You found our list of the best company retreat ideas in Phoenix, Arizona.
Company retreat ideas in Phoenix are events that take you and your team off work routines to bond and have fun. Examples include The Great Guac Off, Goldfield Ghost Town, and Curious Nature. These events are essential so employees can interact and learn about one another outside the workplace.
These ideas can help you plan company retreat locations and group retreat activities. The experiences are similar to Phoenix company outings and things to do with groups in Phoenix.
This article contains:
- corporate retreat ideas for big groups in Phoenix
- corporate retreat ideas for small groups in Phoenix
- company retreat entertainment ideas in Phoenix
- company retreat locations in Phoenix
- staff retreat activities in Arizona
- team retreat ideas in Phoenix
Here we go!
List of company retreat ideas in Phoenix, AZ
From Desert Botanical Garden and Camelback Mountain to Orpheum theater, there are no shortages of team retreat ideas in Phoenix.
1. Gingerbread Wars
Gingerbread Wars brings teams together and encourages friendly competition over the holiday season. You can have this event in person or online. Each participant will get a gingerbread decorating kit before the big day. Then, your team will gather in a conference room or a rented location to play games and complete tasks like building gingerbread houses, which help foster teamwork and holiday spirit. Alternatively, you might host a Christmas trivia night or hold a competition to determine who has the greatest holiday décor. Gingerbread Wars, which lasts 90 minutes, is an enjoyable and entertaining holiday activity.
Find out more about Gingerbread Wars.
2. Bank Heist
This activity will have your crew shifting gears from computer work to investigations. After a daring bank heist, your task is to identify and apprehend the culprits. Important questions need answers, such as where the bank’s security staff was and how the thieves bypassed the state-of-the-art security systems guarding the vault. The event hosts will lead your team through a series of challenges to prevent the criminals from escaping for good.
Bank Heist is a high-octane social deduction exercise that aims to develop vital teamwork abilities. You and your team will have a blast working together or competing to catch the thief.
Get more information on Bank Heist.
3. The Art of Storytelling
You can effectively convey the intended meaning of your message when you incorporate a captivating story. Your staff will benefit from learning the value of telling captivating stories as part of your staff retreat activities in Arizona. Attending the “The Art of Storytelling” workshop may help professionals discover effective methods for creating and controlling narratives. Expect your group to gain practical knowledge from this entertaining and instructive exercise.
Actors, comedians, educators, and fans of geek culture all make up the storytelling team. With the help of these instructors, your company will learn a simple process for creating compelling narratives, and they will provide guidance on how to put it to immediate use. Even if the activity is just 90 minutes long, your team may make significant headway.
Learn more about The Art of Storytelling.
4. Desert Botanical Garden
The desert is the last place most people would visit for scenic views of flowers and plants. However, the Desert Botanical Garden provides an incredible flora collection in a tranquil oasis amid the harsh Sonoran Desert.
You will find over 50,000 different kinds of plants in the Desert Botanical Garden, from trees to cactus to flowers. The plants have diverse origins and make a visitor’s day more colorful. The cafe and garden store further add to the allure. Besides being one of most remarkable and visually appealing company retreat locations in Phoenix, the Desert Botanical Garden also periodically plays home to a wide range of special events, from outdoor concerts to cooking demonstrations.
Learn more about Desert Botanical Garden.
5. The Musical Instruments Museum
Going to the Musical Instrument Museum, also known as the MIM, in Phoenix is a lot of fun. Besides being unique to Phoenix, the museum is the only of its kind in the world. Over 15,000 musical instruments and relics are on display.
Each instrument is exhibited in cutting-edge, state-of-the-art showcases with video and audio capabilities so that visitors can learn everything about them. Plus, you can hear the original sounds of the instruments. Great and well-known instruments, such as those played by John Lennon, Elvis Presley, Carlos Santana, and Johnny Cash, are in the collection.
To add a historical dimension, you may also explore rare instruments from ethnic or tribal groups and listen to music created with these instruments in their original settings. You should also check out the astonishing 11-foot octobass that produces tones so low humans can not perceive, the Steinwig piano, the first Steinway instrument ever manufactured.
Learn more about The Musical Instruments Museum.
6. Camelback Mountain
Located in Echo Canyon Park, Camelback Mountain is a popular hiking and sightseeing destination in Phoenix. Many scientists do not understand how the 1.5-billion-year-old granite cap found its place on top of the mountain. No specialists have yet figured out how this phenomenon, but it just adds to the appeal of this spot.
The Echo Canyon Trail, which ascends Camelback Mountain’s peak at a steep incline throughout 1.2 miles, is the most common path. The scenery is stunning, but the hike is challenging. The Cholla Trail is a more manageable option, with a gradual incline for the first 1.5 miles before becoming steeper at the peak. Nevertheless, the trail lacks the amenities and conveniences of the Echo Canyon Trail. Another option is the easy-to-navigate Bobby’s Rock Trail, which encircles the mountain’s base. When hiking the mountain in Phoenix, the early morning or late afternoon are the best times to go since the heat is more bearable.
Learn more about Camelback Mountain.
