Discovering little-known secrets. Solving devious murder mysteries. Setting out on safari at zoos and aquariums. You can do all those things and more when you join our in-person scavenger hunts and virtual games. And something else you’ll often do? Complete memorable photo challenges.

You and your group must put your heads together and take creative photos based on different prompts. You might use forced perspective to look like giants, or find a person in uniform and treat them with great respect. Photo challenges are a great way to get flex your teamwork muscles while making keepsakes of your adventure.

One all-time favorite photo challenge: take a photo of your group in mid-air, often in front of something that can identify where your scavenger hunt is taking place. Here are eight jumping photos from hunters just like you. Can you place where in the United States each group took their photo?

1. Jump Having Fun

2. Up, Up, and Away

3. Look Where They Leap

4. Ups and Downs

5. On Cloud Nine

6. Historic Heights

7. Spring Is in the Air

8. Peace and Pounce

Find More Fun

Ready to jump for your own joy and leapfrog to victory? Explore hundreds of in-person scavenger hunts, team building activities, and virtual games around the country.

The post Jump Shots: Can You Name These 8 Places from Our Scavenger Hunts? appeared first on Team Building Activities | Watson Adventures Scavenger Hunts.

Hybrid offices and remote work setups can sometimes make it challenging to build a strong team dynamic. How do you build rapport and convey a sense of company culture to WFH and new employees when you’re no longer in the same office every day? It can be tough, but it’s perhaps more important than ever. With the right team building activities, you can definitely boost morale.

The Importance of Boosting Morale

Imagine a team as a well-tuned orchestra. Each member plays a different instrument, and together they create a symphony. Now, if some members are working from the office while others are logging in from the comfort of their homes, it’s like having musicians in different rooms. Even more, some of the musicians have never even been in the same room with each other. To create harmony, you need to ensure everyone is on the same page of sheet music.

In a hybrid workplace, the physical and technological distance can lead to a sense of isolation. Team building activities act as the social glue, bringing everyone together and making them feel like a team, even when miles apart. So here are some great ideas for fun corporate team building activities that work whether your group is hybrid or all in one place.

Idea 1: Experience Virtual Trivia Games

Tackle trivia together, no matter where your colleagues are, on one of our many virtual trivia games. Each game consists of five rounds of fun challenges, ranging from name-that-tune audio rounds, fictional dating profiles, trivia with visual cues, and more.

You won’t need a bunch of trivia geniuses to play, either. No matter the theme, each game is designed so that anyone can compete and win. So whoever plays will love Cheers! It’s the Virtual Happy Hour Trivia Game, for example, and your whole group will be wowed by the Fascinating Facts Trivia Game.

Idea 2: Try DIY Trivia

Whether you devote an entire event to it or sprinkle it into meetings, groups everywhere can play trivia. You can put together trivia about famous movies or surprising events in history. Or to put a personal spin on it, ask colleagues ahead of time for silly or embarrassing stories, and make a game out of those. Then compete in groups or individually, and award the winner with a prize.

Idea 3: Arrange a Virtual Coffee Klatch

Simply chatting over a cup of coffee can be a great opportunity for colleagues to catch up and build rapport, even if they have never met in person. Schedule a morning meetup among in-office and remote workers, or carve out time before a regularly scheduled meeting, and devote the time entirely to casual conversation. No shop talk allowed!

Idea 4: Solve a Puzzling Murder Game

From the mind of best-selling author A.J. Jacobs comes Puzzled to Death: A Virtual Game of Murder Mystery Puzzles, a twisty, challenging murder mystery. Someone has murdered the owner of a beloved local board game store, and the killer has created mini-games and puzzles with clues to their identity. Naturally, your team must crack the case and uncover the killer! Visit the blog to find out more about this surprising game.

Idea 5: Organize a Day of Gaming

Consider arranging a board game tournament, or simply a gaming day. Bond with co-workers over a game of Monopoly, Scrabble, or bird-watching. Or if some colleagues are game to try it, get creative and spend an afternoon learning the ropes of Dungeons & Dragons. Want something a bit more high tech? Hook up a Nintendo Switch to the conference room TV and play some multiplayer games like Mario Kart, or play online with colleagues in another location. Whatever you choose, a gaming day is a low-key, low-cost chance to bring colleagues together.

Idea 6: Play a Game at the Same Time in Multiple Locations

Many of our games, including the Grab ‘n’ Go Scavenger Hunt, can be enjoyed no matter where your colleagues are. Players spread across different cities, states, even countries can play the same game at the same time, Zooming or Facetiming with the Host and other players. Then everyone “gathers” at the end to celebrate the winning team.

Idea 7: Snack Together

Incorporate food into your event, whether you all get together around a table IRL, or your team gathers virtually with some food of their own. The simplest option is to let colleagues expense their meal for the party (within reason, obviously).

If you want to get a little more into it, you can coordinate snacks or meals based on a theme. You can also arrange to send your team a box of snacks, either based on a theme or simply full of fun treats, ahead of time. Just check into food allergies before sending anything.

Idea 8: Don’t Forget the Beverages

There are plenty of fun ways to zhuzh up the libations for those who choose to. If you’re going virtual, have everyone make their own favorite drink at home, which gives them each a chance to talk about their creation. Or encourage your team’s creativity by sending each team member a mixology kit. You can even hire a mixologist for an in-person or virtual event. In the latter case, virtual mixologists will talk participants through making different cocktails and explain their history and cultural significance.

Find More Fun

Contact us to learn more and start planning your corporate team building scavenger hunt or virtual game today.

The post How to Boost Morale: 8 Ideas for Fun Hybrid Corporate Team Building Activities appeared first on Team Building Activities | Watson Adventures Scavenger Hunts.

Boston team building activities for art lovers

1. THE MFA MADNESS ART MUSEUM

Museum of Fine Arts? More like the Museum of Fun Arts when you go on this eye-popping, jaw-dropping tour across the centuries. With your team, you’ll discover startling aspects of objects and art from ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, Japan, China, India, Paris, and all periods of American history. Your challenge: answer tricky questions about what you find. To triumph, you just need sharp eyes, comfy shoes, and great teamwork.

