From animal-inspired treetop adventures and behind-the-scenes tours of a working dairy farm to building a self-propelled car and learning how to use a letterpress, here are some creative ways to build team camaraderie in three North Carolina cities.
Charlotte
As the largest city in North Carolina and 15th largest in the U.S., Charlotte’s really “got a lot” to offer, as Visit Charlotte’s website proudly proclaims. The destination is easily accessible; Charlotte Douglas International Airport is the seventh busiest in the world and offers a compact and walkable convention district surrounding the recently expanded 600,000-square-foot Charlotte Convention Center, with 280,000 square feet of exhibition hall space, 50 meeting rooms and two ballrooms.
With more than 200 restaurants within Center City and 7,600-plus new hotel rooms on the way, Charlotte is prepared to welcome and entertain groups of all sizes, and while the city certainly has dozens of sights and attractions to explore—and delicious food to try—it also offers opportunities for groups to do so together.
Charlotte’s teambuilding opportunities for groups start at the doors of its convention center where it connects to the city’s popular NASCAR Hall of Fame, home to dozens of alternating exhibits and interactive experiences centered around the history of NASCAR, its legacies and memorabilia from racing legends.
The NASCAR Hall of Fame invites groups to “build a championship-winning team” through two different teambuilding programs inside the hall’s state-of-the-art complex. Both programs feature racing-inspired activities that require precision and effective communication, “like a perfectly coordinated pit stop,” according to the Hall’s website.
The Race Team Competitive Program includes a full-group icebreaker with either a communication exercise or peer strength finder that is followed by a team point competition taking groups through various physical activities throughout the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Each activity must be “mastered” by teams before earning points, requiring participants to design a self-propelled car before finishing with a short, customized trivia game.
The hall’s Pit Crew Collaborative Program focuses on problem solving and harnessing each team member’s unique skills to solve a number of physical and strategic issues, and also provides resources for teams to complete their final task of building a functioning self-propelled car.
Both NASCAR Hall of Fame teambuilding programs include day-of admission to the Hall, dedicated staff throughout the duration of the program, activities targeted to meet group objectives, and a professional photo to take home.
Situated on more than 1,300 acres of protected land along the Catawba River less than 30 minutes from Charlotte’s City Center is the U.S. National Whitewater Center. With a mission to promote healthy and active outdoor lifestyles, the Center offers more than 30 different recreational activities and 50 miles of trail along the river and Long Creek.
Groups can immerse themselves in the Center’s outdoor offerings through teambuilding programs designed to challenge and educate through experiences targeting character development and professional growth.
The U.S. National Whitewater Center’s Low Challenge Course, offering half- and full-day programs with the opportunity to add on whitewater rafting, takes teams through a series of low challenge elements and activities, while the Low & High Challenge Course emphasizes bonding and trust through tougher tasks.
Groups can also participate in an Adventure Race, where they engage in activities requiring the purchase of passes to participate in, like whitewater rafting, ropes courses, ziplines and kayaking in a competitive format that includes a unique scoring system, all facilitated by U.S. National Whitewater Center staff.
At Chef Alyssa’s Kitchen, groups can give some of Charlotte’s many flavors a try through private and interactive cooking classes in four formats: Hands-On Class, Chopped Challenges, Tapas Tastings and Bake-Off Challenge.
Chef Alyssa’s Hands-On Cooking Class is at the heart of what her business was built around and helps groups bond over food and build camaraderie while learning skills in the kitchen. Groups between 12-24 guests can choose from one of six curated seasonal menus and are led by a chef instructor through the cooking process.
In Chopped Challenges, teams of four to six people work together to cook dishes using ingredients from a mystery basket. Each team has access to the kitchen’s pantry, spice rack and cooking equipment, and dishes are judged based on taste, creative use of ingredients and presentation. Chopped Challenges can accommodate 11-42 guests in the kitchen’s main room or up to 60 using both culinary rooms.
[Related: The Latest Developments and Renovations in Key North Carolina Cities (2022)]
Greensboro
Offering 135 attractions, 500-plus restaurants and nearly 100 options for accommodation in the heartland of North Carolina, Greensboro promises something for everyone.
“The Gate City” is more than just a gateway to fun and flavors. It also has plenty of teambuilding opportunities to choose from for groups to experience all Greensboro has to offer, from immersive animal-inspired excursions to private trolley tours of the city.
SKYWILD at the Greensboro Science Center (GSC) invites groups to “unleash their wild side” at its animal-inspired treetop adventure course designed to allow visitors to “experience a variety of animal behaviors” all while getting their workout in.
