25 Best Team Building Activities in Chicago, IL for 2025
If you're a business owner in the Windy City, you will have considered the importance of team building activities in Chicago. It’s no secret that team building activities are crucial to a happy and productive workforce — and there are endless choices for finding fun group activities in Chicago, IL.
In an era where the average person only stays with an employer for 4.1 years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, team building activities are more important than ever. When choosing any sort of team building activity in Chicago, it’s crucial to consider what your employees will enjoy most. After all, it’s just as much for them as it is for you.
If you’re having trouble deciding on a collaborative activity for your staff, keep reading! Our guide to team building activities in Chicago should spark your interest and help you discover the ideal event for your crew.
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- Fun Group Activities & Corporate Outings in Chicago
- Does Your Team Really Need Team Building?
- Team Building in More Cities Near You
Fun Group Activities & Corporate Outings in Chicago
1. Culinary Team Building Activities in Chicago
Team building activities in Chicago range from chef-led cooking classes to food tours and more, providing unique ways to bond with your team. These fun group activities in Chicago, IL center around a universally loved topic — fantastic food.
Colleagues will get the chance to strengthen their relationships, improve their communication skills and brush up on their creative thinking while working together in the kitchen or enjoying a shared meal. Those looking for team building activities in Chicago that center around food are spoiled for choice — plus, it's a terrific chance to get out of the office and enjoy yourself!
2. Hands-On Cooking Classes
Chicago is a bustling city with a robust food scene, which means there's excellent, authentic cuisine from all over the world just waiting to be enjoyed. If you want to experience the very best Windy City food, why not make it yourselves by participating in a food-related team building activity in Chicago?
Enroll the group in one of many hands-on cooking classes in Chicago, which cover a wide range of cuisines. A fun treat for staff, there's something for every appetite and ability, whether the group wants to learn how to roll stunning sushi or perfect their homemade pasta. Whatever your group makes, a foodie team building activity in Chicago never disappoints, thanks to the rich and diverse culinary culture of this city.
3. Online Culinary Team Building Activities
If hosting in-person team building activities in Chicago isn't ideal for remote staff, there's another option: Use interactive online team building activities to include your telecommuters in the fun! These live, entirely virtual Chicago team building events can be attended from any computer or smart device, making them perfect for remote employees or those who are unable to meet in person.
Led by world-renowned chefs, online cooking classes will teach you new culinary skills, while online mixology classes will help you create picture-perfect craft cocktails like a master bartender. Alternatively, virtual wine tastings are another great team building activity in Chicago for remote or hybrid teams, adding a fun twist to the usual office happy hour.
4. Food Tours
Trying out some of the city's many incredible eateries is one of the top things to do in Chicago. Treat the foodies on the team to an expert-led exploration of the city's best eats for an unforgettable Chicago team building idea.
During food tours in Chicago, a guide will take your group on a walking excursion to sample bites and beverages from some of the most beloved eateries in town. This team building activity in Chicago not only teaches you about local culinary culture but also allows you to appreciate the city’s architecture and history as you stroll through neighborhoods, both new and familiar.
5. High Ropes Course
Getting out of the office is always a great gift for employees. When planning Chicago team building activities, choose something that teaches employees the value of risk-taking, trust, courage and collaboration by taking them to a high ropes course. If interested in trying this out-of-the-box team building activity in Chicago, there are many venues around the city, such as Go Ape!, that offer trust building and group courses.
6. Hidden Secret Hot Potato
If you have a few new employees on the team, hot potato makes a great ice breaker team building activity in Chicago. To play, everyone sits in a circle and passes a potato (or another object) around the circle while music plays in the background.
When the music stops, the person holding the potato must reveal an interesting fact (aka a hidden secret) about themselves that their co-workers would not know. If you’re looking for a simple but effective Chicago team building idea, hidden secret hot potato ticks the box.
7. Music Video Production
Team building activities in Chicago don’t get more creative than this! Get your team to channel their inner pop star by splitting everyone into groups and having them film their own music videos. This is a great activity for any sort of company, but especially appropriate for creative fields. At the end of the day, get everyone to screen their videos and vote for their favorite.