Location: Boston Museum of Fine Arts

What people are saying: “Our group of 22 did the Scavenger Hunt at the MFA as a holiday gathering and everyone had a blast! It is very well organized, and has enough for each person on each team to contribute in some way and really lends to a great team building event sparking a great sense of competition as well as teamwork. Highly recommend!”

2. THE WHODUNIT AT THE MFA

There’s a killer on the loose at the Museum of Fine Arts, and it’s up to your team to stop him! How? By playing the scavenger hunt he created, which will ultimately reveal his identity, the murder weapon, and the location of the victim’s body. He sent the hunt to the police and dared them to try and solve it, but they’re stumped. Now they need your help.

You’ll be supplied with a list of potential suspects, weapons, and places. By following the clues and answering tricky questions, you’ll narrow down the list and provide the authorities with the evidence they need to catch and convict the killer.

Location: Boston Museum of Fine Arts

3. PUZZLED AT THE ART MUSEUM

Have a team of brainiacs looking to bond and put their wit to good use? Go on a whirlwind tour of the Institute of Contemporary Art and solve a series of art-related puzzles created by a diabolical villain. The puzzles will test your teamwork. You might need to tease out hidden words. Or translate the rebus HIJKLMNO into a familiar term. Or solve a riddle. Or find what this means: Arrow shooter —> not fast. The variety of puzzles is designed to call upon the talents of everyone on your team—while delighting you with eye-popping art.

Location: The Institute of Contemporary Art

Boston team building activities for history lovers

4. THE SECRETS OF OLD BOSTON SCAVENGER HUNT

On this entertaining team-building adventures, your group will visit and discover the secrets of numerous historic locations where America was born—Faneuil Hall, the site of the Boston Massacre, Old City Hall, the Old South Meeting House (where a particularly large tea party had its beginnings), and the Old State House, to name a few of the highlights. Starring: Ben Franklin, Larry Bird, Mother Goose, Gulliver’s teakettle, and an Irishman’s “bowl of tears.”

Location: The Freedom Trail

What people are saying: “The hunt was a ton of fun! Well organized, good distance, tough but not impossible, great for team building because it requires different perspectives and ways of thinking. Overall, the team thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend to other companies for team building!” —Melissa Magerer, Head of US Marketing, iAdvize

5. THE REVOLUTIONARY BOSTON SCAVENGER HUNT

The spirit of 1776 is alive and well on this scavenger hunt that shows you where the Founding Fathers battled the British—and one another. You’ll go inside the Old State House Museum in search of such items as actual tea from the Boston Tea Party, an original Liberty Flag, John Hancock’s coat and vest, and Paul Revere’s print depicting the Boston Massacre, to name just a few of the amazing pieces in the collection. Outside the museum, you’ll uncover the secrets of the Old North Church (where the lantern code was “One if by land…”), Faneuil Hall, the Granary Burying Ground (where Revere and other famed patriots rest), the site of the Boston Massacre, and much more.

Location: The Freedom Trail

Murder mystery team building in Boston

6. THE MURDER IN OLD BOSTON

Find yourself in the middle of a murder mystery on this unusual, fun scavenger hunt set in historic Boston. A Watson Adventures staffer has been murdered, and it’s up to you to catch his killer. Here’s your first clue: when he died, he drew a star on the ground with his own blood. What does that mean? And what will you learn about the victim’s dangerous secret life? Solve the clues he left behind in order to solve the mystery—and prevent an international disaster.

Location: The Freedom Trail

7. THE MURDER AT THE SCIENCE MUSEUM

Museum of Science staffers are turning up dead—and they were all involved in the recent discovery of a long-lost invention by Benjamin Franklin. This “infernal machine” has a murky past: Freemasons supposedly used it as part of a secret ritual. Were the deaths caused by the invention, or are they part of the fabled curse of the Freemasons? Or is a serial killer on the loose?

Your team of sleuths will work together to uncover the museum’s secrets. Ultimately, you must crack a code to solve the mystery and stop the killer before they strike again! Along the way, you’ll laugh and marvel at the unusual, unbelievable, and fascinating clues and exhibits on this amazing museum adventure.

Location: The Museum of Science, Boston

What people are saying: “I wanted to commend you guys on an awesome event yesterday. As an HR Leader, it’s always scary to decide what my group will respond to—they loved it!  In fact, someone just told me that it was the best event this company has ever had.  YAY. Thanks again for making it so easy and enjoyable.  And please let Elizabeth [the hunt host] know that she did a terrific job.”—a senior HR manager at a biotech company

8. The Back Bay Murder Mystery

The setup: a Watson Adventures staffer has met an untimely end, and we need you and your team to help police find his killer. Before he died, he used his own blood to draw a star on the pavement outside the Public Library. The challenge: figure out what that curious clue means and uncover the secrets of the victim’s double life. As you piece together the puzzle, you’ll prevent a potentially disastrous incident with far-reaching consequences across the globe.

Along the way, you’ll also explore Copley Square and its vicinity, including the private side of the Public Garden, a wealth of uncommon sights on Commonwealth Avenue, and cryptic mysteries in the Public Library. 

Location: Back Bay / Copley Square

Boston team building activities for foodies

9. Munch Around the North End

Dig into Boston’s oldest, tastiest neighborhood, collecting treats and answers along the way. Starring: a smorgasbord of edible and historical delights, including the site of the Great Molasses Flood of 1919, minty hot cocoa, graves of men who really “Mathered,” lobster-tail pastries, octopus tentacles, the center of the infamous Sacco and Vanzetti trial, a welterweight champion, cream puffs, and much more.

Location: North End, Boston

10. Munch Around Cambridge

See the best of Cambridge and Harvard while indulging in tasty snacks along the way. You can taste victory! On your culinary adventure, you’ll find surprising facts about John Harvard, a spot where George Washington made Revolutionary history, a bullet hole shaped like an L, the Harvard Lampoon headquarters, a blacksmith and a bookstore made famous by poetry, and more. And that doesn’t even touch upon the many delicious eateries you’ll also discover.

