Most Chicago Team Building Activities Suck. These Do Not.
Chicagoans are reluctant to embrace the idea of team building. We get it! You’ve been hurt before— by stuffy, never-ending dinners and cringy ice breakers. Never fear, to get on this guide, these Chicago team building activities had to be approved by locals, well-loved, and actually fun!
Why Trust Us?
Since 2011, we’ve helped organizers create 5-star dining experiences that connect people better. From team building offsites and corporate events to milestone celebrations, we specialize in elevated experiences that go beyond the traditional dinner. Because connection doesn’t happen over boring meals.
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Most Unique Team Building Activities in Chicago
Chicagoans are a unique bunch, and they tend to have low expectations for their team experience. That’s why you should knock it out of the park when you book these genuinely fun, actually original team building activities.
Avital’s Interactive Meal
Avital’s Interactive Meal is your meal and activity all in one. We partner with the best restaurants in your city, curate a four-course meal with three perfect beverage pairings, and pepper in three hosted activities throughout the event.
Avital’s Sensory Dinner
The base of the Avital’s Sensory Dinner experience is a 4-course meal with beverages at one of NYC’s best restaurants. Appetizers are served “dining in the dark style,” your team will learn to smell like a sommelier, and will taste with lollipops they can hear!
Avital’s Foodie Stations
If you want to host your team building onsite, or you already have a venue in mind, Avital’s Interactive Foodie Stations are a great add-on. They’re all-inclusive bars where your guests can mix and mingle while they try activities like spice blending, cocktail making, or fine water tasting.
Game Night Out
A dedicated host will lead your team through custom-made party games for a one-of-a-kind team building experience. Game Night Out builds party games that are high energy, low impact, zany, and approachable, creating an itinerary of games that will engage everyone at the event.
Best Indoor Team Building Activities in Chicago
Between the cold, snowy winters and the hot, humid summers, a lot of Chicago’s seasons require your team building event to be indoors. These options will help your team beat the bad weather blues!
Jazz Bar
Chicago has an epic local jazz scene that you can find in small bars and on big stages. Bring the team to an iconic spot like Buddy Guy’s Legends (a great pick for team building activities in downtown Chicago), The Green Mill, or Kingston Mines for a night of easy listening, light drinking, and conversation.
Emporium Arcade Bar
There’s something delightfully nostalgic about a night at the arcade. Emporium Arcade Bar has an impressive selection of old-school arcade games and a great menu. We recommend booking a few tables for your group, loading team members up with tokens, and setting up an open bar or cash bar when you book.
Mystery League
If you’re jaded about team building, odds are you’ve tried an escape room already. Mystery League goes above and beyond that concept by creating a custom puzzle-based experience in your venue and the goals of your team building experience. These experiences are super intricate, complex, and interactive, which teams love in our experience!
Outdoor Team Building Activities in Chicago
On the rare days the weather is your friend, take advantage by getting the team outside! Take advantage of Chicago’s natural beauty by utilizing the lakes and the indigenous plants in your team building.
Architecture River Boat Tour
The Chicago skyline is iconic, and the story of the architects who brought it to life out of literal ashes is incredible. Spend a relaxing hour and a half cruising the Chicago River from Goose Island to Chinatown while you learn from a local about Chicago’s most iconic buildings.
Garfield Park Conservatory
At the Garfield Park Conservatory, your team can take a guided tour to get deep insight into the role each plant plays in Chicago’s ecosystem or just spend the day enjoying exploring the grounds. This is a great Holiday team building activity in Chicago because an incredible flower show and holiday market is hosted here every year.
Day Trip: Forge Lemont Adventure Park
Take the team for a day of epic activities at Forge Lemont Adventure Park, our favorite team building activity in the Chicago suburbs. Your team can choose between activities like ziplining, mini golf, paddlesports, biking, and even panning for gems at this sprawling adventure park.
Our Favorite Creative Team Building Activities in Chicago
Chicago is the birthplace of Second City, the home to some of the best jazz musicians of the 1900s, and is full of amazing artists, still innovating today. Immerse your team in Chicago’s creative side with these creative team building activities.
Second City Improv
Improv is not just a tool for actors; it’s great for any career that relies on communication and quick thinking. Second City Improv is one of the most iconic names in the improv game, and they offer awesome corporate workshops that will keep your team laughing the whole time.
Chicago School of Shoemaking
For a completely out-of-the-box creative team building activity, we present to you: leatherworking. Over the course of a 2.5-hour workshop, your team will learn how to make a clutch, cuff, or belt from a professional at The Chicago School of Shoemaking.
