Part of this conversation: https://twitter.com/jmmastey/status/714508727638999040.
View as a video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9lr5m40P5Q&feature=youtu.be&t=156
This list has some Chicago-centric references, but almost everything has an analogue in your city. For instance, if you're in New Zealand you can go on a bush walk, while we Midwesterners have to settle for a hike.
Thank you, Emily Heist Moss, Alison Stanton, Sarah Mei, Parul Schroff, Karim Adib, Ashton Thomas, Matt Campbell, Dave Mastey, Barrett Clark, Tute Costa, Dominik Wilkowski, GA like the state, Angie Meeker, Eric Normand, Isaac Sanders, Michael Robinson, North of Normal, Rachael Hodder, Aparna Pandey, Jenni Hartman, Colleen Stock, Jung Ha Lim, Jennifer Um, Franka, Josh Liebowitz, Sarah Allen, Dominic Baggott, Melinda Minch, Dave Mayo, Andy Carle, Matt Kremer, Ariel Caplan, Emily P, Jeff Madsen, Dave Bock, Jason Staten, Jason Hobbs, Julie Lee, mathrobin, Ron Burk, Seth Roby, Mike Nolan, John Allsopp, Kylie Gusset, Tim Lucas, Adam Argo, Kenn Brodhagen, Lain Mastey, Lisa Szkatulski, Yitz Schaffer, Matt Gehrisch, Cheryl Gore Schaefer, rach, Aaron Gunderson, Neil P. Bardhan, John McClane, Jody Podbury, Duana Saskia Stanley, Forrest Alvarez, jtu, bgregmc, Denny Abraham, Lawrence Walters, Anjul, Maryam Labib, Kevin Cantù, antifuchs, Florian Gilcher, Julie David, Rob Thomas, Stephanie Hurlburt, Gaby Ruiz-Funes, Éamon Ryan, Avi Schwab, Noah Manion, Jeff Evans, Isobel Redelmeier, and Waleeta Canon.
- Poll the group in advance and allow them to raise concerns.
- Give plenty of options.
- Do daytime things so family folks can join.
- Some options may not work if you have team members with accessibility needs, or particular concerns. That's okay.
- Keep trying new things!
- 3D Printing Hackathon
- Apple Picking
- Aquarium
- Archery Tag ("no seriously, it's like the Hunger Games")
- Arcade ("Dave & Busters? Emporium has lots of drinking.")
- Axe Throwing (Available in many major cities now)
- Bags a.k.a. cornhole
- Bake Together (Cupcakes!)
- BBQ
- Backstage at the Opera ("we called them directly")
- Beach Bonfire
- Bike Tour of the City
- Board Games / Social Card Games
- Boat Tour / Sunset Cruise (or Water Taxi if you want to self-narrate)
- Book Club or Reading Group (i.e. read industry-related papers and discuss)
- Botanic Gardens
- Bowling
- Boxing
- Bubble Soccer
- Carnival with games, booths, and prizes
- Cat Cafe
- CSO Concert at Millenium Park (summer only)
- Chicago Architecture Tour
- Chicago Athletic Club Game Room (Bacci Ball, Pool, etc)
- Chicago Urban Race / Amazing Race
- Chili Cook-Off
- Clean up a Public Park / Beach Together
- Coffee / Tea Tasting
- Comedy Club
- Conservatory (Garfield Park, Lincoln Park)
- Craft Day ("make valentine's cards for veterans, for example")
- Curling
- Dabble Classes / Groupon
- Darts
- Daybreakers / Sober Dance Party
- Dinner Cruise
- Disc Golf
- Do a Bob Ross Video / Painting (editor's note: favorite idea)
- Dodgeball
- Field Games ("capture the flag, tug of war, three-legged race, etc")
- Field Trip to Suburban Destinations ("i.e. The Farnsworth House, Bahai Temple, Palos Hills Preserve")
- Food Tastings ("cheese, coffee, dessert, etc.")
- Go-Karts
- Group Tech Talk Watching ("hold an internal conference")
- Hackathon
- Hiking
- Improv Class
- Indoor Skydiving ("heck, outdoor skydiving")
- Instructables
- Karaoke
- Kayaking / Paddleboarding
- Lunch in the Park
- Learn to Play Ukulele Together
- Manicures (this is less gendered than you'd think)
- Metalworking class
- Mini-golf ("or a Mini-golf tournament!")
- Mob Tour Bus / Ghost Tour Bus
- Movie Opening
- Mural Painting
- Museum
- Museums often have group discounts (like this at the MSI) and also pre-planned lead-yourself tours. If you're familiar with a local one you could make your own "Museum Scavenger Hunt".
- Mystery Theatre
- Mystery League / Puzzle Solving Adventure
- Obstacle Course
- Offsite Work Day / Work From a Coffee Shop as a Group
- Other Learning Workshops ("navigation, lockpicking, origami, glassblowing, etc")
- Other Volunteering ("with dogs? in nature? who cares")
- Pack Supplies for the Food Depository (GCFD)
- Paintball
- Picnic / Potluck ("daytime is easier to avoid booze")
- Pilsen Walking Tour
- Pokemon Go
- Potluck
- Pottery / Painting Class ("without wine")
- Retro Games ("Mario Kart Party, anyone?")
- Road Trip
- Rock Climbing / Bouldering
- Rollerskating
- Room Escape ("Trapped in a Room with a Zombie, which is apparently wheelchair accessible")
- Running ("Zombie Run, Chase Corporate Challenge, etc")
- Scavenger Hunt ("especially a City History one")
- Segway Tour
- Share Foods from Each Members' Culture
- Shuffleboard
- Sports Game ("Baseball, Basketball, etc")
- Storytelling ("2nd Story, the Moth, etc")
- Summer Dance
- Team Cooking Class
- Team Lunch, Instead of Dinner
- Theatre (or Theater)
- Ultimate Frisbee
- Urban Gardening
- Video Games ("League of Legends!")
- Walking Competition
- Yoga
- Zoo
- Zorbing ("google it")