One element of teamwork on this hunt: deciding which Munch stops you’ll hit and which treats you’ll share. We’ll make some scrumptious suggestions, of course. You’ll also be challenged to document your culinary conquests by taking creative Team Photos.

Location: Cambridge

See all of our Boston team-building scavenger hunts

The post Top 10 Boston Team Building Activities for 2024 appeared first on Team Building Activities | Watson Adventures Scavenger Hunts.

“You don’t know what you don’t know” should make any leader nervous. As Kelly L. Campbell points out in her new book, Heal to Lead: Revolutionizing Leadership Through Trauma Healing, psychological trauma from your past can affect your effectiveness in any leadership role, whether it’s in the office, in your community, or at home.

Campbell is a Trauma-Informed Leadership Coach and is the founder of Consciousness Leaders, the world’s most diverse and equitable speakers agency. In her book she draws on her own journey as an entrepreneur to illustrate how healing emotional wounds leads to personal growth and organizational success.

She sat down with Watson Adventures founder Bret Watson to share more about her work and her new book.

Who is this book for?

This book is for emerging and established team-building leaders who have some sense that they may have work to do because they’re encountering some kind of friction. They’re onto themselves. Maybe they’re starting to connect some dots, “Hmm, I might be the problem here.” And if there’s any ounce of curiosity, this is a great book to start with.

I say emerging and established leaders because there are a lot of older leaders who have been operating a certain way for a long time, and maybe there was some measure of success, but that’s getting harder and harder. They’re finding more friction because the world is changing.

And then the emerging leaders, the younger leaders who are maybe managing for the first time or in brand new leadership roles, maybe they’ve become an entrepreneur at a young age like I did. Maybe they’ve been in therapy and are more open to this idea of exploration of the self and self development. [They’re asking] “How do I make sure that I’m leading from a place where if I can lead myself, I can better lead other people?”

I’m not talking about only those at the top of organizations. Even if you have no one reporting to you, you might be a leader in your family, in your social group, in your spiritual group, in your community. Their leadership exists on multiple planes.

And these are all people who have enough self awareness to say I want to be a better leader.

[They are people who realize] “I think my past trauma is at play here. I’ve been to therapy, I’ve unpacked a bunch of stuff, but that is not helping me to correlate that trauma with my leadership style. I want better tools and resources and practices to become a more effective leader.”

You cite a study that found that 94% of C suite executives believe they are very or somewhat conscious, while only half of working adults observe highly conscious behavior in their leaders. How can leaders close that perception gap?

When I was doing a lot of work as a consultant, it was always fascinating to me that the leaders saw themselves in this particular light. Sometimes there was this blaming of “I tried to do this for my employees, but they don’t appreciate it,” or “They don’t know what kind of stress I’m under.”

Then you talk to the employees who say, “This leader is not trustworthy because they’re unreliable, they’re overextended, they’re overwhelmed.” And the leaders are thinking that they’re masking that so masterfully. But they’re not at all, which impacts the culture, which impacts the trust, which impacts the bottom line eventually.

You use the phrase “championing vulnerability in our leaders.” Why should a leader do that?

You wouldn’t trust someone who said, “I have all the answers.” The more vulnerable or human that you are, the easier it is for the people you’re leading to feel safe to bring up threats or risks or concerns that they might see.

If they don’t feel like they can share those things, they’re holding on to them because you haven’t created a safe enough environment.

It’s not just being vulnerable in terms of talking. It’s a way of being where you are more approachable, you are more human, and you’re creating spaces where people feel that they can bring their full selves.

So, how does the team-building leader model or demonstrate vulnerability?

That leader does not need to be a therapist, does not need to be making sure that they fix all of the issues that are being brought to them. That’s not what it’s about. It’s about having some compassion for what people are actually going through and then getting them the support that they need, and then setting those really healthy boundaries to say “Here’s where I can help you, and we’re running a business and I need everyone to help me lead.”

The more that you get buy-in, and the more that people really understand and see and experience your care for them, they will be more loyal. There will be less attrition.

The ripple effect of that does impact the bottom line. We know profitability is a lagging indicator. In this case it’s a lagging indicator of that compassionate leadership style.

Embodying some of these things really helps in all different relationships and teams within your life. It’s directly influencing your level of collaboration—your creativity, your ability to think differently, because there is that trust.

We seem to be in a time where people are questioning what they want from leaders.

The timing of this book is serendipitous, especially in this particular election year. There’s a lot in this book about low-conscious leaders and unconscious leaders.

My hope is that there are people who do start to wake up, to see how their trauma is impacting all sorts of realms in their life. And that might even mean how they’re voting.

Are you prepared for questions you might get about current leaders?

I can go back to some of the research that came from Dr. Paul Brown and Sol Davidson. Their research is being published in my book for the very first time. [From Heal to Lead: “Emerging neuroscience research shows how continuous trauma throughout childhood can lead to a shutdown of the genetic capacity to produce only adrenaline and cortisol, the implication is that some leaders could be locked into operating unconsciously from a place of threat perception.”] With some leaders like Putin and even Elon Musk, their childhood trauma, and how they were sort of saturated in adrenaline and cortisol, impacts how much empathy and compassion is even possible for them.

I would love to have hormonal testing for leaders. If your adrenaline and cortisol levels are through the roof on a consistent basis, you don’t actually have the capacity or the capability to lead people in a fair and just way. Obviously that’s not going to get any traction, but it’s a fascinating idea.

You don’t shy away from controversial issues. At one point you write, “Please read this chapter three times before you decide to get offended.“

That’s also a trauma-informed approach, right? I don’t want to put something in the book without saying, “Heads up, there’s going to be some content that might be activating for you.” If that’s the case, go slow with it.

I think it’s okay to lean into a little bit of discomfort. Because if we don’t lean into that discomfort, we don’t actually know what our capacity is for inviting different viewpoints and different perspectives.

