastal Bike Trail, a stretch that active groups can enjoy exploring as a team.
Wellness Activities in Santa Monica
“With 3.5 miles of coastline and more than 300 days of sunshine a year, the beach city of Santa Monica provides the perfect setting for groups who are looking to infuse a sense of wellness in the outdoors into their program,” said Misti Kerns, president/CEO of Santa Monica Travel and Tourism.
One outfitter planners can call on is Beach Yoga SoCal, which facilitates teambuilding exercises to relax the mind, including group yoga classes, meditation and breathing sessions, and gratitude circles.
Golfing in the Inland Empire
Adjacent to LA are the communities of the Inland Empire—including Temecula Valley and Greater Ontario—where groups will find championship golf courses to host a classic teambuilding tournament.
Golfing in Temecula Valley
Temecula Valley may be known as Southern California’s wine country, but the area’s rolling hills also boast some top-notch group-friendly golf courses.
Groups appreciate the area’s six “pristine and diverse” championship golf courses, said Annette Brown, public relations director for Visit Temecula Valley.
Among them are CrossCreek Golf Club and the 27-hole course at Temecula Creek Inn.
Journey at Pechanga, located at the 1,090-room Pechanga Resort Casino, is another local favorite for group tournaments.
“Contests, including closest-to-the-pin and longest drive, are fun extra facets that groups may arrange,” said Scott Mallory, Journey at Pechanga’s director of golf.
“They’re engaging and great icebreakers,” he added.
Pechanga Resort Casino features 274,500 square feet of meeting and event space, including indoor and outdoor spaces at the golf course for pre- and post-play gatherings.
Golfing in Greater Ontario
Greater Ontario is another group-friendly Inland Empire destination.
With impressive golf courses, it’s easy for visiting groups to participate in the always popular outdoor teambuilding experience.
“Visitors love our California sunshine, and what better way to enjoy basking in the sun than a round of golf,” said Sue Oxarart, director of marketing and communications for the Greater Ontario CVB.
The area’s golf courses, including Whispering Lakes Golf Course, Sierra Lakes Golf Club and Oak Quarry Golf Club, will challenge the group’s skills and allow time for networking outside the meeting room.
Waterborne Teambuilding in Ventura County
Groups won’t find many places that rival Ventura for fun team-bonding activities on the water, according to Cheryl Bagby, vice president of sales and marketing for Visit Ventura.
“Groups could take surf lessons with one of the best women longboarders in the world or kayak inside the sea caves of Santa Cruz Island,” she said. “Those are just two of the teambuilding activities we offer that we guarantee attendees won’t forget.”
Mary Osborne is one of the best surfers around.
In 2010, she became the first woman to ride China’s Qiantang River tidal bore, the world’s largest and fastest bore with recorded heights nearing 30 feet. Her experience and infectious personality make surf lessons delightful for groups of all skill levels, according to Bagby.
For those more comfortable on vessels more stable than a surf board, Channel Islands Adventure Company runs kayak outings into the sea caves of Santa Cruz Island, which is part of the Channel Islands National Park.
Active Teambuilding in San Diego
With 70 miles of beaches as well as public parks, nearby mountain ranges and desert landscapes, outdoor recreation is a must in San Diego.
Groups can call on local companies to organize energetic events ranging from beach Olympics and sandcastle-building tournaments to ropes courses and Amazing Race-style competitions.
Fit City Adventures facilitates fitness-infused teambuilding activities such as beach Olympics, sunset hikes, 5k fun runs, surf lessons and volleyball clinics. Pedego San Diego arranges customized electric bike tours of Balboa Park, Coronado Island and other popular areas.
Team-Bonding at Anaheim Theme Parks
The young and the young at heart will enjoy outings to Anaheim-area theme parks.
Disneyland Resort offers a particularly magical setting for groups to improve team dynamics.
Two engaging teambuilding activities offered by Disney Institute are popular with groups of all sizes, according to Robert Donahue, Disneyland Resort’s director of sales and services.
The first is Amazing Mission, a 3.5-hour experience that encourages participants to solve challenges together throughout Disneyland or Disney California Adventure Park.
The second, Business Behind the Magic, involves a 3.5-hour walking tour that encompasses Disneyland Resort theme parks and behind-the-scenes areas for attendees who want to pull back the curtain on some of Disney’s iconic settings.
At nearby Knott’s Berry Farm, attendees can enjoy the thrill rides and waterpark at their leisure, or groups can work with the park to create customized teambuilding activities.
Southern California’s Sunny Experiences
Whichever activity you choose, it’s easy to explore this region’s sunny personality and get to know team members better when meeting in Southern California.
