19 Best Team Building Activities in San Diego

Team Building Resources
Marketing Manager
Team Building Resources November 15, 2023 19 Best Team Building Activities in San Diego

San Diego is home to wonderful companies, and with that comes the opportunity to invest in your employees and make a commitment to choosing the right team building activities for your business.

Why team build at all?

Whether you’re looking to bring a brand new team together, re-engage and reconnect a seasoned team, address and solve problems in a disjointed team, or just have a great time together, team building is the answer. By investing in your team’s individual and collective well-being and happiness, you’ll notice an uptick in job satisfaction, employee retention, and your team’s ability to work as a well-oiled unit.

Our comprehensive and regularly updated list highlights the best team building activities in San Diego, Encinitas, Oceanside, Carlsbad, Temecula, and Del Mar.

1. The Great Guac Off

The Great Guac Off offers fun corporate team building activities.
The Great Guac Off is an avo-mazing time!

The Great Guac Off is one of the best team building activities in San Diego. The highly interactive team event includes a guacamole-making competition and other fun mini corporate team building activities like trivia.

Here is what you can expect:

  • 90 minutes with a highly talented facilitator
  • avocado-themed trivia, icebreakers, and mini-games
  • high-quality avocado ingredients and an optional secret ingredient
  • a highly competitive guacamole-making contest

All the games and activities are designed for maximum team bonding with a focus on friendly competition, collaboration, communication, and lots of fun. There will be avocado puns, prizes, and lots of group photo opportunities. The Great Guac Off can be hosted anywhere, including the official San Diego Guac Off site or at your office. All group sizes are welcome.

Learn more than The Great Guac Off.

2. Gingerbread Games

gingerbread wars
Add some festive fun to your holiday party!

Gingerbread Games is a great option for your company’s next holiday party. Smart companies never miss an opportunity for team building; combining your annual company holiday party with a team bonding event is a great decision and exactly what Gingerbread Games provides.

The 90-minute event includes everything you need for a successful competition:

  • an awesome host to lead your festive activity
  • game materials, prizes, and fun photos
  • mini-games like seasonal trivia and gingerbread self-portraits
  • a high-energy gingerbread house-making contest

You also have the option to add gift bags for your guests, extra snacks, holiday cookie platters, and professional photographers. Unlike with other corporate event providers, BYOB is not only allowed but encouraged, which helps make your holiday party more cost-effective. You can host your gingerbread competition anywhere in San Diego, including at your office, conference hall, or at one of the Gingerbread Games locations around the city.

Learn more about Gingerbread Games.

3. Adventure Whale Watching

San Diego is well-known for its oceans, and your team can experience them in a new way with Adventure Whale Watching! With only ten passengers per boat, this outing is perfect for small teams. You can book the whole boat for a private adventure, or you can join a public tour. Whale watching lasts from two and a half to three hours, and guests might see gray whales, blue whales, humpback whales, dolphins, sea lions, and pelicans. Because of San Diego’s beautiful weather, tours run year-round! If you are more interested in other types of tours, then you can also check out San Diego Bay tours and Mexico island ecotours!

Learn more about Adventure Whale Watching.

4. California Surf Museum

Surfing is one of California’s top pastimes, and you can learn all about it at the California Surf Museum! The museum is home to many permanent and rotating exhibits, including The Science of Surfing, Expanded Timeline of Surfboards, and Where’s the Surf? The venue also hosts regular events, such as surf photography competitions and movie premiers. If you are a local, then you can even volunteer to talk to visitors, do research, help at special events, or help with maintenance.

Learn more about the California Surf Museum.

5. Brewery Tours of San Diego

San Diego has a booming craft brewery industry, and teams can check it out with Brewery Tours of San Diego. The firm offers both public and private bus tours, and guests will visit breweries such as White Labs, Stumblefoot, and Stone. Public tours are available seven days a week, day or night. For private tours, you can pick which breweries you would like to visit, and the buses will take you there. Corporate teams of up to 500 can book private events! Consider checking out these tours for a fun team outing.

Learn more about Brewery Tours of San Diego.

6. San Diego Automotive Museum

Car lovers will have a blast at this automotive museum! Since 1988, the museum has created a collection of historic vehicles. The 17,000-square-foot museum hosts around 80 vehicles and motorcycles. Car exhibits feature different themes. For instance, one exhibit is Bootleggers: A Trip Down the Whiskey Road. Visitors will learn the connection between NASCAR and moonshine, and they can see a 1936 Ford Coupe, 1930 Ford Model A Pickup, 1966 Dodge Coronet, and 1947 Ford Police Cruiser. Plus, teams can check out events like SDAM Cars & Coffee or Motorcycles in the Park.

