9 Cool Retreat Activities in Austin to Bond Your Team

With so much to do in Austin, it can be hard to set aside time to bond as a team. If you’re not at the office, then chances are you’ll be out at a live music venue, cooling off at a swimming hole, or attending one of the major events and festivals held throughout the year. Whether you prefer to stick with a classic Austin outing, or choose to do something entirely different, get inspired by this list of great retreat activities in Austin to bond your team. From indoor venues to outdoor activities, we think you’ll find something for everyone on this wide-ranging list of thrilling Texan fun!

1. Explore the outdoor water park at Quest

Is your favorite swimming hole too crowded? Don’t worry — you can book a private party for your team at Quest, the only outdoor wakeboard and water park in the area. It’s open each year from April to September, and features some of the best outdoor activities in Austin to bond your team. You’ll have unlimited access to the obstacle course (think floating bounce houses!), rope swing, slide, wakeboards and paddleboards, and, of course, swimming. At the time of this writing, packages start at $350 for the first 10 people, with an extra $35 for each additional person, or $5 for non-participants.

2. Plan your retreat from scratch at a Peerspace venue

While there are plenty of venues that offer retreat options in the Austin area, there are few that let you design the entire event yourself. If you won’t want to be stuck using a preferred vendor or in-house staff, you’ll love the freedom that you get when you book a Peerspace venue.

From a spacious art studio in the city where you can plan your own DIY craft event, to a modern home in Texas Hill Country where you can just get away from it all, Peerspace allows you to be as creative — or as low-key — as you want to be. Many venues offer unique amenities, such as this hillside home with Google Fiber that was built to be “America’s healthiest house.”

Of course, you’ll still be able to use a recommended caterer or facilitator if you choose to: just ask your local host or call up the Concierge service for help adding it on to your booking. 

3. Take a break from your routine at Texas Paintball

Paintball is a great retreat activity in Austin that doesn’t require a lot of planning. Include it as part of a larger retreat event, or just make it a day trip. Texas Paintball offers 10 unique playing fields with realistic obstacles, including tunnels and helicopters, on over 40 acres of land. Book a private party to ensure that everything, including equipment rentals, will be taken care of for you. You can also choose to play with Airsoft guns instead for a lower-impact sport.

4. Go on a canopy tour at Cypress Valley

If your team loves the outdoors, then Cypress Valley is a great team retreat activity in Austin — day or night. Plan a corporate picnic or zipline adventure during the day, or go on one of their night tours for a glow-in-the-dark experience. They also have several treehouses on site that are built in the cypress trees, including a multi-level guesthouse called The Nest. Book their five-bedroom Ranch House for an overnight retreat idea just 30 minutes from downtown!

5. Go for a hike at Westcave

Another great outdoor activity is a hike at the Westcave Outdoor Discovery Center, one of the Austin area’s most beautiful nature preserves. Take a guided tour to see the limestone crevice, grotto, canyon, and 40-foot waterfall that are the highlight of this stunning place. You can also book a room at the Environmental Learning Center for additional retreat activities, or come at night for a Star Party to see the skies through a high-powered telescope.

6. Enjoy rooftop yoga with Adzentures

Adzentures offers epic trips that combine yoga and alpine trekking at places like Yosemite and Chamonix, France. But you don’t have to go that far to enjoy their local classes, which are held on a rooftop in downtown Austin. Their Yoga & Mimosas class takes place on the weekend and includes two complimentary mimosas. They also offer paddleboard yoga classes on Lady Bird Lake, as well as yoga classes on the Greenbelt followed by free breakfast tacos at Taco Deli.

7. Learn leadership skills at Candlelight Ranch

Candlelight Ranch offers nature-based programs for kids and adults at their scenic Hill Country location. Cool off at ChillVille, a wheelchair-accessible boardwalk with interactive water features, or explore the Food Forest, with its native plants and wildlife. One of their most innovative programs is Equine Assisted Learning, in which participants work with horses to learn leadership skills and explore non-verbal communication. Choose this option for one of the most outside-the-box retreat activities in Austin.

8. See Jaws on the Water

You can rest easy knowing that sharks don’t swim in lakes (or do they?) while enjoying this classic horror movie in an inner tube on Lake Travis. This must-do Austin experience happens every summer at the Volente Beach Water Park and is part of the Alamo Drafthouse’s Rolling Roadshow. Bring your own inner tube, or rent one with a headrest and cupholders for a night out with your team at one of the most jaw-droppingly neat team retreat activities in Austin. Just make sure everyone on your team knows how to swim!

9. Go glamping in La Hacienda Estates

This is one of the only true glamping experiences near Austin, and it’s available to rent on Peerspace. Whether you come for the day or spend the night, you’ll have access to three outdoor grills, two firepits, and dozens of games, including cornhole, volleyball, and archery. There’s also an outdoor shower, and five luxury tents with air conditioning and electricity. If that isn’t enough space, you can book the clubhouse as well for two more bedrooms and an indoor shower!

Austin’s reputation as Texas’s “weirdest” city is well-deserved. After all, there aren’t many places where you can see Jaws on the water and go glamping within 30 minutes from downtown. The proximity of these locations to each other makes it easy to pick and choose more than one of these retreat activities in Austin to design your event. And remember, if you want to plan it all from scratch, start by choosing a Peerspace venue and adding on from there!

Find unique retreat activities in Austin on Peerspace