I’m not invested in changing anyone’s mind. What I am invested in is people dialing up their curiosity.

More About Kelly L. Campbell

For more information, visit Campbell’s website or join her Substack, The New TLC.

The post Is Your Past Keeping You from Being a Better Team-Building Leader? appeared first on Team Building Activities | Watson Adventures Scavenger Hunts.

If you’ve ever played one of our trivia games or joined one of our many scavenger hunts, you know they often include a special Bonus Challenge. You might identify international cities by their subway maps, name movie villains, or figure out which scientific advances happened first. To get you warmed up for your next game, try your luck in this visual trivia challenge.

In a strange sort of Supermarket Sweep, the brand names of everyday items have disappeared! Can you identify the brands these 14 incognito items belong to? You can click on each picture to enlarge it, and you’ll find the answers at the end.

1. Bear-ly There

2. Wine O’ Clock

3. Get in the Game

4. You’re on a Roll

5. Eggs Sold Separately

6. Fish Ish

7. Beer Me

8. Bean Dreams

9. Soda Stumper

10. Snack Attack

11. I Scream, You Scream

12. Candy? Just Dandy!

13. Taco Tuesday

14. Do Not Eat! Or Drink…or Inject…

The Answers

1. Charmin; 2. Franzia; 3. Nintendo; 4. Totino’s; 5. Jimmy Dean; 6. StarKist; 7. Amstel; 8. Bush’s; 9. Dr. Pepper; 10. Fritos; 11. Good Humor; 12. Good & Plenty; 13. Mission; 14. Lysol

Find More Fun

All warmed up? learn more about our in-person scavenger hunts and virtual games, as well as trivia games that can be played in person or virtually. Our scavenger hunts and games are always available to private and corporate groups, and weekend hunts are open to the public in select U.S. cities.

Lead image by Peter Bond on Unsplash

The post At-Home Trivia Game: Can You Name that Brand? appeared first on Team Building Activities | Watson Adventures Scavenger Hunts.

Planning a company event is wonderful, commendable work. You’ve been given a budget and a mandate to do something fun for your colleagues or summer associates. Whatever the audience, they, just like you, have been in the thick of the enterprise at hand, and now you have the privilege of providing a breather from all that.

Strangely your colleagues, the honored guests, may very well initially feel detached from a company-hosted event! Even when you’ve booked a Watson Adventures scavenger hunt, your colleagues might not jump for joy at first. Though we’ve served more than half a million hunters, in more than 70 cities, it can be a challenge to get your I’ve-got-so-much-to-do coworkers to translate news of a company scavenger hunt into an I-can’t-wait-to-do-that frame of mind. Fortunately, we can help with that, too. Here are eight ways to encourage employees to participate in company events and get them excited:

1. Provide a compelling invitation

Thoughtfulness and a touch of creativity put into the invitation provides a signal that the company is invested in the event. No matter how big or small, make it known that the event is at the heart of the organization and not a sidelined afterthought. If there is an RSVP, you could tie the response to a challenge, such as a trivia question for which you only get the answer after responding. Avoid a plain announcement of just place, date, and time.

If you have a specific theme, make sure the invitation promotes that theme. In the case of a Watson Adventures murder mystery game, you might take aspects of your company (computers, data, clothing, court cases, medical devices, etc.) and tie them humorously (or not) to a detecting motif (Sherlock Homes, CIA agents, etc.). The life of the party begins with the invitation.

2. Share why it is special

This sounds obvious, but it is often an overlooked opportunity to inspire. People may get merely a vague impression of what may be fun about the event, but leaving that interpretation to the wind is not enough. You will create a much more powerful impression when you create a concrete vision of that fun experience. To do this, simply capture and share the elements that turned you on to this event. Was it a particular quote displayed on the event website? Was it an image of someone enjoying the event? Was it a specific description of the experience? Was it a personal memory from a past similar event? Communicate the specific elements that got you excited and the unique details that peaked your own interest.

This website itself is an excellent resource for orienting folks to a Watson Adventures hunt. It is dedicated to introducing newcomers to Watson Adventures’ unique style and variety of scavenger hunts. If any part of the website helped prompt you to choose to take on a hunt, such as a hunt description or our introductory video, share that inspiration by directing folks to those pages.

 3. Make it about the participants

One reason for an employee’s reluctance in going to a company event is that it can be perceived as just another thing the company is asking you to do. It’s another calendar item getting in the way of other calendar items. In all communications, be sure to drive home the message that this is not about obligation but about the good stuff—the non-work, the fun, the appreciation. It’s that rare time when it’s not about the organization, it’s about honoring and catering to those who make it thrive.

4. Connect it to the mission or goal

This may seem like a contradiction to the previous tip, but let’s go a little further. Every organization has a mission or goal, and everyone in the organization is employed to support that mission or goal. Naturally, people are already invested in that common vision. Whether fully inspired by the day-to-day work at hand or not, people really do want to be seen as a part of the resulting or future success. When the event is positioned as an outpouring from that goal and the work that went into it, people naturally want to be (and deserve to be) included in that recognition.

5. Get the senior executives involved

This means more than having leadership show up and observe. It means having them take an active role in the activities. That commitment from senior leaders provides another signal that the organization places value on the event and demonstrates the important element of being in it together. Participation should include the primary activities and can also include making remarks (nothing too lengthy or corporate-speak, please!), giving out awards, or naming winners of contests. The key actions are securing an early commitment to that executive participation and then sharing early on the ways in which leadership will be participating.

6. Give out prizes

It’s always a perk to know you might win something. This doesn’t have to be extravagant, and it may or may not be tied directly to the event. Prizes can be in the form of gift cards, event tickets, or company merchandise. Or consider granting an extra three-day weekend, an afternoon off, or take-out lunch for a team or department. (This works well for remote teams, too.)

A prize could also include something humorous or creative. Have a bagel-and-coffee breakfast delivered by the president of the company. Display a photo of the winning team in a prominent space. Or, like we’ve done for many in-person Watson Adventures games, hand out custom-made medals. Often, the more unusual and personal the prize is, the more it will inspire.

