Updated: February 19, 2024

18 Unique Company Retreat Ideas in Phoenix, AZ

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 Camelback Mountain to the Lake Pleasant Regional Park, there are no shortages of team retreat ideas in Phoenix.

1. The Great Guac Off™️ (Highly Rated)

Guacamole making competition

The Great Guac Off offers an extraordinary avocado-based experience! This event encourages you to use your creativity and culinary skills in a guacamole-making contest.

Here is what to expect:

  • 90 minutes with a talented host
  • entertaining avocado trivia, facts, and mini-games
  • high-quality guacamole ingredients and chips for dipping
  • an optional secret ingredient to shake up the recipes
  • a spirited guacamole mash-off and judging session

Best of all, we will bring all the supplies directly to your chosen venue. During The Great Guac Off, teams will enhance collaboration and teamwork in a friendly competition.

Learn more about The Great Guac Off.

2. Superhero Academy (Team Favorite)

superhero academy

When you are searching for staff retreat activities in Arizona, consider Superhero Academy! During this experience, you and your team will step into a real-life comic book adventure that will push your skills and collaboration.

Here is what you can expect:

  • 90 minutes guided by an experienced facilitator
  • challenging games and activities that will test your abilities
  • a storytelling experience that will transform you into superheroes
  • exercises that showcase each of your unique strengths

To make planning simple, we will meet you at your venue of choice with all the needed supplies. Be sure to check out this immersive experience to bond and showcase your team’s strengths!

Learn more about Superhero Academy.

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3. The Art of Storytelling (Top Choice)

Storytelling is a great way to both connect with colleagues and share your company message. With our immersive workshop, your team can learn to foster meaningful connections by telling stories.

The Art of Storytelling includes the following:

  • 120 minutes led by talented storytellers
  • interactive activities to improve communication and presentation skills
  • the key elements of an engaging narrative, such as language, emotion, and structure
  • dedicated time for participants to refine their techniques
  • in-depth feedback from the host to help attendees improve

In addition, we will bring all the needed supplies to the location of your choice. Your team will gain the ability to connect and inspire others through engaging narratives.

Learn more about The Art of Storytelling.

4. Cerreta Candy Co.

You can treat your team during their gathering with Cerreta Candy Co. This business produces snacks like chocolates, candied nuts, and caramel corn. You can even get unique novelty items like chocolate-covered jalapenos and birthday cake bites. Folks who need to eat sugar free can also enjoy chocolates and barks.

Cerreta also offers guided tours of their facility, which include three samples. In addition, you can upgrade to a VIP package, which also includes a hands-on chocolate-making experience. These tours are all reasonably priced, making them a great addition to your retreat.

Learn more about Cerreta Candy Co.

5. Enchanted Island

Enchanted Island is among the best company retreat entertainment ideas in Phoenix. This adventure park offers various activities, including rides, climbing walls, and bumper boats. Teams can go on the C.P. Huntington Train, Encanto Carousel, and Parachute Tower. On the pedal boats, folks can explore over seven acres of scenic waterways. After spending the day at the park, teams can stop by the snack bar for a hot dog and ice cream. Enchanted Island also hosts company picnics, which can accommodate a whopping 10,000 guests! Best of all, the venue has its own event planner, so teams can simply pick a menu and enjoy the party.

Learn more about Enchanted Island.

6. 810 Billiards and Bowling

For a fun activity during your retreat, stop by 810 Billiards and Bowling! This venue offers plenty of games, including bowling, billiards, table tennis, electronic darts, and board games. Teams will have a blast going head-to-head in all these games. Folks can also enjoy plenty of food, from tacos to wings to pizza. In addition, 810 offers several party packages for corporate teams, including full venue buyouts.

Learn more about 810 Billiards and Bowling.

7. McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park

If you are looking for a budget-friendly addition to your retreat activities, then consider the McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park. This venue is free to visit, and train rides are inexpensive. The railroad is a scale replica of a Colorado narrow gauge railroad and takes visitors around the park. On weekends, the train ride heads through the park’s desert arboretum. This ten-minute ride tours the entire two acres. Additionally, the park is home to a railway museum and several model railroads. Teams can also visit during special events, like concerts or camping. Plus, companies can book one of nine picnic areas.

Learn more about the McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park.

8. Revive Spa

Retreats can help team members unwind, so consider stopping by Revive Spa. Guests can enjoy spa services, cabanas, and dining. Plus, Revive offers amenities such as lap pools, whirlpools, saunas, steam rooms, and fitness classes. Examples of spa services include massages, facials, and body care. One of the more unique offerings is the turquoise massage, which uses the gemstones to help soothe guests. Folks interested in a fitness class can check out cycling, strength, core, and yoga courses. Overall, Revive is one of the top corporate retreat ideas for small groups in Phoenix.

Learn more about Revive Spa.

9. 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 over 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.

10. 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 reenactors, 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.

11. 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.

12. Lake Pleasant Regional Park

If you are looking for company retreat locations in Phoenix, 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.

13. Eisendrath House

Eisendrath House is a historic adobe home in the Pueblo Revival style, built in 1930 in the rolling desert next to Papago Park. This unique property was restored through the combined efforts of the City of Tempe, Rio Salado Foundation, Tempe Historic Preservation Foundation, and numerous community and individual partners. Visitors can enjoy sweeping views while learning how this distinctive home is connected to tourism, the environment, and the surrounding cities. Teams can eperience this picturesque setting by scheduling a private guided tour for up to 20 people. Eisendrath House is also available to rent for groups of up to 60 on a limited basis, and the classroom outbuilding can accommodate smaller meetings.

Learn more about Eisendrath House.

14. 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.

15. 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.

16. 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.

17. 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.

18. 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 the 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.

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FAQ: Company retreat ideas in Phoenix

Here are answers to frequently asked questions about company retreat ideas in Phoenix.

What are some good corporate retreat ideas in Phoenix?

Some good corporate retreat ideas in Phoenix include hiking at Camelback Mountain. Regardless of your retreat schedule, you will always find interesting retreat activities to do in Phoenix.

How do you plan a fun team retreat in Phoenix?

Planning a fun team retreat is only a matter of deciding where to go and making a strategy. Including your employees in the planning process is a good idea. The location is one of several factors to take into account. You may choose to be either inside or outdoors, depending on the weather. If you have a large group, it is crucial to know the venue’s maximum capacity.

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Author:

People & Culture Director at teambuilding.com.
Grace is the Director of People & Culture at TeamBuilding. She studied Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University, Information Science at East China Normal University and earned an MBA at Washington State University.

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