Learn more about the San Diego Automotive Museum.

7. Another Side of San Diego

For folks interested in seeing more of the city, consider checking out Another Side of San Diego Tours!

Teams can choose from the following:

  • City tours: See San Diego’s most iconic spots, like Balboa Park and La Jolla Village
  • Segway tours: Take a segway to see sights like the Gaslamp Quarter and Balboa Park
  • E-bike tours: Hop on a bike and cruise the city, the bay, or the coast

You can even reach out to create a customized experience just for your team!

Learn more about Another Side of San Diego.

8. Boomers Vista

Boomers Vista is a one-stop shop for tons of fun attractions! Teams can check out go-karts, mini-golf, laser tag, arcades, and batting cages. The go-kart track is a quarter mile, and drivers can choose between single- and double-seater cars. Boomers Vista has two 18-hole courses, Pirate’s Cove and King Arthur’s Royal Course. During laser tag, you can run around the blacklight field for five-minute intervals. The arcade spans two stories and features a wide variety of games, like table games and racing games. To round out the afternoon, check out the batting cages, which range from slow-pitch softball to fast-pitch baseball. You can reach out directly to ask Boomers Vista about team building packages.

Learn more about Boomers Vista.

9. Escape Game SD

When looking for a great team outing, be sure to check out Escape Game SD!

This escape room features the following themes:

  • Wizards and Spells: Teams enter castle grounds as student wizards and must beat a professor in a race across the campus.
  • Japanese Thriller: Players get onto a Japanese game show, which ends up being set in a serial killer’s house. Teams must escape to survive!
  • Superheroes Adventure: Players and their superhero colleagues are trapped by their arch-nemesis and must escape.

Games last for 60 minutes and are perfect for team building with small groups. Once folks play, they get added to the leaderboard, and top teams win tickets to an escape room of their choice!

Learn more about Escape Game SD.

10. Parkway Bowl

Bowling is a classic team building activity, and folks can compete at Parkway Bowl! Alongside traditional bowling, Parkway offers glow-in-the-dark cosmic bowling! Teams can also book a private eight-lane bowling alley for a custom experience. After bowling a few frames, colleagues can play laser tag, check out the boardwalk, check out a VR game, and play a round of pool. The laser tag arena is also glow-in-the-dark, making it a fun challenge. The boardwalk has arcade games, VR games, snacks, and prizes. Finally, the billiards room has 15 pool tables, darts, and foosball tables. Parkway Bowl is a great place for a team bonding day!

Learn more about Parkway Bowl.

11. Bike and Kayak Tours

Bike and Kayak Tours is a good option for San Diego team building activities. No matter your experience level, you’ll find an outdoor adventure to fit your team’s needs. Each tour focuses on team building, outdoor education, and having fun in the ocean. Bike and Kayak Tours’ La Jolla kayak tour is the most popular option for corporate events. You’ll explore beautiful sea cliffs and caves in the La Jolla Ecological Reserve, paddle to seven caves, including Sunny Jim’s Cave and the Arch Cave, the Clams’ Cave, see sea lions, garibaldi, leopard sharks, shovelnose guitarfish (rock on, man), and maybe even the occasional dolphin. Other types of outdoor team outings include biking and snorkeling.

Learn more about Bike and Kayak Tours.

12. Murder n’ Mayhem

At Murder n’ Mayhem, your team will be broken up into smaller groups and work together to solve a complex mystery. You’ll work on skills like problem-solving, creative thinking, and motivating one another. Your employees will get to know each other better over the course of the challenge. Murder n’ Mayhem offers a variety of themes for your team to choose from, and the company’s fun activities for employees include The Scandals at the Speakeasy, The Holmes Manor Mystery, Big Hair Band Homicide, Dead Men Tell No Tales, A Killer Costume Party, and more.

Learn more about Murder n’ Mayhem.

13. Cucina Migrante

Cucina Migrante offers two fun group activities for adults focused on company team building activities in San Diego. The first option is a team cooking class. During this semi-hands-on, interactive class you will create three meals from scratch using only the freshest local and seasonal ingredients (all sourced from local farmers and producers). You’ll also learn about the local food system and some basic cooking fundamentals. During the second option, Chef’s Table & Painting Night, you’ll enjoy a four-course dinner in a relaxing environment while you and your team paint with an expert instructor. Your team will also have the opportunity to interact with the chef and learn about the history and source of all the dishes. Both corporate events offer a wine tasting, and you are welcome to bring your own beverage of choice.

