Home to over 100 museums, Philly has a museum focusing on nearly any aspect of culture or history that you could possibly want for a team building event. Luckily, you don’t need to research every institution before deciding. We’ve combined a list of the five best Philadelphia museums for team building that’ll have everyone on your team’s creative juices flowing.
#1: Philadelphia Museum of Art
The most obvious museum of choice in Philly for a team building event is the Philadelphia Museum of Art. This iconic building can be seen from all over the city. What might even be more famous is the long set of steps leading up to the entrance. Even if you’re not a lover of art, you’ll recognize these steps from “Rocky.”
Art museums are a great place for scavenger hunts and team building games. Even if you’re not an art aficionado, you’ll get a kick out of solving riddles in cavernous galleries while checking out famous (and not-so-famous) works of art.
Need a little art-spiration? Create riddles and clues to see if your employees can guess which famous works hold clues to the next riddle. Ask your coworkers to take photos of a certain number of food paintings. Ask them to rename famous works of art. The ideas are endless!
#2: Eastern State Penitentiary
Eastern State Penitentiary is one of the coolest museums in Philly. This once penitentiary housed some of the areas most dangerous criminals! It’s also said to be haunted, so this museum is best for your thrill-seeking coworkers and clients.
Dare your employees to head solo into some of the spookiest areas of the museum and ask them to take selfies in the cells.
Incorporate the Audio Tour into your activity so you can include questions about the history of prisons in America, the amazing history of the penitentiary itself, and about mass incarceration in the United States and what is currently being done about it.
#3: African American Museum in Philadelphia
Philly’s African American Museum pays homage to some of the most famous African Americans in our country’s history. In addition to discovering some very important info about your favorite heroes, you’ll learn about some of the unsung heroes in black history.
We recommend splitting your team up into smaller groups and sending each group for a tour of a different part of the museum. Everyone should bring paper and a pencil to take notes.
After the tour, ask each group to relay their favorite stories from their tours to the other groups. Not only will they discover which parts of the tour really made an impact on the group, but they will also foster a sense of empathy for the people in the stories by relaying each story out loud.
#4: Science History Institute
Got a team that loves to geek out on technical stuff? How about a science or engineering team that needs a boost of creativity or go back to basics to solve a problem?
We think the best way to get over a creative challenge is to focus on one that doesn’t come with high stakes. Take your team to the Science History Institute and sign them up for challenges with the museum’s educational team.
Does your team balk at the idea of learning rudimentary concepts? That might be a part of your creative block! Consider this one the “Mr. Miagi of team building.”
#5: Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens
When you’re blocked creatively, head to the most magical place on earth. OK, that’s Disneyland. If you can’t go there, head to Philly’s Magic Gardens instead.
This spot is a minefield of creativity.
This non-profit organization is an indoor/outdoor art project conceived by artist Isaiah Zagar. It’s a combination of mosaic and street art.
Ask your team to draw their favorite pieces throughout the gardens. Or, ask them how they would design a new section of the park (or redesign a current section) if Mr. Zagar commissioned them for the job.