7. Conduct a teaser campaign

Don’t just get the word out on your event. Strategically build interest and conversation around the event by conducting a teaser campaign. Beginning some weeks before the event and in regular intervals, drop enticing details about the event without revealing the whole thing. You can also use this process to promote the messaging and strategies above, which only work when shared prior to the event. Use various media channels if multiple modes of communication are used in your organization. 

8. Make it easy

Perhaps above all, make attending the event as easy and convenient as possible. If it’s an off-site event, provide an easy means of getting there, including organizing transportation or ridesharing if necessary. In addition, provide an online posting with clear details on all the specifics—what, where, when, and even why. Anticipate any additional questions and post them centrally, such as “What should I wear?” or “What should I bring?” or “When will it conclude?” or “Will there be drinks?”

For large groups, those could all be placed on a dedicated page online. The page should provide the specifics, and it should also be used as another place to shout out the most compelling and fun aspects of the event.

Find More Fun

Before you show folks that your event is special, fun, something they deserve, and something they don’t want to miss, you need to make sure that’s true! Contact us to learn more and start planning your can’t-miss team-building scavenger hunt or virtual game today.

The post How to Get Employees Excited for Company Events: 8 Ways to Spark Interest appeared first on Team Building Activities | Watson Adventures Scavenger Hunts.

Whether you enjoy a pint with friends or play the Pinch Me, It’s a St. Patrick’s Day Virtual Trivia Game—or both—a little Irish spirit will be just the thing to help with five rounds of themed trivia and creative photo challenges.

And warming up your brain ahead of time won’t hurt either. So before you play, or just for fun of course, see how well you know your leprechauns from your LepreCon with this at-home trivia game featuring surprising St. Patrick’s Day facts.

1. Snake Repellant

As the legend goes, St. Patrick famously drove all the snakes out of Ireland, which is why the country is snake-free even to this day. In reality, how many snakes did St. Patrick cast out?

a. None
b. 1
c. 17
d. A million

2. Island Time

The Caribbean nation of Montserrat is one of the few countries that marks St. Patrick’s Day as an official public holiday. The party also takes a while. How long does their long St. Patrick’s Day festival last?

a. 3 days
b. 5 days
c. 10 days
d. 31 days

3. A River Runs Through It

In what city do a bunch of plumbers celebrate by dumping 40 pounds of dye into the river?

a. London
b. Dublin
c. Metropolis
d. Chicago

4. The First Parade

Where did the first St. Patrick’s Day parade in history take place?

a. Ireland
b. New York
c. Florida
d. Boston

5. The Biggest Parade

OK, so when did New York City’s first St. Patrick’s Day parade take place?

a. 300 B.C.
b. 1762
c. 1876
d. 1900

6. The Shortest Parade

How long is the shortest St. Patrick’s Day parade in the world?

a. 3.17 feet
b. 98 feet
c. 1,000
d. 5,280 feet

7. Counting Clovers

What are the odds of finding a four-leaf clover among a field of regular ol’ three-leaf clovers?

a. 1 in 3
b. 1 in 4
c. 1 in 1,000
d. 1 in 10,000

8. Holy Moley

When was St. Patrick canonized as a saint?

a. 1776
b. 1985
c. 2002
d. Never

9. Corned Beef: It’s What’s for Dinner

Why did Irish-Americans start the tradition of eating corned beef on St. Patrick’s Day?

a. They didn’t, actually, because the Irish always ate lots of beef
b. It’s what they could afford
c. It looked good on Instagram
d. The supermarket was fresh out of corned muskox

10. Nickname Shenanigans

The proper shortening of St. Patrick’s Day is St. Paddy’s Day, because the name Patrick is derived from the Irish “Pádraig.” If you wish someone a happy St. Patty’s Day, what are you wishing them?

a. Happy St. Patty Cake Day!
b. Happy St. Patricia’s Day!
c. Happy St. Pat Sajak’s Day!
d. Happy St. Hamburger Patty Day!

11. Cheerio!

What does the Wisconsin town of New London do every year for St. Patrick’s Day?

a. “Adopts” a town in Ireland
b. Buries city hall in (fake) leprechaun gold
c. Changes its name
d. Designates one resident “St. Patrick for a Day”

12. Seeing…Green?

What color was originally associated with St. Patrick?

a. Blue
b. Purple
c. White
d. Just kidding, it was green all along

13. The Pipes, the Pipes Are Calling

In what out-of-this-world place did Canadian Chris Hadfield sing “Danny Boy” on St. Patrick’s Day in 2013?

a. Dublin Planetarium
b. The International Space Station
c. Spaceship Earth at EPCOT
d. A booth in a Planet Hollywood restaurant

14. Con-sider This

LepreCon, a bar-crawl event in which hordes of young people who are still old enough to know better, honestly, dress up in green and descend en masse to drink their way through cities around the U.S., is an off-shoot of a similar event focused on another holiday. What is the name of that event?

a. BunnyCon
b. HanukKon
c. Father TimeCon
d. SantaCon

15. It’s Not Lucky Charms

In addition to looking after gold, what do leprechauns in Irish folk tales make?

a. Shoes
b. Money Moves
c. Boiled Potatoes
d. Babies

Find More Fun

Join the Pinch Me, It’s a St. Patrick’s Day Virtual Trivia Game, or learn more about our in-person scavenger hunts and virtual games.

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Image credits: Lead photo Pressmaster from Pexels; Snake photo by Alfonso Castro on Unsplash; clovers photo by Quentin Rey on Unsplash; clinking glasses photo by Anna Shvets from Pexels;

The post At Home Trivia Game: 15 Surprising St. Patrick’s Day Facts appeared first on Team Building Activities | Watson Adventures Scavenger Hunts.

Summer internships are a great way for students to gain valuable work experience and explore potential career paths. But it’s not all about work! To make the most of their time, you should provide interns and associates opportunities to unwind, bond with colleagues, and have fun. Here are 11 fun activities for summer interns to enjoy.