Learn more about Cucina Migrante.

14. Taco Tours

Taco Tours is an option for a relaxed team outing. Enjoy the beautiful San Diego coastline with views from Point Loma, Cabrillo National Park, Ocean Beach, and Mission Beach on the lunch or sunset tour. The lunch tour departs from the Downtown Office Depot and goes through coastal San Diego, stopping at three of San Diego’s most famous fish taco locales and Cabrillo National Park. The sunset tour is the same as the lunch tour with an additional stop: watch the sunset on Mission Beach. This is a great option for fun activities for employees in the San Diego area.

Learn more about Taco Tour San Diego.

15. Three Sisters Falls

Looking for an alternative to using a team building company? We have company outing ideas that will work for you, too! Check out Three Sisters Falls in San Diego. The four-mile out-and-back hike is a good choice for team building activities since anyone can participate, no matter the fitness level. Along the hike, you’ll discover two awesome waterfalls (one even has a naturally occurring water slide)! This team outing is best for a warm sunny day so you can enjoy cooling off in the falls. This is a good option for small, active teams. For extra morale-boosting points, consider allowing your employees to bring pets!

Learn more about Three Sisters Falls.

16. Team Meetup

Have you ever considered hosting a meetup? This is another great DIY team building option. A meetup goes beyond just your immediate team; invite your employees’ families, as well as customers, vendors, suppliers, and the local community. Meetups can be as extra or as simple as you have the time and budget for. All you need is a location (think your office/store, local cafe, bar, or park) and a few games to get people to interact and engage in meaningful ways. We like mini scavenger hunts, photo challenges, and Human bingo.

Check out these places for a team meetup in San Diego.

17. Balboa Park

Spending the day in Balboa Park is a great alternative option full of possible company team building activities. The historic park is home to 16 museums, multiple performing arts venues, the Spanish Village Art Center, the San Diego Zoo, the 1935 (Old) Cactus Garden, the botanical building and lily pond, and much more! With so much to explore and experience, planning a fun company outing with your team to explore a few of Balboa Park’s top sites would surprise and delight your coworkers. Make sure to incorporate a delicious picnic and some fun mini-games to add important elements of team building throughout the day.

Learn more about Balboa Park.

18. Scavengers

Named one of America’s most unique beer tours by Forbes Travel, Scavengers San Diego Beer and Adventure Tours is one of the best team building activities in San Diego. It combines team building with the natural beauty of the coast and the delicious craft beer only San Diego can offer. Scavengers has three different corporate team building activities: Downtown Beer & BBQ Safari, North Country Beer & BBQ Safari, and a choose-your-own-adventure option. During the tour, you’ll ride around in Vintage Swiss Safari Vehicles. Each vehicle has space for 12 people. The open-air style of the vehicles really adds to the adventure spirit.

Learn more about Scavengers.

19. UC San Diego Challenge Course

Did you know UC San Diego has an epic challenge course? Located in the eucalyptus forest on the UCSD campus, the challenge course offers custom adventure corporate team building activities with a focus on leadership and fine-tuning group dynamics. Each adventure can be customized to fit your group’s goals and budget. UC San Diego runs programs any day of the week during daylight hours. The programs vary in length depending on your group’s schedule. All fun corporate events are led by highly skilled facilitators. Physical strength and or a high level of fitness are not required to participate in and be successful in the course.

Learn more about the UC San Diego Challenge Course.

The bottom line: Investing in team building activities is smart.

Team building is a good investment and a powerful tool. It can bring new teams together, reconnect seasoned teams, and both address and solve issues in disjointed teams. With so many different company team building activities to choose from in the San Diego, Encinitas, Oceanside, Carlsbad, Temecula, and the Del Mar area, we hope this list narrowed it down for you.

If you’ve read this list and still need help choosing the best team building activities in San Diego for your team, we’d be happy to help! Drop us a line to chat about the best company outing ideas for your team.

written with 💖 by Carly Hill

Share this article... your friends will love it too!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Fun Online Storytelling Workshops

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5400+ Reviews

Museum Hack leads online storytelling workshops that are fun, fast-paced and surprisingly cool.

Highlights include:

  • Smart Humor, Mind Blowing Facts, Juicy Gossip
  • Icebreakers & Fun Team Photos
  • 100% "You'll Love It" Guarantee

Your team will learn a world class skill they can use at work and in their personal lives.

Contact Us Learn More
Guests telling stories.?><noscript><img class=

Get a free team building tool box

$49 value at no cost.

Tool Box

Enter your email for instant access