If you’re in the same boat, this 2024 guide for team building, San Francisco edition can save you hours of research. Read on to find out everything you need to know about planning your next team event in the Golden City.
Why Team Building Matters for Corporate Groups
Corporate team building activities go beyond celebrating birthdays and random Slack shares. When done right, team building offers multiple benefits to corporate groups in San Francisco Bay Area. Learn about the top benefits of team building exercises for employees, its impact on corporate culture, and why San Francisco is the ultimate destination for it.
Benefits of Team Building for Employees
Team building activities in San Francisco can help break ice, boost confidence, and even learn valuable skills. One of the universally acknowledged truths is that building long-term connections at work is the pathway to a fulfilled career.
A 2024 survey by Gallup estimates that employees who have friends at work are seven times more engaged. In the long run, it contributes to the well-being of the employee by reducing their stress levels and strengthens the team bond.
Impact of Team Building on Corporate Culture
As the idiom goes - culture eats process for breakfast! No one knows this better than team leaders in San Francisco, the birthplace of ‘hustle’. It can be especially trying to cultivate a unique corporate culture and a cohesive unit when most of your organization includes remote teams, constantly chasing steep targets.
Fun team building activities in San Francisco can offer a welcome respite, and help bridge silos.
Why Choose San Francisco for Team Building
Why shouldn’t you choose San Francisco for team building is the real question. From kayaking and scavenger hunts to the eclectic speakeasy scene, San Francisco has got it all! And if your team is looking for an unforgettable experience, don’t miss the chance to attend a Cirque du Soleil show when it's in town!
The perfect blend of quirky locations, stunning views, and artistic streets make team building in San Francisco easy and challenging at the same time. With an array of options to choose from, this guide can help you find the right one for your team.
Best Outdoor Team Building Activities in San Francisco
While San Francisco is more popular for being the tech hub, and its unique pacific vibe, it’s also surrounded by stunning views of nature. From hiking to picnics, there are plenty of terrific outdoor team building activities in San Francisco. See some of the best outdoor adventures researched by our team below.
Group Hike at Lands End Trail
Can there be a better way to see San Francisco than the iconic Lands End Trail? A spectacular view of the ocean interspersed with cliffs and the Golden Bridge make it one of the most unforgettable experiences.
Taking the trail as a team can be an active option to make your entire group have conversations and take in the panoramic views along the way. The awe-inspiring team pictures you can click at the eagle’s point is an added bonus!
Kayaking with City Kayak
As the quintessential ‘bay city’, kayaking has a long history in San Francisco. City Kayak offers a great opportunity for your team to slow down, and enjoy a fun group activity together.
Based on the theme of your team-building activity, you can choose either a fully guided tour, or just rent kayaks as a group. Want to plan a team event in the evening? Sunset and night kayaking is a unique idea for team building in San Francisco.
Axe Throwing at Bad Axe
Urban axe throwing at Bad Axe can be a refreshing break from the mundane, and allow your team to axe away at their stress. It’s no secret that San Francisco works really hard.
The city has some of the longest working hours, and with that comes the need to distress! Want to make it more interesting? You can even enroll your team for the urban axe-throwing league and aim to win it all the way as a team, creating a memorable experience.
Scavenger Hunts (App-Based, Citywide Exploration)
San Francisco loves its tech, and offers a fun twist to regular scavenger hunts. Why restrict your scavenger hunts to your campus when the whole city can be your playground!
With app-based, interactive experiences such as Scavify, and ‘Let’s Roam’ allow your team to see the city in a different way. It turns everyday landmarks into pieces of puzzles that need communication and a problem-solving approach to scavenger hunts. Surely, team-building doesn’t get more San Fran than this?
Beach-side Kite Flying at Ocean Beach
Flying a vehicle together as a team can be a fun and high-energy experience. However, San Francisco has several restrictions in place when it comes to drones, including the Federal Aviation Administration rules.
Good old kite flying has no such restrictions. It can be a unique experience to learn how to fly a kite, and participate in competitions in the scenic setting of the Ocean Beach. Be sure to check the peak hours at Ocean beach before you save it on your San Francisco Team Building Activities spreadsheet.
Group Picnics at Crissy Field
Located in the Golden Gate Recreational Park, Crissy Field combines scenery, and history. Its accessibility by public transit, and connection to San Fran history as a World War II airfield, make it a convenient and yet unique landmark to host team events.
Especially for San Francisco team building events in the summer, the glorious view of the Golden Gates makes for the perfect backdrop for team pictures.
Wow-Worthy Circus Acts!
Get ready to be amazed in San Francisco! Jaw-dropping Cirque du Soleil performances are just a click away.
Indoor and Relaxing Team Building Options
Beyond its connection to technology and Silicon Valley, San Francisco is also widely popular as a vibrant culture hub, enriched by artists, musicians and world-renowned chefs.