7. Goldfield Ghost Town
Goldfield Ghost Town is a charming small destination that you should put on your list of possible corporate retreat ideas in Phoenix. When prospectors found gold in the Superstition Mountains in 1893, the community of Goldfield was established on the eastern edge of the Valley of the Sun. As the gold vein eventually dried up, the settlement was abandoned.
The town, filled to the brim with replicas of western architecture and staffed by skilled re-enactors, provides visitors with a chance to see the Old West as it was in its heyday. You can visit the museum and stay for the free gunfight show if you are not interested in the town’s tours. Or, for the cowboy experience, saddle up and go horseback riding. Regardless of your choice, visiting this city should be enjoyable for the entire team.
Learn more about Goldfield Ghost Town.
8. Arizona Museum of Natural History
Without a doubt, Phoenix is full of ancient history. So it makes sense that the Arizona Museum of Natural History would be among the top corporate retreat ideas for big groups in Phoenix. The museum has been open since 1977 and is located in the former Mesa City Hall in the Phoenix metropolitan area.
Since Phoenix and the surrounding area are a rich hunting ground for archeological finds, it should be no surprise that the Arizona Museum of Natural History is well-known for its dinosaur displays. Guests may explore the museum’s multi-story Mesozoic era display, Dinosaur Mountain, complete with a three-story waterfall! In addition, you will enjoy exploring the museum’s Paleo Dig Pit and exploring the museum’s life-size replicas of dinosaur skeletons.
You can also visit exhibits and galleries focusing on ancient Mesoamerica’s history and culture.
Learn more about the Arizona Museum of Natural History.
9. Orpheum Theatre
The Orpheum Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona, was constructed in 1929 in the Spanish Baroque style. Originally built as a silent film theater, the building now has a functional Wurlitzer organ. Today, the Orpheum Theatre is Phoenix’s premier venue for activities, from ballet and family performances to live music and podcast recordings.
This theater is an excellent choice for teams searching for company retreat entertainment ideas in Phoenix. Groups may find themselves drawn to the structure’s eccentric appearance and history. The structure is a work of art, with ornate details like Solomonic columns and ceiling paintings designed to resemble the starry night sky above a Spanish villa.
Learn more about Orpheum Theater.
10. Lake Pleasant Regional Park
If you are looking for a fun place for company retreats in Phoenix, Arizona, then consider Lake Pleasant Regional Park. The original dam that created Lake Pleasant in 1927 has since collapsed, but the reservoir now covers nearly half of the Northwest Valley and spans 10,000 acres.
The dam’s waters draw visitors and Phoenix natives on hot days. At the lake’s southeast edge facility, you can hire paddleboards, kayaks, and tubes for relaxing on the water. Humbug Cove, Fireman’s Cove, and Coles Bay are all great places to go swimming.
A protected area surrounds Lake Pleasant, with beautiful hiking paths and an abundance of local animals both on land and in the lake. The dam has a Visitor Center where you may learn about the animals you see on the trails, or you can try your luck at finding them.
Learn more about Lake Pleasant Regional Park.
11. Eisendrath House
One of Phoenix’s top attractions is a utopia constructed in reaction to antisemitism. Rose Eisendrath, a rich Chicagoan, was denied admittance to a resort in Arizona, so she bought 44 acres and built her desert paradise in Phoenix on it. The home’s 5,500 square feet of living area, citrus orchard, and desert swimming pool impressed many visitors.
After Eisendrath died in 1936, the winter retreat underwent a series of owners and finally fell into ruin. Restored to its former magnificence, Eisendrath House is currently used as a research facility for water conservation. Conservation seminars, displays, and galleries are available to the public at this stunning location to raise awareness about the water issue Phoenix is experiencing as the city’s population continues to expand into the surrounding desert.
Many tours of this historical site are available.
Learn more about Eisendrath House.
12. Curious Nature
Arizona’s dry, scorching deserts have many fun activities, yet whether or not you find them interesting and entertaining depends on your standards. Even so, a trip to this taxidermy and natural history emporium will surely make for an interesting and enlightening retreat day!
Curious Nature is an odd store in Phoenix’s art area that sells anything from taxidermied ducklings and owl pellet dissection kits to tanned bison testicles. Octopuses in jars are just one example of the many preserved and taxidermied animals you may discover in Phoenix.
You may discover weird jewelry and animal skulls here, bizarre books and geodes, and its collection of the dead. Visitors can learn taxidermy and the preservation of wet specimens in the available classes.
Learn more about Curious Nature.
13. Phoenix Symphony
If you want top-notch and classy Phoenix entertainment, then Phoenix Symphony should be on your list. From its modest beginnings as a part-time orchestra in 1947 to its current status as the largest performing arts organization in Arizona, the Phoenix Symphony has come a long way.
The Symphony’s shows range from chamber and classical to family and pop, with the intention of teaching and inspiring its audience. The venue also provides several concerts and instructional activities for the local community and school-aged children to foster musical interest and talent. The Phoenix Symphony website has the schedule of their forthcoming gigs, along with times and dates.
Learn more about Phoenix Symphony.