Challenges encourage participants to imitate certain animal actions while overlooking the GSC zoo, and groups of 10 or more can book private gatherings at SKYWILD for the group rate of $35 per person at www.skywild.org.
Brew Peddlers, which lays claim to being “the first and only pedal trolley in Greensboro,” takes groups on safe and fun adventures through downtown Greensboro while giving them the opportunity to support local businesses.
Groups of up to 14 people can take Brew Peddlers’ pub trolley for a spin along downtown streets while sipping on beer and wine from the bars and breweries they pedal past. Those booking private trolley tours can choose two to three businesses from Brew Peddlers’ list of tour stops to create a custom two-hour route.
Situated 20 minutes southwest of Greensboro in Archdale, Kersey Valley Attractions’ mission is to help you “live your adventure!” through a variety of seasonal and year-round attractions.
Throughout the year, groups can opt to fly high through one of the largest closed-course ziplines in the U.S. or go head-to-head in an outdoor laser tag battle. Axe-throwing creates an opportunity for friendly competition while Kersey Valley Attractions’ escape rooms challenge teams to work together and use problem-solving skills.
During the fall, Kersey Valley Attractions’ Maize Adventure is a confusing cornfield ideal for practicing open communication while the haunted Spooky Woods attraction gives groups a good scare. More attractions and activities are available to explore at www.kerseyvalley.com.
[Related: Teambuilding Options Abound in North Carolina’s Triad]
Raleigh
Centrally located along the East Coast halfway between New York City and Miami sits North Carolina’s capital city, Raleigh, with a downtown convention campus offering 500,000 square feet of Silver LEED-certified space at the Raleigh Convention Center and properties like Raleigh Marriott City Center and Sheraton Raleigh Hotel within walking distance.
While Raleigh may be roaring with meetings and events amenities across its downtown convention campus and four additional meeting districts—Midtown, Airport, Cary and Raleigh West—the city is also brimming with unique and immersive teambuilding opportunities for groups of all sizes.
People-First Tourism leads with a mission to connect travelers with their hosts to develop deep connections through experiencing local cultures and positively impacting the lives of those they meet. The company creates “healthy destinations through grassroots entrepreneurship and hyperlocal experiences,” according to its website, and invites groups visiting Raleigh to “discover the adventure next door.”
Groups can work with People-First Tourism to develop a signature experience of carefully curated tours and hands-on encounters designed to take groups “below the surface” of what Raleigh has to offer. Every tour consists of hand-selected or co-created activities promising unique and special experiences revolving around locals and their stories. Most experiences are interactive and give groups the opportunity to try things like stirring whiskey in a blending vat, shucking corn or even learning how to use a letterpress to make cards.
In collaboration with Decree Company Letterpress, People-First Tourism offers a Printed with Care–Letterpress Card Making Workshop in which groups visit the downtown Raleigh shop specializing in hand-pressed stationary and get to mix their own custom color ink, learn how to print different types of designs and take home 20 of their own letter-pressed cards. The experience can be arranged at peoplefirsttourism.com and also includes wine and a selection of hors d’oeuvres.
Another way groups can give back to the Raleigh community while engaged in teambuilding is through the voluntourism activities offered by the local organization Designed for Joy (DFJ), with a mission to “provide women in crisis with stability through immediate employment and support, removing the stigma of vulnerability.” DFJ hires and trains women in the handcrafting of artisan leather goods while providing meals, job training, resume assistance and more, according to Visit Raleigh.
Groups are invited to volunteer in the DFJ studio to work alongside the artisans and experience firsthand the impact DFJ is making in the Raleigh community. More information is available at www.designedforjoy.com.
At North Carolina State University’s 329-acre Randleigh Dairy Heritage Museum, a dairy farm and education lab accompanied by a full-service Creamery Cafe and Dairy Education Center, groups can take behind-the-scenes tours of the working dairy farm to learn “how wholesome milk gets from the farm to the table.”
After taking part in educational opportunities and admiring the cute cows on the farm during the tour, groups can make their way over to Howling Cow Creamery Cafe for a sweet treat from a menu of scooped ice cream, banana splits, sundaes, specialty coffees, milkshakes and even dairy-free smoothies.
Situated in the historic former Briggs Hardware Building on Fayetteville Street in the center of downtown Raleigh, the City of Raleigh Museum has set out to preserve and interpret Raleigh’s history—starting with the original tin ceiling in its museum gallery.
Through curated temporary and permanent exhibits, visitors can experience the people, places and resources of Raleigh’s past through approximately 5,000 artifacts, educational programming and group tours. Tours of the free public museum are intimate, allowing groups to get up-close and personal with every exhibit, and offer a fun and lively overview of Raleigh history.
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