Naturally, there are endless indoor team building options available that can make your team go - ‘only in San Francisco’. Here’s our list of handpicked experiences that can make your team building activities in San Francisco a hit!
Rooftop Cooking Classes (Thai, Mixology)
The rooftop Thai cooking class offered by BiteUnite is a great way to try a new cuisine. Learning something new together as a group can be one of the most creative team building activities in San Francisco. Especially when learning involves spectacular views!
Not into cooking? You can also try a top-rated mixology class by the Bartender Company.
Chocolate-Making with TinyB Chocolates
If you’re having trouble coming to an agreement with your entire team for the right team building activity in San Francisco, consider making something loved universally - chocolates!
TinyB Chocolates brings small and large groups together through shared love of chocolates. Their in-person and virtual events are easy to set up and can even be customized to your team activity theme.
Pottery Workshops at Clay By The Bay
Low-intensity team building workshops are a great idea to help improve team engagement and get your hands dirty in a good way. Clay By the Bay is the ultimate destination for team building with its wide range of classes for employees at all skill levels. At the end of 2.5-hour classes, your team also gets to keep the piece they created as a souvenir!
Mini golf generally makes up for an interesting and easy to organize team building activity in San Francisco. For years, former Urban Putt mini golf and bar has been a favorite spot for team building events. While the golf course may have a new management in place, and has been re-branded as Holey Moley, it still has some of the most engaging tracks - not to mention an amazing bar. Stagecoach Greens is another alternative in the Mission area.
The Detour: Arcade Game Night
Can there be a more fun team building idea than arcade games night? If you have a retro or cyberpunk theme for your corporate team building event in San Francisco, head to The Detour. With plenty of games to choose from - both arcade and board-games, The Detour can certainly create a memorable team experience.
Competitive San Francisco Team Building Activities
With its hustle culture, San Francisco bay area teams love a challenge, or a series of challenges to keep it interesting. Sometimes a little healthy competition can spur great future collaboration and build stronger bonds between your team members. Explore these adrenaline-pumping team building activities below for your next event.
Escape Rooms at Escape SF
Escape games are definitely one of the most competitive team building activities in San Francisco. They are perfect to apply problem-solving skills, communication, or just to entertain your entire group.
Escape SF has some wonderfully eclectic games that can fit well with any of your themes - from spy adventures to the prohibition era. What’s more, they can even bring the game to your event!
Brew Boat Races
Brew boats or cycle boats combine the best of both worlds in an engaging experience. They make up for an exciting physical challenge and nautical theme, and racing two boats can make your team building highly competitive.
Most brew boats offer the ability to add a custom menu with drinks, setting your team up for some relaxing time after the rush of the race.
BattleBots Challenge: Remote Control Fun
As the hub of all things AI, San Francisco boasts of a huge fandom when it comes to BattleBots. However, you don’t have to be an elite engineering team to enjoy a bot challenge of your own.
Private battle bot event organizers can now let your team have the thrill of building and fighting with their own robot! It’s a must on any list of San Francisco team building activities.
Trampoline Fun at House of Air
House of Air is the perfect destination for all things trampoline. You can choose from multiple programs such as dodge ball or rock climbing to make your team building event an unforgettable experience. Or you could simply decide to let everyone have fun with ‘open jump’ sessions designed to maximize air time.
SpinOut Water Bikes
While brew boats are great for collaboration, SpinOut water bikes offer the same intensity for smaller teams of 10-20 participants. You can easily compete as individuals or as a pair while experiencing a new way to explore the San Francisco bay.
The best part? It’s possible to host a private event at SpinOut Water Bikes for your team building activities in San Francisco.
Charitable and Volunteering Team Building Ideas
As one of the most diverse cities, San Francisco also has a strong history and culture of philanthropy. Nothing brings teams together as good deeds and contributing with valuable skills.
If you need some ideas to get started, check out our suggestions for charitable team building activities in San Francisco.
Volunteering with HandsOn Bay Area
HandsOn Bay Area is a unique initiative that lets teams create a custom charity event. Supported by the biggest engineering teams in the Bay area - from Google to Amazon, their platform lets companies match CSR or community goals with team building event ideas in San Francisco. It’s the easiest way to help your team start volunteering!
Building for Habitat for Humanity
Affordable housing for the under-served communities is the biggest challenge facing San Francisco. Your team can contribute towards this goal through Habitat for Humanity. The joy of building a home for someone in need can bring your entire team together, united for the common cause.
Cooking for a Cause (Team Cooking Events for Charity)
As per the data collected by SF Marin Food Bank, 77% respondents dependent on food banks worry about running out of food. Cooking together for meals that can feed families and kids can be a satisfying way to give back to the community.
Many charities also allow you to host your cooking for a cause event in San Francisco. Be sure to reach out to the coordinators in advance to learn how you can contribute as a team.
