.webp)
Cleveland is an iconic American city well known for its thriving arts and culture scene, successful sports teams, beautiful parks and various historical attractions. It's home to the world-famous Cleveland Orchestra, the Cleveland Browns and the innovative Cleveland Clinic medical centre.
The massive variety of things to do in Cleveland makes this a phenomenal location for an offsite retreat. With stunning accommodations, friendly locals and countless activities on offer, your team are guaranteed to enjoy an unforgettable stay in this midwestern city.
Cleveland is a sprawling metropolis that lies upon the southern banks of Lake Erie. Its enchanting cityscape—punctuated by landmarks such as Terminal Tower and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame—has seen the city featured in American blockbusters such as The Avengers and The Christmas Story.
But there's more to Cleveland than what you see in the movies. This intriguing city, strategically positioned between land and water, is a bubbling cauldron of exciting team-building activities including kayaking tours, cooking classes, boat cruises, go-karting and much more.
.jpg)
We've put together a list of
team-building activities for company retreats in
Cleveland
, including options that work well for both small and large teams.
With time spent in Downtown, the Flats, and Ohio City, this Cleveland retreat agenda spans three days with focused sessions, a cultural team experience, and a relaxed final day.
Cleveland works well for teams looking for a cost-effective US destination with a mix of city energy and waterfront access. A company retreat in Cleveland can combine structured sessions with relaxed social time, especially around the lakefront and revitalized downtown areas.
Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) is about 15–20 minutes from downtown by car or rapid transit. It offers solid connections across major US cities, making travel relatively simple for most teams.
Late spring through early autumn, particularly May to October, tends to offer the most comfortable conditions, with temperatures around 60–75°F. Winters can be cold and snowy, so retreats during that period are usually planned with indoor activities in mind.
Downtown Cleveland is the most practical for logistics, Ohio City offers a more local and food-focused atmosphere, The Flats provide waterfront views and nightlife, and University Circle works well for a quieter, cultural setting.
Teams often organize activities like Rock & Roll Hall of Fame visits, brewery tours, lakefront experiences, sports events, escape rooms, or guided city tours. In our experience, mixing indoor and outdoor activities works especially well here.
A 2 to 3 day schedule is usually enough to cover work sessions, team-building, and social time without overcomplicating the agenda.
Cleveland is generally more budget-friendly than larger US cities. Hotels, venues, and dining options are often more reasonably priced, which allows teams to plan a well-rounded retreat without stretching budgets too much.
Cleveland stands out for its combination of waterfront setting, sports culture, and ongoing redevelopment. It offers a more relaxed pace while still providing enough variety for team activities and group experiences.
The city has a strong mix of casual and modern dining, with a growing reputation for its food scene. Teams often plan group dinners, brewery visits, or evenings in areas like Ohio City and The Flats.
Getting around is fairly straightforward, especially if the group stays centrally. Teams we’ve hosted in similar US cities often rely on short rides, with some walkable areas depending on the neighborhood.
Surf Office was amazing to work with - from the initial introductory call to the final day of our corporate retreat! They are well-organised, transparent, super reliable and the communication throughout the planning and execution phase was prompt and clear. We are looking forward to working with them for future company retreats.
I had the absolute pleasure of working with Elke and Álvaro to plan our onsite, and I genuinely couldn’t have asked for a better experience. From the very beginning, they were incredibly friendly, responsive, and genuinely enthusiastic about helping us create a great event. Elke was so thoughtful and organized, always making sure every little detail was covered and keeping everything running smoothly. She brought such a positive energy to the process — she was super approachable and made collaboration easy and fun. Throughout the entire planning period, they both went above and beyond to support us. I really appreciated how proactive they were in anticipating our needs, and how enjoyable every interaction was. It truly felt like working with partners who cared as much about the success of our onsite as we did. Thank you, Elke and Álvaro, for being such a joy to work with! I’d happily work with you both again any time.
It's our second year working with Surf Office for our company offsite (30 pax first year, and 42 pax second year), and we're super happy! This year our offsite was a huge success, with direct impact on our employees' satisfaction, company culture, and alignment with our mission. The week they put together for us was perfect on all fronts: venue selection, logistics, activities, last-minute changes - everything was super well executed. Couldn't recommend them more! And... I know whom we're working with next year!
Working with Surf Office was a great experience from start to finish. Communication was smooth, the planning was thoughtful, and the platform made coordination easy. We really appreciated the well-curated suggestions for locations, activities, and restaurants – everything felt carefully considered. Beyond that, the setup created a great team atmosphere, making it easy to connect and enjoy our time together. We would definitely recommend Surf Office to any team looking for a well-organized and inspiring retreat.
Danielle, Giselle and the SurfOffice team were extremely cooperative, understanding and flexible to support my team’s 80-person offsite in Belgrade, Serbia. From being patient with our company’s lengthy vendor due diligence and procurement process, to responding swiftly when an attendee misplaced her passport - everything went really smoothly. Working with them took a huge load off our shoulders and their relationships with hotels/activities/venues also helped us secure good deals. Would definitely recommend their services to any company who’s looking to plan for an enjoyable team offsite.
We recently organized our company offsite with SurfOffice, and we couldn’t be happier with the experience. From the very beginning: The location selection and contract negotiations with Giselle, to the actual planning and execution of the offsite together with Elke, everything was handled exceptionally well. Working with Elke was truly outstanding. She was incredibly proactive, always thinking several steps ahead, and responded extremely quickly to every question or change. She managed to get fast answers from all providers: from transport companies to hotels and local activity partners- and did so with a consistently friendly and professional attitude. Thanks to her dedication, we had little organizational workload on our side, and we always felt fully supported. The offsite turned out to be an amazing experience for our whole team, and we’re certain we couldn’t have organized something like this on our own. SurfOffice played a huge role in making our offsite in Kemer such a success, and we can wholeheartedly recommend them to any company planning an offsite for a larger group.
Sara was fantastic in organising our company trip to Istanbul - she was quick to reply, offered great solutions to issues, and made the trip itself seamless and enjoyable. Already looking forward to the next one!
Expertise and competence in service. Friendly, helpful, and respectful communication. Comfortable, welcoming, and inspiring surroundings.
This was our second year working with Surf to plan our annual company retreat, and once again, they smashed it. We had a beautiful, restorative and fun retreat just outside of Barcelona that the whole team loved. It was so lovely to have the team's support in planning such a complex event, and they did a great job at helping us stay within budget. Great experience overall.
The most popular team building activities are surf lessons, SUP lessons and tapas night but there are plenty more to choose from.
Our closest location
Closest airport
Currency
Join the club of innovative companies which organise
retreats with Surf Office.