Benefits of Organizing Team Building Activities for Interns

Organizing team building activities for interns can offer huge benefits for both the interns and the organization. You’ll help interns feel more engaged, motivated, and connected to their colleagues, ultimately improving their overall experience and performance. Team building activities can also provide valuable learning opportunities, allowing interns to work on their communication, problem solving, and leadership, and to get to know your company culture. Team building activities for interns can accomplish any and all of the following:

• Boost morale and create a positive work environment.
• Foster a sense of camaraderie and collaboration among interns.
• Provide valuable learning opportunities for interns to develop new skills.
• Improve intern engagement, motivation, and performance.
• Lead to increased retention rates and a more cohesive team.

1. Cultural Attractions

Organize a group visit to a museum or aquarium. You’ll skip the weekend crowds, tour an interesting location, and spend time with colleagues in a very different setting than you usually would. If you need ideas for fun and unusual ways to see your favorite museum, aquarium, or zoo, here are 7 museum team building activities for interns—and anyone else—to try.

2. Outdoor Adventure

Take advantage of the summer weather by organizing an outdoor adventure. This could be as simple as a hike or something more complicated, such as a camping or rafting trip. If you’re located near a beach or lake, plan a day trip. Enjoy swimming, sunbathing, beach volleyball, and perhaps a beachside barbecue. Those are all great ways to relax and have fun outside the office.

3. Team Building Scavenger Hunts

Few activities combine a good time with quick thinking, creative problem solving, and fast-paced communication the way team building scavenger hunts do. We should know—we’ve run them for more than 20 years here at Watson Adventures. One of the great benefits is that everyone on your team can contribute equally, because you don’t need any particular athletic skills, artistic talents, or prior knowledge. You all just put your heads together and have a fun day.

Our most popular types of team building scavenger hunts and games include:

• Murder Mystery Games: Solve different sorts of murders in many different settings, such as botanical gardens, neighborhoods in cities around the country, or just about anywhere else!
• Food Tours: Snack your way to victory while answering tricky questions on our food-centric Munch Hunts in New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, and more.
• Trivia Games: Enjoy a wide array of trivia games just about anywhere—in the office, a rented ballroom or restaurant space, at home, or Zooming in from multiple places at once. And with audio and visual components, scavenger hunt rounds, and creative photo challenges, as well as many different themes, these aren’t run-of-the-mill pub-trivia games anyone could throw together.

4. Volunteer Work

Encourage interns to give back to the community by organizing a day of volunteering. This could involve working at a local food bank, participating in a beach or park clean-up, or helping out at a community center or animal shelter. It’s a rewarding way to spend a day and make a positive impact.

5. Sports Day

Take advantage of the sunny weather and head to the nearest beach or park for a day of friendly competition. Organize various team-based games like sand-castle building, beach volleyball or pickleball tournaments, soccer, frisbee, and relay races. You can also arrange an Office Olympics in your office or another space, though with less volleyball. It’s all about collaboration, teamwork, and a healthy sense of competition in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere.

6. Food Focus

Arrange for a cooking class where interns can learn to make a local or international dish. It’s a fun and educational activity that can also help interns develop new culinary skills.

Alternatively, set up a potluck where interns and associates can show off their skills and tastes. After all, summer team building activities can really work up an appetite! A food-focused outing in the park or a backyard barbecue offers a great chance for summer interns and colleagues, especially those who have gone hybrid or fully WFH, to catch up and unwind without the pressure of more structured events.

7. Creative Workshop

Organize a creative workshop where interns can learn a new skill, such as painting, pottery, or photography. Or set up a paint-and-sip event, where it’s less about learning a new skill than about spending time together and having a good laugh over your range of skill levels and creative thinking afterward.

8. Movie Night

Host a movie night where interns can relax and enjoy a film together. You could even set up an outdoor movie screening for a unique experience. Set up a projector and screen in a park or the office courtyard, and screen a popular movie or a classic film. Provide blankets, popcorn, and drinks for a cozy and enjoyable evening.

9. City Tour

Show off your neighborhood to help interns and associates explore their new surroundings. We offer plenty of ways to see your corner of town anew, or to explore a favorite historic neighborhood. You can visit the giant troll on the Freewheeling Fremont Scavenger Hunt. Dig into history and find surprises on the Secrets of Savannah Scavenger Hunt. Or simply celebrate the spirit of such cities as Boston, Chicago, and New Orleans.

From New York City to Los Angeles, you have hundreds of neighborhood scavenger hunts to choose from. And whichever you pick, participants will get to know your city and their colleagues in a fun way they couldn’t replicate themselves.

10. Networking Event

Hosting a networking event for summer interns can be a valuable opportunity for them to connect with professionals in their field, build relationships, and gain insights into the industry. These events often include networking sessions, workshops, and panel discussions. You could also set up a speed networking session, allowing interns and associates to meet a variety of professionals in short, focused conversations. To wrap up, a casual mixer with icebreaker games and refreshments could provide a relaxed setting for deeper networking.

11. Farewell Party

Finally, organize a farewell party to celebrate the end of the internship. This is a chance for interns and summer associates to reflect on their experiences and bid adieu to their colleagues.

Find More Fun

Contact us to learn more and start planning your summer team building scavenger hunt or virtual game today.

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Image credits: picnic photo by Lee Myungseong on Unsplash; all others by Watson Adventures

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“…through the historic streets of Philadelphia,” enthuses PhillyBite Magazine. “Discover the city’s iconic landmarks, hidden gems, and intriguing historical sites as you solve clues and navigate through the city together.”

In this interesting roundup of Philadelphia activities, PhillyBite notes that Watson Adventures offers “specialized scavenger hunts that take you on a captivating journey through the city’s rich history. This interactive and unconventional date idea allows you to collaborate, communicate, and bond while exploring the wonders of Philadelphia. Whether you’re a history enthusiast or simply looking for an adventure, a scavenger hunt through historic Philadelphia will surely provide an unforgettable experience.”

Read the complete article at PhillyBite.com.