8. What’s My Name Game
This game is not just useful for socializing but also brain testing. There are no limits on the number of players, so it’s one of the team building activities in Chicago that’s suitable for groups of all sizes.
Everyone is assigned a nametag with the name of a celebrity, which they will stick on their forehead (make sure no one looks at their tag before putting it on!) People will then walk around the room asking each other "yes" or "no" questions about their persona with the goal of being the first to guess their identity correctly. Chicago team building ideas don’t have to be costly or complex to have the desired effect of breaking the ice with colleagues!
9. Company "Jeopardy"
Put your employees to the test by hosting your very own game of workplace “Jeopardy.” This option also shows that team building activities in Chicago don’t have to cost a lot — just be well organized and put a bit of planning into them first. A fun game to play for a work anniversary, you'll keep them on their toes by asking them a combination of classic trivia questions and questions specific to your company or industry.
10. Two Truths and a Lie
This is a fun and interesting game that doesn’t take much time, perfect for when you only have a few hours to devote to your team building activity in Chicago. If you’re not familiar, the premise is pretty simple. Everyone comes up with three statements about themselves: two true and one faux. Then, employees get to see how well they know each other by guessing which is false.
11. Laser Tag
Laser tag isn’t just for kids. It’s a super fun means of employee bonding and collaboration for people of all ages, and there are several laser tag venues in the city to choose from. Opting for this team building activity in Chicago is also a subtle but effective way to keep your team physically active, which is beneficial for workplace wellness and attentiveness. Plan a group outing at a spot like Laser X Of Addison and let the fun begin!
12. Improv Workshops
It takes guts and quick-thinking skills to practice improv, but it’s also one of the most daring and rewarding team building activities in Chicago. Additionally, it requires those improvising together to have a good group dynamic in order to anticipate what their peers are going to do or say before they do it. To boost these characteristics in your team, book them into a guided ImproveIt! improv workshop and reap the benefits of one of the most unique Chicago team building activities!
13. Vision Boards
There’s something to be said for manifestation; sometimes, laying all your goals and dreams out in front of you is the best way to visualize how to turn them into a reality. Create vision boards with your team that blend personal and professional goals to both understand them better and help them reveal their own desires.
Best of all, this is one of the team building activities in Chicago that can be done pretty much anywhere and really brings your group together when they share the meanings behind their boards. Encourage freedom of expression and openness of minds for the best results!
14. Three-Legged Race
Teach your employees how to navigate a project without overlooking the needs of others involved by getting them to participate in three-legged races. After the race, get teammates to give each other notes about how they could have been a better partner (listening more, slowing down, etc.) and what they did well. There’s no simpler team building activity in Chicago for promoting excellent communication and bonding.
15. Go-Kart Racing
If you lead a team that loves an adrenaline rush, satisfy that desire by taking them to one of many nearby go-kart courses like K1 Speed, where they can race alone or in pairs. This is one of the team building activities in Chicago that’s both tons of fun and encourages a little friendly competition.
16. Drinking and Painting Class
You don’t need to be a professional artist to enjoy a creative activity at a paint and sip studio. Gathering your employees to sip wine as they’re led in a guided painting class is a fun team building activity in Chicago that they’re sure to love, while also developing their creative problem solving and listening skills.
17. Sporting Event
From baseball and basketball to football, hockey and even soccer, Chicago is a great city for sports. Take your employees to one of the city’s many major or minor league sporting events to encourage social interaction amongst your team as they watch the way other teams interact. There’s no better team building activity in Chicago than watching the pros do it in real time!
18. Back-to-Back Drawing
For this artistic activity, teams are split into pairs. They will sit back-to-back and each be given an image that they will need to instruct the other person how to draw. But here’s the catch: neither person can explicitly say what the objects in the image are. This team building activity in Chicago promotes clear communication, empathy and problem solving skills. At the end, they will compare drawings to see which is closer to the original.