14. Taste It Tours
Taste It Tours are fantastic corporate retreat ideas for small groups in Phoenix. Participants will have a fantastic time on this food tour, seeing some of the best restaurants in the area and learning about the history of the city’s cuisine. A local woman called Jessica Combest owns and operates the tours, and she is more than willing to demonstrate why many taste buds consider the city food heaven.
Participants will get a taste of the local cuisine at four or five separate hidden treasures in Scottsdale and Phoenix. While the food on this trip is certainly noteworthy, it is far from the sole attraction. Participants will also learn about the city’s rich history and gorgeous architecture. Overall, this trip will provide gourmets with a meal they will not soon forget!
Learn more about Taste It Tours.
15. Arizona State Capitol Museum
Phoenix’s Arizona State Capitol Museum is worth a visit. Since the museum attracts visitors from all across the state, it is vital to the economy of the whole state, not just the city. The museum displays a wealth of information about the state’s past on its remarkable four levels.
The Arizona flag constructed from a staggering 113,998 Lego pieces is one of the museum’s most popular displays. This particular number was selected to reflect the distance across the state. Another fantastic attraction is Arizona Takes Shape exhibition, which traces the state’s history from its beginnings as a territory to the modern day. In addition to these displays, nearby attractions include the Capitol Mall Memorial and the Wesley Bolin Plaza Memorial.
The USS Arizona exhibit details the ship’s time at Pearl Harbor, while the Merci Train displays French presents in appreciation for postwar aid.
Learn more about Arizona State Capitol Museum.
16. Macdonald’s Ranch
For your company retreat, you can visit McDonald’s Ranch outside of Phoenix, Arizona, for good, old-fashioned group fun. The ranch has timetables and programs where you may go riding in the harsh desert around Phoenix. You will learn the fundamentals of horseback riding and desert and wilderness survival skills, including locating water and food sources and determining north and south.
You may choose from various tour durations, each providing a wealth of knowledge and insight. Another perk of horseback riding is developing a relationship with your mount.
Learn more about MacDonald’s Ranch.
17. South Mountain Park and Preserve
Recognized as a Phoenix Point of Pride, South Mountain Park and Preserve is an excellent urban park and one of the largest in the United States. Plans for South Mountain Park and Preserve started in the 1920s, and now its more than 16,000 acres are home to 60 trails and many breathtaking desert vistas.
The preserve offers a variety of activities and attractions. You may go mountain biking, horseback riding, hiking on the trails, or take a Wild West equestrian trip with Ponderosa Stables. If you prefer a less physically-exerting activity, then see petroglyphs, search for chuckwallas, admire the elephant trees, or learn at the South Mountain Environmental Education Center.
Learn more about South Mountain Park and Preserve.
18. The Hive
The Hive is an innovative collective in the heart of Phoenix that brings together creative businesspeople and artists of all mediums. If you are looking for unique, handcrafted, or even merely artisanal items in Phoenix, then you have found the right location.
The Bee’s Knees, a locally owned and operated vintage clothing store, and Wasted Ink Zine Distro, a magazine and art gallery distributor, both have extensive vintage clothing and magazine selections. You can stop by Buzz Beans for a cup of coffee after perusing the enormous selection of homemade goods for sale. A trip to The Hive will enrich your group’s cultural horizons.
Learn more about The Hive.
19. FilmBar
Since there are few options for art-house theaters, it is no surprise that FilmBar is a popular attraction in Phoenix. If your team is in the Phoenix area for a retreat, then you should not miss the opportunity to visit the city’s best art house theater and view a wide variety of independent films.
Film fans may see independent and documentary films while snacking tamales and popcorn. Or, if you fancy yourself a little more of a vocalist, then you and your teammates can always attend one of the venue’s Sing-A-Long event evenings, when you may do your best renditions of songs from various well-known musicals.
Learn more about FilmBar.
20. Desert Ridge Marketplace
Undoubtedly, Arizona is home to stunning natural wonders. The desert landscapes may get intolerably hot, particularly in the afternoons during the summer. If you want to avoid the scorching noon sun during your retreat, you can seek refuge in a cool, shaded area, such as the Desert Ridge Marketplace.
The palm palms provide welcome shade at this outdoor shopping center, which has various restaurants and other forms of entertainment. After a long day of shopping, customers may unwind at the mall’s 18-screen movie theater or one of the mall’s dozens of dining establishments. If your retreat falls on a weekend, then you can watch one of numerous street shows. A thriving nightlife with stand-up comedy acts, musical performances, and DJ sets is also available.
Learn more about Desert Ridge Marketplace.
Conclusion
Phoenix, the state capital of Arizona and one of the most populated cities in the United States, offers all the amenities of a large metropolis, including excellent team-building opportunities for local companies and visiting teams.
Company retreat ideas in Phoenix may facilitate better teamwork and communication and provide your team with real-world experience you can use right away in the workplace. Your team’s morale will increase after a successful event since everyone had a good time. To help you plan your next trip to Phoenix, Arizona, you can start with the top attractions and must-see locations in this article.
For more city entertainment options, check out team building ideas in Phoenix and Phoenix corporate events.
Grace He