The post Watson Adventures Scavenger Hunts Touted in “Top 5 Romantic Ideas for Unconventional Date” appeared first on Team Building Activities | Watson Adventures Scavenger Hunts.

Botanical gardens offer tranquil and inspiring settings for group outings. Surrounded by the beauty of nature, teams can bond, communicate, and collaborate in unique ways. But what can your group do at botanical gardens, other than smell the roses?

If you’re looking to plan an outdoor group event centered on botanical garden activities, here are nine things to do at your favorite flowery venue.

1. Solve a Murder Mystery

While you planned a tranquil outing to your local botanical garden, someone in your group—possibly on your own team—is a real Jekyll and Hyde! They’ve surreptitiously poisoned everyone in your group, and the clock is ticking. To save yourselves and get the antidote, you must play their game: the new Murder Mystery Mayhem at the Botanical Garden Scavenger Hunt!

The killer has hidden their identity in a series of thorny puzzles, as part of a scavenger hunt at the botanical garden. You’ll be tasked with answering trivia questions, solving interlocking puzzles, deciphering coded messages, and meeting the conditions of tricky photo challenges around the gardens.

2. Garden Yoga or Meditation

Many botanical gardens feature meditation gardens or even just wide-open fields, perfect for arranging a self-led session of yoga or meditation in the serene surroundings of the garden. It’s a great way for teams to relax, recharge, and build mindfulness together. Many botanical gardens, including the Chicago Botanic Garden, also offer a wide range of yoga, meditation, and other “healing” programs, both to the public and to private groups.

3. Explore Art

Art of course isn’t just for museums! Botanical gardens are not only showcases of natural beauty but also galleries for artistic expression. Often featuring carefully curated sculptures and art installations nestled amidst the flora, botanical gardens offer visitors a unique opportunity to experience the harmonious interplay between art and nature. The Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, for example, are renowned for the whimsical troll sculptures spread throughout the grounds. Discovering all the art a garden has to offer is an adventure all its own.

4. Strike a Pose

Collaborating with teammates to create memorable photos based on themed prompts is a huge part of our Grab ‘n’ Go scavenger hunts. Much like the Murder Mystery Mayhem game, Grab ‘n’ Go hunts can be enjoyed in just about any botanical garden you like, and they leave you with a photo gallery full of keepsakes. They might offer a more relaxing experience for groups that aren’t looking to solve puzzles or stop a dastardly villain.

5. Nature Photography Contest

If you want to strike out on your own, send teams out with smartphones and challenge them to capture the most stunning or unique photos of plants, flowers, and landscapes. It’s as simple as that! Naturally, you can also award prizes for the most creative, artistic, or humorous shots.

6. Visit for a Specific Attraction

Some botanical gardens will feature particular events or points of interest that might appeal even to the skeptics in your group. For instance, the rare blooming of the pungent, one-of-a-kind corpse flower at the New York Botanical Garden is always a massive draw. Or folks who prefer grand old homes to gorgeous foliage might enjoy exploring the Peirce-du Pont House at Longwood Gardens, outside Philadelphia.

7. Botanical Trivia Challenge

Test teams’ knowledge of plants, flowers, and gardening with a trivia competition. You can customize questions to suit the level of expertise within your group and encourage friendly rivalry. Have someone in your group put together the questions ahead of time, and then your group can see how they do at any time during the outing. Something like this fits in well during lunch or at the end of a trip, when everyone’s had a chance to commune with nature.

8. Outdoor Games Tournament

Organize a tournament of classic outdoor games like croquet, bocce ball, baseball, pickleball, or frisbee in designated areas of the garden. It’s a lighthearted way for teams to compete and unwind amidst the natural beauty. (Of course, be respectful of other visitors, and don’t pick a space right next to, say, the aforementioned meditation gardens.)

9. Community Gardening Project

Give back to the community and strengthen your team’s bonds through a shared purpose. Collaborate on a meaningful project such as planting a community garden bed or revitalizing a neglected area of the garden. Teams work together towards a common goal while making a positive impact on the local environment—and knowing you’ve helped beautify gardens will definitely help you see them in a new light.

Find More Fun

Contact us to learn more and start planning your team building scavenger hunt or virtual game today.

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Image credits: outdoor sports photo by Joseph Pearson on Unsplash

The post Botanical Garden Activities: 9 Things to Do appeared first on Team Building Activities | Watson Adventures Scavenger Hunts.

The New York Times 

You can read the major profile of Watson Adventures from the front page of the Weekend section or the earlier story in which Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos raves about the hunts.

Another Times story recommends our Family Hunts.

Bezos also sent Watson Adventures a personal letter of thanks in appreciation of a hunt his wife commissioned for his birthday. He wrote:

“I can’t think of a better way to bring people together and have fun.” —Jeff Bezos

Curious about which scavenger hunts Bezos played? His team set a record score on The Met Madness Scavenger Hunt. He also led another team to victor on The Seattle Art Museum Scavenger Hunt.

See all of the locations are hunts are available in, coast to coast, from Boston to San Diego, from Seattle to Miami. Or contact us to learn more—and find more fun wherever you are!

The post Jeff Bezos Raves About Watson Adventures in the New York Times appeared first on Team Building Activities | Watson Adventures Scavenger Hunts.

In celebration of Cupid’s Birthday or whatever, seek out sultry secrets about scandalous art on our popular Naked at the Art Museum Scavenger Hunts. You and your significant other or friends can explore museums in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, or Washington, D.C., for some of the finest and flirtiest nude art in history.

Whether you want to see what you’re in for, or simply get to know the naughty side of great works art, test your wits on these preview questions. Some are from our Valentine’s Day scavenger hunts, while others are inspired by great moments in nude art history.

1. Oh My, Manet!

Manet’s The Luncheon on the Grass created a huge uproar when it was first shown in 1863. The fact that one of the women is depicted naked did bother people. But what about the painting upset those people even more?

2. Think About It

Rodin originally conceived his famous male nude sculpture as Dante before the Gates of Hell, thinking about his great poem. Who is that figure known as?