Pottery Studio 1
We love hands-on activities like pottery because they are shown to improve neuroplasticity and enhance focus. Pottery Studio 1 offers a great team building workshop where your team will learn how to make a cup, bowl, or vase on the pottery wheel, glaze it, and place it in the kiln for firing.
Most Fun Sporty Team Building Activities in Chicago
Chicago is the proud home of the Bears, Bulls, Blackhawks, Cubs, and White Sox. This is a sporty city, and if your team needs to get their blood pumping or blow off some steam, these sporty activities are just what they need.
Whirlyball
When it’s time to plan a big group event, Whirlyball is the first place that crosses many of our minds. Why not bring the whole team to play the incredible game of Whirlyball, a combination of bumper cars, wiffle balls, and scoops that create a high-energy, low(ish) impact “sport” that will keep them entertained for hours!
Axe Throwing
Axe throwing is a high-octane activity that tends to work best with young, energetic teams. Head to Bad Axe Throwing, book out a lane, and bring your own food for an adrenaline-pumping afternoon of hurling axes at targets and cheering each other on.
Ultimate Ninjas
Get your team running, climbing, jumping, and dodging at Ultimate Ninjas! In this unique team building activity, you will be challenged to athletic feats like beating obstacle courses and dominating at dodgeball. It’s a fun, low-pressure environment where you can get a little competitive and let off some steam as a team.
Best Cheap & Free Team Building Activities in Chicago
Team building doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg! These cheap and free ideas are still bringing the fun for your team building experience.
Field Museum
There are many museum team building activities in Chicago, but The Field is our personal favorite. This natural history museum has incredible science exhibits, some of which are interactive, and a guided tour can be a great way to give your team a new perspective on the world around them.
Chicago Cubs Game
A sports game is a great casual setting to get to know each other, even if you don’t know much (or care much) about sports. There’s always good food to eat, beer to drink, and the sheer fun of rooting for the Home team. Group tickets (for 15+ people) to see the Cubs play start at $40pp.
Volunteer
Giving back to the community is a great way to connect as a team and reflect on what you have to be grateful for. With so many in need, places like Chicago’s Food Bank, Cradles to Crayons, and Volunteer at Chicago Parks could really benefit from your team’s time.
Avital’s Private Dining Events are a fan favorite — they are curated four-course meals with quirky interactive activities woven in between courses. Or you can try teaming up with the folks at Game Night Out to create one-of-a-kind puzzle and escape challenges for your team.
Avital’s Interactive Foodie Stations are reception-style and scale easily to 100+. Forge Lemont Adventure Park can entertain a whopping 1,000+ people at a time, and Whirlyball can fit up to 1,200 people in its facility.
Taking a river boat tour of Chicago’s iconic architecture, visiting the Garfield Park Conservatory, and going on a day trip to Forge Lemont Adventure Park.
Buddy Guy’s Legends jazz bar is downtown in the Chicago Loop. Emporium Arcade Bar is in the Fulton Market District. The Chicago School of Shoemaking is in Lakewood.
Avital’s Private Dining Events are perfect for sparking real conversation. Enjoying jazz at a bar with an intimate group is relaxing. Axe throwing is most fun with a small group.
Volunteering, group tickets to a Chicago Cubs game, and a visit to the Field Museum.
DIY activities run $25–$50 per person. A half-day experience like a leatherworking workshop or a Second City improv class falls in the $75–$200 range. A full-day outing, like going to Forge Lemont Adventure Park, can cost $150–$400.
Yes! Avital runs a Chicago Interactive Meal, Chicago Sensory Dinner, and Interactive Foodie Stations.
Avital’s Chicago Interactive Meal is the best team building activity for teams that have done everything. The activities between each meal are unique and engaging— have you ever eaten a lollipop that makes your mouth buzz, or a berry that turns the flavor of a lemon into lemonade? Our Interactive Meal has changed the team building dinner forever, and our clients find it hard to go back to boring sit-down corporate dinners after their awesome experience with us!
More Resources For Chicago Team Building
- Best Restaurants for Large Group Dining in Chicago
- Chicago’s Best River North Restaurants For Large Groups
- Top Restaurants for Best Group Dining, Chicago, IL
- Best Corporate Team Building Events
- Best Team Building Activities in the Bay Area, San Francisco
- Team Building Games: Fun Games for Work
- Team Building Activities: Fun Events & Offsites for Your Team
Book Your Team Building Activity with Avital
Take advantage of our unique blend of expert event planning, quirky activities, and foodie fun by booking an Interactive Meal with us! Our inclusive per-person pricing and incredible local hosts make us the perfect partner for all your team building needs.
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