The United States of America offers endless opportunities for corporate retreats. Every state offers a unique set of characteristics, from open desert landscapes to icy glaciers.
This diversity makes it possible to tailor your team-building retreat to your preferences, but it also makes the decision-making process more challenging.
To help you decide which offsite destination is best for your team, we decided to compile this list of our 20 favourite retreat locations in the U.S.
1. Miami, Florida
Miami is a cosmopolitan city located in Southern Florida. Districts like Little Havana and Calle Ocho are home to colourful Cuban cuisine and music, while the seafront marina protects the many multi-million-dollar yachts from the rough Atlantic waters.
The year-round sunshine and array of sandy beaches make Miami an excellent location for a team-building retreat. There’s an enormous selection of accommodations to suit any budget, plus several vibrant nightclubs and bars that are popular with the rich and famous.
During the day, you’ll never be short of team-building activities with which to fill your schedule. Walk to the marina and hop aboard a high-speed powerboat or unwind with a laid-back yoga class. Need to get some work done? Check in to one of the many coworking spaces in Miami.
2. Santa Cruz, California
Santa Cruz is an oceanfront city situated on the northern side of Monterey Bay. It’s renowned for its outdoor-loving inhabitants, beautiful beaches and laid-back “surfer dude” lifestyle.
This is the perfect destination for teams looking to unwind and have fun on an offsite retreat. With over 29 beaches within a stone’s throw of one another and a lively city centre to explore, you’ll have no problem making memories together.
The bay area is filled with exciting water and land-based team-building activities for your employees to enjoy. Take to the waves and learn to surf, explore the mountain trails on a mountain biking tour or unwind with a beach yoga class.
3. Oahu, Hawaii
Escape with your team to the stunning tropical island of Oahu, the third-largest Hawaiian island. Here, your employees will experience the quintessential “island life” as they learn to surf, explore jungles and feast on tropical fruits.
This beautiful volcanic island offers a little bit of everything for a team-building retreat. You can fill your agenda with once-in-a-lifetime activities like surfing, yacht cruises and stand-up paddleboarding, or take things easy by laying on the beach, snorkeling and topping up your tan.
If urban landscapes are more your thing, you can easily take a trip to the bustling city of Honolulu, where high-rise hotels, bustling shopping districts and vibrant nightlife await you.
4. Catskills, New York
The Catskills Forest Preserve is a nature-lovers paradise located in the state of New York. It’s an area of immense natural beauty, made up of dense forest, dramatic rocky outcrops and stunning natural waterfalls.
If you’re looking for a team-building destination where your colleagues can bond and get in touch with nature, look no further than the Catskills. Here, your team will forget the humdrum office life as they lose themselves in outdoor adventure.
In terms of things to do, you’re spoilt for choice. You could keep things simple with a stroll along one of the many hiking trails, or try something more unique like a group sound healing session or a garden and horticulture tour.
5. New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a quintessential American city, well known as the birthplace of Jazz music. But there’s more to this colourful city than its musical heritage.
Millions of tourists travel to New Orleans every year to explore the city and discover its unique character. This is a place of substantial depth and diversity, where cultures from all over the world have come together to create a technicoloured patchwork of music, art, food and culture.
Because of the mix of cultures in New Orleans, everybody feels at home here. This makes it the perfect place for distributed teams to enjoy a team-building retreat. There’s also an endless list of things to see and do, including unique team-building activities like food tours, bow fishing, glass workshops and more.
6. Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is a stunning coastal city in the beautiful state of California. The impressive Ynez-mountain backdrop, sandy beaches and pretty colonial buildings have made the city a popular tourist destination.
With beautiful scenery, various upscale restaurants and several boutique hotels at your disposal, Santa Barbara is a wonderful destination for your next offsite retreat.
Here, you can treat your team to some much-needed team bonding and relaxation as they engage in unique team-building activities such as surfing, food tours, scavenger hunts and much more.
7. Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale is a city on the east coast of Florida, often referred to as the “Venice of America” due to its intricate canal network. There are several beaches in the area, as well as a scenic promenade that follows the coastline.
You’ll find everything you need here for a memorable team-building retreat, including upscale restaurants, independent shopping boutiques and luxury hotels.