3. On Second Thought

One of this artist’s most famous works originally depicted five prostitutes and two men in a brothel. He eventually painted over the clients, leaving only the women. What 20th-century artist painted this ground-breaking scene?

4. Suffering for His Art

Renoir is famous for his Impressionist nudes, including the eternally awkward After the Bath. Afflicted with arthritis late in life, he remained determined to keep painting. What did he do with his paintbrushes in order to make that happen?

Click Here for the Answer

He strapped them to his forearms!

5. Armory Uproar

Painted in an avant-garde style, Marcel Duchamp’s most famous nude caused scandal and ridicule in its American debut at the 1913 Armory show in New York City. The New York Times, for example, said it ought to be titled “Explosion in a Shingle Factory.” What entirely mundane activity is the subject doing in the painting?

6. It’s a Living

Contemporary artist Daniel Edwards, famous for sculpting things such as Suri Cruise’s first poop and a naked Britney Spears giving birth, immortalized a young (and now long defunct) pop couple in the buff in 2011. Who were the two pop stars?

7. Freaky Eakins

Artist Thomas Eakins made a name for himself with such clothing optional work as The Swimming Hole. But he could be a bit too risqué for his own good—for example, he’s in The Swimming Hole, on the lower right, swimming toward his dog. What shocking activity got him dismissed from his teaching gig at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1886?

A. He removed the loincloth from a male model in a class with female students.
B. He posed in the nude for photographs taken by his students.
C. He encouraged students to photograph each other in the nude.
D. He kept painting fig leaves on nude art in the Academy’s art collection.

Click Here for the Answer

In fact, he did both B and C, but finally got sacked for A.

8. Going Ape

In 1989, a group of anonymous artists and activists called the Guerilla Girls caused a stir with their now famous poster, Do women have to be naked to get into the Met. Museum? It decried the severe lack of female artists on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (and in the art world in general) while calling out the plethora of nude women painted by men. The Public Art Fund in New York City refused to display the work at the time, so the Guerilla Girls paid to display it as ads on New York City buses and in subway cars.

True or False: This piece has never been displayed in the Met Museum, its intended target.

Click Here for the Answer

False: It might have taken about three decades, but this poster did appear in the Met as part of a 2021 exhibition titled “Selections from the Department of Drawings and Prints: Revolution, Resistance, and Activism.”

9. Uproar in Paris

The Italian painter Amedeo Modigliani is perhaps best known for his Reclining Nude, but his numerous nude works caused quite a stir in the early 20th century. In particular, his Female Nude was so scandalous for its depiction of pubic hair—an absolute taboo at the time—that it got his one and only solo exhibition in 1917 shut down by the police.

But something else about Female Nude offended contemporary viewers as well. What was it?

A. Her dreamy pose
B. Her makeup
C. Her non-European features
D. Her appearing to be asleep

10. What-Based Paint?

The post-impressionist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec liked to paint in brothels. Much of his work recording bohemian lifestyles in late 1800s Paris, including his, er, busty The Model Resting, featured or were inspired by those brothels’ workers. Notably, he used a particular type of paint in his works. What was it?

Click Here for the Answer

For many of his nude paintings, Toulouse-Lautrec used casein, a milk-based paint. Paging Dr. Freud…

12. Art to Di For

At the top of the grand staircase at the Philadelphia Museum of Art looms a larger-than-life sculpture of the goddess Diana, by August Saint-Gaudens. Smaller versions can be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the National Gallery of Art. While her frank nakedness shocked some Victorian viewers, Stanford White, architect of the original Madison Square Garden in New York City, placed her atop his towering creation as part of a weather vane.

And then one evening in 1906, White was shot to death at the Garden, under the very roof Diana adorned, by the enraged husband of his mistress, Evelyn Nesbit. True or false: The killer husband was enraged because his wife, Evelyn, was the model for White’s beloved Diana sculpture.

Click Here for the Answer

False: Diana was sculpted when Evelyn would have been about 9 years old.

However, the novel and musical Ragtime, inspired by the events surrounding White’s murder, fudge the facts. They suggest that an aged-up Evelyn Nesbitt (this time with two Ts) did indeed pose for Diana, which helped drive her husband to murder White.

13. We’d Like a Table for 39, Please

Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party outraged viewers when it debuted in 1980. Paying homage to hundreds of powerful women throughout history, the piece features 39 distinct place settings, each one bearing (and baring) an artistic representation of female genitalia. The Dinner Party‘s planned nationwide tour was sacked amid the furor, and it took decades for the massive installation to find a permanent home at the Brooklyn Museum’s Center for Feminist Art.

How many men are included in this piece?

Click Here for the Answer

One! The 999 names listed on the tiled porcelain floor of The Dinner Party include “Cresilla,” whom Chicago thought to be a female artist from ancient Greece. But that person was actually Kresilas, a male artist from ancient Greece. At least he’s partying in good company.

14. Shark Attack

Around 1778, 14-year-old sailor Brook Watson (no relation) went skinny dipping near his ship when a shark attacked him. It took two good chomps before his shipmates pulled him from the brine. John Singleton Copley immortalized the scene in Watson and the Shark. The work still manages to shock, as the frantic rescuers fight off the monster shark while Watson floats, pale in his “birthday swimsuit,” inches from an array of serrated teeth.

In later life, when the now peg-legged Watson created his family crest, what did he include to memorialize the incident?

A. a severed foot
B. a shark fin
C. the name of the boat that saved him
D. a movie poster from Jaws

Click Here for the Answer

A. a severed foot! At least the shark didn’t bite off his sense of humor.

Find More Fun

To explore even more of the finest and flirtiest nude art in history, join a Naked at the Art Museum Scavenger Hunt. These Valentine’s Day scavenger hunts are available in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.

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Images credits: All artworks in the public domain

The post Valentine’s Day Trivia: 14 Scandalous Moments in Art History from our Valentine’s Day Scavenger Hunts appeared first on Team Building Activities | Watson Adventures Scavenger Hunts.