What are the best corporate retreat locations in the US?

The best spot is the one most of your team can reach in a short trip. Popular picks: Napa for wine country, Denver or Salt Lake City for the mountains, Phoenix, San Diego or Miami for winter sun, and Austin, Nashville or Chicago for a city retreat.

How far in advance should you plan a company retreat?

Start 6 to 9 months out for most groups, and sign the venue 4 to 6 months ahead. Book activities, catering and transport about 3 months before.

What kind of venue is best for a corporate retreat?

A resort hotel is easiest for 30 or more people because rooms, meeting space and food are on one site. Smaller groups often prefer a lodge, an inn or a rented estate that allows business events.

What team building activities work at a company retreat?

Plan one shared activity per day that everyone can join. KraftyLab hosts bring Feud Night, trivia or Music Bingo to your venue in 17 US cities, and painting workshops in all 30 cities on our in-person page.

How do you include remote employees who can't travel?

Run one session as a virtual event so people at home join the same game or workshop on video. Kit workshops ship supplies to every guest: book about 3 weeks ahead for US addresses, or about 5 weeks with guests in Canada or abroad.

What is a corporate retreat for?

A corporate retreat takes a team away from the office for one to three days to plan, solve a hard problem or simply get to know each other. Our company retreat page covers agendas and activities.

12 corporate retreat locations in the US (2026)

The best corporate retreat locations are a short trip for most of your team and fit the season: Napa for wine country, Denver or Salt Lake City for mountains, Phoenix, San Diego or Miami for winter sun, and Austin, Nashville or Chicago for a city retreat. Pick on travel time first, then budget and season.

KraftyLab TeamUpdated Oct 20269 min read

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A team sits in a circle of chairs on a lodge deck by a lake in autumn, listening as one coworker speaks

Every city below is one where KraftyLab already runs in-person team events, so you can add a hosted activity at your venue without flying anyone in. Each entry covers why teams go, the best months, the kinds of venues to look at and what we can bring. Then come five rules for choosing, the venue types, and a planning timeline.

Corporate retreat locations at a glance

On a phone, swipe the table sideways.

Location	Good for	Best months	KraftyLab there
Napa, California	Small leadership groups	April to June	Painting workshops
Denver, Colorado	Mountain access with an easy flight	June to September	Hosted games and painting
Salt Lake City, Utah	Ski retreats	January to March	Painting workshops
Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona	Winter sun and golf	October to April	Hosted games and painting
San Diego, California	Mild weather in any month	Year round	Hosted games and painting
Austin, Texas	Music, food and Hill Country	October to November, March to May	Hosted games and painting
Nashville, Tennessee	A lively city retreat	April to May, September to October	Painting workshops
Orlando, Florida	Big groups and families	January to April	Painting workshops
Las Vegas, Nevada	Everything under one roof	March to May, October to November	Painting workshops
Seattle, Washington	Water, islands and mountains	July to September	Hosted games and painting
Chicago, Illinois	A central spot for national teams	June to September	Hosted games and painting
Miami, Florida	A winter beach retreat	December to April	Painting workshops

12 US cities for a company retreat

1. Napa, California

Good for: Small leadership groups. Best months: April to June.

Vineyards, small towns and long dinners make it the classic leadership retreat.
It is about an hour's drive from the Bay Area airports, longer in traffic. Harvest season in late summer and fall is the busiest and priciest time.
Where to stay and meet: Winery event spaces, valley inns and resorts, and rented estates for groups of 10 to 30.
With KraftyLab: An instructor brings a canvas painting or watercolor card workshop to your venue, with every supply. See team activities in Napa.

2. Denver, Colorado

Good for: Mountain access with an easy flight. Best months: June to September.

One big airport, then mountain towns within a drive west of the city.
Summer suits hiking days; winter brings ski days and snow on the mountain roads.
Where to stay and meet: Downtown hotels with meeting floors, mountain lodges west of the city, and an evening at Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre in Morrison.
With KraftyLab: A live host brings Feud Night, Team Trivia, Blitz Speed Trivia or Music Bingo to your venue, and painting workshops run here too. See team activities in Denver.

3. Salt Lake City, Utah

Good for: Ski retreats. Best months: January to March.

Visit Salt Lake counts nine ski resorts within an hour's drive of the airport, including Alta, Snowbird, Brighton, Solitude and the Park City resorts.
Summer works too, with mountain trails and cooler canyon air.
Where to stay and meet: Ski lodges with meeting rooms in the canyons and Park City, or downtown hotels close to the airport.
With KraftyLab: An instructor brings a canvas painting or watercolor card workshop to your venue, with every supply. See team activities in Salt Lake City.

4. Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona

Good for: Winter sun and golf. Best months: October to April.

Dry, sunny winters and a deep bench of resorts built for groups.
Summers are very hot, so most retreats land between fall and spring.
Where to stay and meet: Desert golf and spa resorts in Scottsdale, and hotels in downtown Phoenix for city-based groups.
With KraftyLab: A live host brings Feud Night, Team Trivia, Blitz Speed Trivia or Music Bingo to your venue, and painting workshops run here too. See team activities in Phoenix.

5. San Diego, California

Good for: Mild weather in any month. Best months: Year round.

