Washington DC has an absolute wealth of choices when it comes to museums to incorporate into a DC team building event. The setup of museums –artifacts, history, culture, and big, cool spaces — make them ideal settings for scavenger hunts and a day of intriguing fun. These six DC Museums for team building are as engaging as they are iconic.
Tips for Choosing DC Museums for Team Building
Team building activities are just plain fun. Don’t ruin the fun by getting banned from one of the most famous establishments in the world. Follow these tips to ensure your team building day goes without a hitch.
- Ask the museum permission prior to doing anything out of the ordinary
- Be respectful (especially in museums with sensitive themes or exhibits)
- Don’t disturb other guests
- Pay the proper fees (not all museums are free)
- Ask if the museum has any team building activities or challenges of their own. Even if they don’t, they can often point out some great resources to create one.
- Hire someone to create a team building activity for you at one of these museums (We’d suggest ourselves but there are a lot of other options too
Keeping these tips in mind, the skies the limit, don’t be afraid to get creative!
Smithsonian National Museum of American History
The Smithsonian is one of the most iconic museums in the country. Ask your team to find President Lincoln’s top hat and Julia Child’s kitchen. How much American history does your team know? There are so many facts and tidbits from such a vast trove of history that there are countless ways to build them into a team building day.. Quizzes and history scavenger hunts are popular ways to dive into a good time and introduce some competitive challenges to visit.
National Museum of African American History and Culture
This is one of the most important museums to open in the past century. It shows the history of African-American culture in the U.S. — from slavery to the modern day. In addition to a valuable theme of diversity, it’s simply a fascinating look at part of the American experience.
National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery is home to some of the most famous works of art in the world. From Vermeer to Warhol, there’s something for everybody’s taste in this museum. Give your team clues to locate various pieces and dive into closer examination and interpretation as they compete in a scavenger hunt.
Newseum
Washington, DC, is home to many famous newspapers. The Newseum pays homage to the importance of free speech and the spread of information. This museum is great for team building because it’s super interactive.
International Spy Museum
This is one of the few museums on the list you must pay to enter. But it’s totally worth the price of admission! Its real world and fictional spy exhibits make it one of the more out-and-out fun museums in the city. Similar to the Newseum, it’s already set up for interactive challenges so you can just let your team lose when you arrive if you don’t have much time to plan custom challenges.
The National Archives
The National Archives is home to some of the country’s most important documents. Here, you’ll find naturalization records, census records and passenger ship manifests. Ask your co-workers to find out as much as they can about their own families while they’re here. Or, with some serious planning, you can set up elaborate challenges that ask teams to identify the links between significant individuals, a sort of 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon in a very cool historical setting!
