As most of you know, Her Philly is not my full-time gig. I work with a v fun and v hip group of coworkers who, luckily, enjoy hanging out with each other outside of work. Of course, there are frequent and necessary happy hours and dinner dates, but sometimes, when you need those “team building” events, it’s hard to come up with something everyone agrees on. Our team recently grew, and coming up with something everyone wanted to do proved to be a little more difficult than our boss thought. So, a few of my coworkers (thank you, Alex, Chelsea, Tim & Zanaya!) came up with some great ideas and we put it to a vote. I added a few extras to the list, but our winner is still in this lineup – any guesses? It should also be stated now that I’m not a big “activity” person, but I know a lot of more fun humans are. So peruse this list, send it around to your work buds, and get planning for your next big team outing!
Wining & Dining
Philadelphia Wine School (109 South 22nd Street) The Wine School offers everything from “Corked and Forked” classes to more formal team building events, like a Wine Blending Workshop (so fun!) or Blind-Tasting Competition. You can bring up to 22 people to their Center City location or plan an offsite event with them.
Wheel Time
Yay Clay! (3237 Amber Street) On top of getting to make your own pottery, the studio has a lounge and arcade, free parking, and is BYOB! You can bring between 8-30 people, and the cost ranges from $50-65/person for a 2.5 hour private event.
Speed Racers
Speed Raceway (Cinnaminson, NJ & Horsham, PA) If your work pals are on the more competitive side, consider the go-kart life. Speed Raceway takes care of pretty much all the party planning – food, any team building aspects, and scheduling of the races. For their most basic package, it’s $49 a person, and prices go up from there the more you take over.
Lil Bit of Nature
Longwood Gardens (Kennett Square, PA) This one doesn’t have to be a formally booked corporate event, because there’s so much to do at Longwood, especially in the summer (beer garden!) or around the holidays. However, they do offer a $2 discount for groups over 15, or hour-long group tours for an additional $5 a person.
Brain Work
Escape the Room Philly (1528 Walnut Street) You may not be able to find an outing that truly requires you to work together as a team quite like Escape the Room. Groups of 10 ($28/person) can go in at once, so you could even race another room of coworkers to see who escapes the fastest (or, at all).
Chefs in Training
Full & Happy (North 15th & Spring Garden Streets) From customized cooking lessons to private, sit-down dinners, you can find something your food-loving buds will enjoy at F+H. You can BYOB, too (yes), and they can accommodate groups of up to 25.
Gutter Ball
South Bowl (19 East Oregon Avenue) South Bowl is pretty much built for private events. They have two bars, a roof deck, and tons of different packages you can build – from the space and lanes to food and drinks.
Getting Air
iFLY Indoor Skydiving (King of Prussia, PA) For the adventurous group, indoor skydiving just might be the place to be. Never heard of it? An indoor wind tunnel basically simulates skydiving, with lots less stress for everyone. Their “party package” will run you $600 for 24 flights to be shared between 12 people, so plan accordingly.
Team Pride
Lincoln Financial Field, Citizens Bank Park, and the Wells Fargo Center (South Philly) The beauty of this idea is that, no matter when you hold your event, you pretty much can always have a game to tailgate for! Pick a parking lot and plan for each attendee to bring their favorite tailgate food, some beer, and if they’re fans of another team, their least offensive apparel options.
Blinded by Science
Franklin Institute (222 North 20th Street) The Franklin Institute is not just for babies anymore. Explore the museum “after dark” at these 21+ events, each based around a different theme, like Wizard School or the Boardwalk. There are drinks for sale (tickets are $20) and plenty of geeky science experiments to check out.
Nostalgia
Arnold’s Family Fun Center (Oaks, PA) And for when you just can’t decide, but know you want #activities, Arnold’s has got it. Go-karts, laser tag, bowling, an arcade, slices of pizza, and more can all be factored into their packages, which start around $29/person.