It’s also a great place to entertain your colleagues day and night. You’ll find numerous team-building activities to enjoy during the day such as food tours and cocktail workshops, as well as countless bars and clubs to check out once the sun goes down.
8. Las Vegas, Nevada
A trip to Las Vegas promises a holiday like no other. It’s popular with people from all walks of life, from star-studded celebs to the average joe looking for a larger-than-life experience.
It’s also an amazing place to visit with your colleagues on a team-building retreat. As a global centre of entertainment, Las Vegas offers a never-ending list of things to see and do.
Exploring the city is a unique experience in and of itself, where you’ll encounter both natural and man-made wonders. As you’d expect, there are many group activities to try such as off-roading, cooking classes, rock climbing and more.
9. San Diego, California
San Diego is a Californian city located on North America’s Pacific coast renowned for its unbeatable year-round climate, sandy beaches and impressive natural landscape.
The city has experienced a recent surge in innovative businesses and groundbreaking innovators, making it the perfect place to inspire your team with a company retreat.
The surrounding wild landscape and modern metropolitan centre have created a breeding ground for team-building activities. Here, your team can engage in unique group activities from private yacht charters to hilarious beer-bike excursions.
10. Scottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale is a coastal-desert city located in the state of Arizona. The city centre is comprised of beautiful parks, golf courses and high-end spa resorts, while the Sonoran Desert to the north offers an impressive desert scape filled with beautiful hiking trails.
The contemporary city centre, rugged desert landscape and scenic coastline create the perfect synergy for an action-packed team-building retreat.
Here, your team can fill the days with exciting group activities. The modern city centre offers experiences like cooking tours and scavenger hunts, while the pleasant year-round climate paves the way for outdoor activities like sailing, sky tours, high-rope courses and more.
11. Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs is an affluent desert city in California. By land and area, it’s one of the largest cities in the Coachella Valley. This is a place that’s all about experiencing the finer things in life, making it a popular holiday destination for the rich and famous.
With no shortage of leisure activities to explore, you’ll have no trouble enjoying yourself during a team-building retreat to Palm Springs. It’s the perfect place to leave the stresses of the office behind and reignite your team’s creative spark.
When it comes to activities, Palm Springs is an adventure lover’s paradise. The city centre offers unique sightseeing experiences, while the surrounding landscape is perfect for experiences like hiking, mountain biking and ATV tours.
12. Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee, is an iconic all-American city famous for its contributions to the nation’s music scene, particularly to the genres of country, folk, rock, bluegrass and R’n’B.
As you walk through the city, your senses are stimulated by the music that spills from every street corner and the sweet smell of Hot Chicken that flows through the air. There’s so much going on, your employees are sure to be entertained during their company retreat.
One must-try team-building activity is the local food tour, where you can try local delicacies such as Bushwackers and Goo Goo Clusters. Once you’ve indulged your tastebuds, you can work off the calories with more physical activities like SUPing, axe throwing and more.
13. Austin, Texas
Austin is a sun-drenched American city located in the southern United States. It optimises the famous “wild west” stereotype of saloons, dusty streets and cowboys. The remarkable year-round weather makes Austin an excellent all-season offsite destination.
During a team-building retreat to Austin, your team can spend their days exploring the modern city (by foot, boat or segway), or they can venture beyond the urbanised landscape and get in touch with nature. The best way to do this is with a horse-riding excursion through the stunning Texan countryside.
If you prefer to remain within the city, however, there’s no shortage of things to do. Your employees can channel their creative sides with a glassblowing workshop before venturing to downtown for some dinner and live music.
14. Boulder, Colorado
Boulder is a scenic city situated in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in northern Colorado. The surrounding countryside is a paradise for adventures while the urban centre offers modern luxuries like art galleries, restaurants and boutiques.
This is a city that offers the perfect blend of urban and outdoor living. During your offsite retreat, you can decide to get in touch with nature at a local campsite or live a life of luxury in a high-end hotel in the city centre.
Just outside the city, you’ll discover a huge array of adventurous activities such as hiking, mountain biking, rafting and more. Meanwhile, in the city itself, you can discover the world-class food scene and sample beers at the well-respected local breweries.