19. Trip to the Museum
Some of the best team building activities in Chicago are those that encourage your group to learn new things together. By planning an outing to one of the city’s many world-renowned museums or galleries, you can encourage the team to use their little gray cells in a beautiful setting — like the Art Institute of Chicago. Don’t forget to pencil in a trip to the gift shop at the end!
20. Lego Building Competition
Get your employees to tap into their inner child by grouping them into teams and constructing Lego statues, buildings or other structures. Once everyone’s done, they can present them to the group. This team building activity in Chicago encourages communication and promotes other skills beneficial to the workplace, such as creativity and collaboration. Finish by giving out prizes in categories like the tallest, most ornate or most realistic structure.
21. Volunteering at a Soup Kitchen
Give back to your community by volunteering with your team at one of Chicago’s many soup kitchens or food banks. Team building activities in Chicago such as this have been proven to boost confidence, self-esteem and feelings of well-being — not to mention, you’re also helping those who need it most.
22. Water Balloon Toss
See how well your employees can focus and follow directions by pairing them up for a water balloon toss. This team building activity in Chicago sees two people take turns passing a filled balloon back and forth as they move further and further apart. The last team to get wet is the winner. Organized silliness is just what the doctor ordered when it comes to lifting spirits and reigniting your childish side!
23. Murder Mystery Dinner
Reenact the game of Clue in real life by attending The Dinner Detective murder mystery with your team, or book a private one just for your group. This team building activity in Chicago promotes teamwork, reasoning and sparks a whole lot of joy. You can either hire a professional to set up the event for you at a pre-arranged location, or do it yourself by assigning each guest a character and setting up clues that will guide them through the night. There are plenty of in-depth murder mystery party guides available online to help you go it alone.
24. Scavenger Hunt
Enjoy a fun competitive scavenger hunt for your next team building activity in Chicago. Whether you confine your scavenger hunt to your office, neighborhood or the whole city, split your colleagues into teams and get creative with the items they have to collect in the time frame.
If you only have a short time to dedicate to your team building activity in Chicago, keep things close to the office with easy-to-find items around the building — or for a more challenging version of the game, set obscure items on your hunt list. This is even an activity that can be done virtually with your remote team, choosing items they can find in their home!
25. Escape Room
Tackling an escape room game is one of the most popular team building activities in Chicago for anyone really wanting to test their teamwork skills. As far as Chicago team building ideas go, this one is sure to bring joy to the whole team — and perhaps even give them an experience they’ve never had before.
Find yourselves locked in a themed room with the timer running and work together to follow clues to help you escape in time. The Escape Game Chicago hosts some of the most fantastic rooms — from a gold rush theme to sci-fi space mission.
Does Your Team Really Need Team Building?
The answer to this question is a resounding "Yes!". Whether you are a small start-up, a longstanding corporation or something in between, you should not overlook the importance of hosting a team building game, workshop or other activity for your staff.
Team building activities in Chicago offer a number of valuable workplace benefits, including:
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Increased employee happiness
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Improved efficiency
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Establishing trust
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Higher employee retention
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Stronger workplace friendships
Notably, investing in team building activities in Chicago is a highly effective way to boost employee engagement and connection within your company in the Windy City. Chicago team building events are also a great way to get to know your employees outside of the office. Even remote teams benefit from virtual team building activities the whole group can do together.
Every office — whether virtual or on-site — needs team building. When colleagues get together for a team building activity in Chicago, they get to partake in an activity that encourages creative thinking, boosts morale, improves problem-solving skills, fosters collaboration and betters communication. These are qualities that all companies can benefit from, for teams of any size.
If there's any doubt left as to how crucial team building is for workplace success, just remember: Forbes calls team building "the most important investment you'll ever make."
For even more team building inspiration, check out other experiences happening on Cozymeal.
Team Building in More Cities Near You
For even more great team building inspiration in cities near you and around the U.S., check out our comprehensive guides:
- A Guide to Team Building Activities in Boston
- A Guide to Team Building Activities in D.C.
- A Guide to Team Building Activities in Indianapolis
- A Guide to Team Building Activities in NYC
- A Guide to Team Building Activities in Nashville
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