Clean-Up Events in Local Parks and Beaches
Each day, several tons of track is collected in public spaces such as parks and beaches of the San Francisco Bay. It’s enough to fill up an Olympic-sized pool in a single cleaning drive.
Clearly there’s a constant need to pick up the trash, and organizing a clean-up drive can be an incredible experience. It’s one of those memorable team building activities in San Francisco that can leave a mark by not leaving a single piece of trash behind.
Unique and Creative Team Building Experiences
San Francisco is one of the most competitive cities when it comes to talent recruitment and employee retention. Naturally there’s always a need to find unique and creative team building activities in San Francisco. Get inspired with our recommended ideas below!
Graffiti Art Classes in the Mission District
Street art defines San Francisco as much as the golden bridge. Fortunately, you don’t have to be just an observer. With graffiti classes led by veteran artists, your team can express themselves and be a part of the long tradition of iconic murals. You can make this team event more interesting by coming up with a theme for your group to paint!
Street Art and Walking Tours
Mission and SoMa are surreal to walk through for art lovers. You can combine new age platforms such as Scavify to explore the amazing street art of San Francisco as a team. The vibrant neighborhoods and the leisurely pace can help your team break the ice and let the creative juices flow. If you’re searching for an artistic team building activity in San Francisco, exploring street art certainly fits the bill! You can also take your experience further by exploring San Francisco thrilling hidden gems.
Escape the Room: Storytelling Challenges
Everyone loves a good story, and your team is no different! Escape rooms in San Francisco are a stimulating experience, bringing stories to life. The best part is that you can easily find a story that fits with your corporate culture or the theme of your team building activity in San Francisco.
Silent Disco Beach Yoga at Baker Beach
You may know about silent disco, but have you ever considered combining it with Yoga? You can sign up your team for this unique experience at Baker Beach where the meditative trance of the waves mixes in with the energizing activity. It’s the perfect team building activity to consider if you want to get away from the mundane! If you want to organize it by yourself, Golden Gate Park can be a great alternative!
Food and Drink Focused Team Building Options
San Francisco boasts of close to 40 Michelin star restaurants, highlighting its love for food and unique gastronomic experiences. Consequently, there’s no dearth of food or drink focused team building ideas in San Francisco. Check out some of the best ones below.
Wine Tasting at Winery Collective
Californians swear by the richness of Napa & Sonoma wines. In fact it won’t be an exaggeration to say that they can compete with the best in France & world over. Winery Collective offers a new dimension to explore independent and artisanal wine makers in the county. The Collective offers a wide range of ‘flights’ to choose for tasting, with five different wines per flight. As a team you can set on a challenge to try as many as you can!
Craft Beer Tasting at Local Breweries
San Francisco loves its beers almost as much as it does its wines. Local breweries producing their unique IPAs can be an endless adventure of flavors. With many breweries offering a ‘guided’ tasting for beers, you can turn your team building activity into an exciting dive into the world of spirits. Be sure to ensure a safe transportation or shuttle plan in advance!
Private Mixology Sessions
Whether you’re looking for an in-person or virtual team building activity in San Francisco, mixology classes make the cut. Organizers such as the Happy Hour academy even offer custom grocery kits that can be branded for your company. With trained mixology experts, your team can enjoy this spin on the usual after-hour drinks session to the brim!
San Francisco Ferry Building Food Tour
An important landmark for the San Francisco Bay Area, San Francisco Ferry Building is also the destination of choice for their unique food excursions. From chocolates & macaroons to chicken tortas and award-winning cheeses, nothing is off the table, making it perhaps the most satisfying team building activity in San Francisco, at least when it comes to food!
FAQs About Team Building in San Francisco
Have questions? We've got answers! Find out everything you need to know about planning a team-building event in San Francisco.
What Are the Best Locations for Team Building Events?
Here’s the ultimate list of perfect venues to host your team building event in the city!
- Mission Cliffs
- Urban Putt (Now Holey Moley)
- Baker Beach
- Crissy Field
- John McLaren Park
- North Beach
- Golden Gate Park
- The Winery Collective
- Sonoma Vineyards
- EscapeSF
- Clay by the Bay
- House of Air
- Emporium Arcade
- TinyB Chocolates
- GameDay VR
How to Choose the Right Team Building Activity for Your Company?
Choosing the right team building activity for your company needs to be a collaborative exercise. It’s important to take into consideration your entire team’s comfort with the type of activity, your event budget, everyone's skill level and external factors such as the weather. It’s a good idea to conduct a small poll and include everyone in the decision-making process.
How Far in Advance Should You Book Activities?
The short answer? It depends on your activity! Certain team-building activities like a wine-tasting private tour may need to be booked a week or two in advance. Also consider the fact that the best deals on team building activities in San Francisco may be hard to find at the last-minute.