15. Lake Tahoe, California
Millions of people travel to Lake Tahoe every year to immersive themselves in the beautiful nature and rekindle their connection to the great outdoors. The city centre offers everything you need for a comfortable retreat, but the surrounding nature is the cherry on top.
This is the perfect place to break up the routine, spend time outdoors and inhale some fresh air. After a team-building retreat to Lake Tahoe, your team will return to the office with new-found vigour and enthusiasm.
There are countless opportunities to both relax and energise yourself in Lake Tahoe. The mountains are full of relaxing hiking trails, panoramic views and outdoor activities, while the city offers amazing farm-to-table restaurants and quality accommodations.
16. Chicago, Illinois
Chicago is one of the nation’s most important cities, up there with the likes of New York, Los Angeles and Washington DC. The cityscape is composed of impressive highrise structures, interspaced with beautiful gardens and parks.
Chicago has lots to offer your company retreat. The culinary scene alone—with its deep-pan pizzas and Chicago-style hotdogs—is reason enough to tour this city. But on top of this, you’ll also discover a vibrant arts, culture and entertainment scene.
The city’s diversity is reflected, too, in the activities and experiences on offer. The river is full of water-based activities like SUPing and river cruises, while on land you’ll find experiences like food tours, scavenger hunts and skyline tours.
17. Denver, Colorado
Denver is a scenic city located in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It’s blessed with an average of 300 sunny days per year, making it a popular travel destination for outdoor adventurers.
It’s also a young and lively city, making it an ideal location to energise your team on a company retreat. This is a place that perfectly combines natural beauty, urban innovation and cultural diversity.
With the Rocky Mountain National Park on your doorstep, you’ll never be far from exciting outdoor activities such as hiking, climbing and mountain biking. The city centre is equally lively, with many experiences on offer such as axe throwing, rage rooms and beer bikes.
18. Orlando, Florida
Orlando is well-known as the tourism capital of the United States, drawing in some 60 million tourists every year. Many come to spend time at theme parks like Walt Disney World Florida and SeaWorld, but what many don’t realise is that Orlando is also home to beautiful nature.
It’s a colourful city with lots to see and do, making it the perfect place to bond with your colleagues on a team-building retreat. And thanks to the local international airport, it’s also easy to assemble your distributed team.
The modern city centre, combined with the surrounding nature, creates a huge diversity of activities for you to discover. You’ll find anything you can think of, from scenic river cruises to group painting classes.
19. Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is a sprawling waterfront city composed of cobblestones streets, elegant French architecture and pastel antebellum houses. It offers a huge variety of cultural, gastronomic and adventurous experiences which guarantee fond memories for your team.
During your offsite retreat in Charleston, you’ll encounter a friendly community and an enchanting history. Fort Sumter, a fortress positioned off the coast of Charleston, is often quoted as the place that witnessed the first shots of the American Civil War.
With a deep history, a vibrant city centre and the ocean on its doorstep, Charleston offers a vast array of group activities to enjoy. Simply relax all day on the beach, or venture into the city with a food or walking tour.
20. Zion Park, Utah
Zion Park in southwest Utah is home to a dramatic landscape of expansive views, awe-inspiring canyons and crystal-clear pools. This is the perfect place for your employees to escape the office and get in touch with nature.
A team-building retreat in Zion Park is all about adventure. The breathtaking red cliffs and deep canyons are utterly unique and offer endless opportunities for adventure.
You can start your morning with a “walking meeting” before venturing into the national park to discover activities like hiking and photography tours.
Find the perfect location for your next team-building retreat
One of the first considerations you should make is whether or not everyone can easily travel to the location you’ve chosen. If 30 employees need to make 4 flight transfers, followed by a train and a bus, you might want to reconsider whether the city you’ve chosen is logistically viable.
That’s why we created the Location Finder tool.
Now, you can easily determine the approximate costs and flight times for your employees travelling from different locations. Simply select the airport(s) your team will be flying out from and the number of employees and we’ll provide you with a list of recommended destinations.
If you’d like further help planning your next company retreat, don’t hesitate to reach out to a member of our team.
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