Mild weather most of the year, with the airport a short drive from downtown.
Beach mornings and outdoor dinners fit the agenda without much travel inside the city.
Where to stay and meet: Waterfront hotels on San Diego Bay, and resorts in La Jolla or on Coronado.
With KraftyLab: A live host brings Feud Night, Team Trivia, Blitz Speed Trivia or Music Bingo to your venue, and painting workshops run here too. See team activities in San Diego.

6. Austin, Texas

Good for: Music, food and Hill Country. Best months: October to November, March to May.

Live music most nights, a strong food scene, and Hill Country ranches outside town.
Hotels fill up and prices climb during big festival weeks, such as SXSW in March.
Where to stay and meet: Downtown hotels near Lady Bird Lake, and Hill Country ranches and resorts with event barns.
With KraftyLab: A live host brings Feud Night, Team Trivia, Blitz Speed Trivia or Music Bingo to your venue, and painting workshops run here too. See team activities in Austin.

7. Nashville, Tennessee

Good for: A lively city retreat. Best months: April to May, September to October.

Live music downtown on Broadway gives every evening a plan.
Spring and fall are mild; summers are hot and humid.
Where to stay and meet: Downtown hotels with meeting space, and farms and event barns in the countryside around the city.
With KraftyLab: An instructor brings a canvas painting or watercolor card workshop to your venue, with every supply. See team activities in Nashville.

8. Orlando, Florida

Good for: Big groups and families. Best months: January to April.

Large resort hotels with meeting space, plus theme parks for a free afternoon.
Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, so winter and spring are the safer bet.
Where to stay and meet: Resort hotels near the theme parks and the convention center, with meeting rooms and pools on site.
With KraftyLab: An instructor brings a canvas painting or watercolor card workshop to your venue, with every supply. See team activities in Orlando.

9. Las Vegas, Nevada

Good for: Everything under one roof. Best months: March to May, October to November.

Rooms, meeting space, shows and restaurants all sit inside the big resorts.
Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, 17 miles west of the Strip, makes a good morning hike.
Where to stay and meet: Resort hotels on and off the Strip with full meeting floors, or quieter resorts in the suburbs.
With KraftyLab: An instructor brings a canvas painting or watercolor card workshop to your venue, with every supply. See team activities in Las Vegas.

10. Seattle, Washington

Good for: Water, islands and mountains. Best months: July to September.

Summer is the dry season, with long evenings on the water.
A ferry ride from downtown reaches Bainbridge Island for a day out of the city.
Where to stay and meet: Downtown waterfront hotels, and island or lodge venues a ferry or short drive away.
With KraftyLab: A live host brings Feud Night, Team Trivia, Blitz Speed Trivia or Music Bingo to your venue, and painting workshops run here too. See team activities in Seattle.

11. Chicago, Illinois

Good for: A central spot for national teams. Best months: June to September.

Two major airports, O'Hare and Midway, make it an easy meeting point from both coasts.
Summer on Lake Michigan is the draw; winters are cold.
Where to stay and meet: Downtown hotels with meeting floors, and lake resorts a drive north in Wisconsin, such as around Lake Geneva.
With KraftyLab: A live host brings Feud Night, Team Trivia, Blitz Speed Trivia or Music Bingo to your venue, and painting workshops run here too. See team activities in Chicago.

12. Miami, Florida

Good for: A winter beach retreat. Best months: December to April.

Warm, dry winters, beaches and a big international airport.
June through November is hurricane season, so book winter or early spring.
Where to stay and meet: Beachfront hotels in Miami Beach and resorts on Biscayne Bay.
With KraftyLab: An instructor brings a canvas painting or watercolor card workshop to your venue, with every supply. See team activities in Miami.

Not on the list? Painting workshops run in all 30 cities on our in-person events page, and hosted games in 17 of them.

How to choose a retreat location

Travel time first. Map where everyone lives. The best spot is a nonstop flight or a short drive for most people, and nobody's trip eats a whole day.
Then the full budget per person. Add flights, rooms, meals, ground transport and activities. Rates climb in peak season, so price two date ranges before you pick.
Match the season. Desert and Florida cities shine in winter; mountain and northern cities in summer. Check local event calendars for weeks that fill every hotel.
Fit the venue to the group. Under 20 fits a rental estate or inn; 20 to 150 a resort or hotel with meeting rooms; more than that, a city with large resort hotels.
Fit the place to the goal. Strategy work wants quiet and few distractions. A celebration or a first meet-up for a remote team wants a city with plenty to do at night.

Types of corporate retreat venues

Resort hotel. Rooms, meeting space, food and activities on one site. Easiest for 30 or more people.
Mountain or lake lodge. Quieter, with outdoor time built in. Check how many beds and meeting rooms it really has.
Rented house or estate. Best for small groups. Confirm the rental allows business events and the group size you plan.
City hotel with a meeting floor. Good when flights matter more than scenery, with restaurants and nightlife on foot.
Ranch or farm venue. Space for outdoor sessions and a big shared dinner, often with on-site cabins or lodging nearby.

Corporate retreat planning timeline

6 to 9 months out: Set the goal, the budget per person, the headcount and two possible date ranges. Shortlist three locations.
4 to 6 months out: Tour venues in person or on video, then sign one. Read the room block and cancellation terms before you do.
3 months out: Book activities, catering and ground transport, and send the travel policy.
6 to 8 weeks out: Share the agenda, and collect travel details, roommates and dietary needs.
2 weeks out: Confirm final numbers with the venue, caterer and activity hosts. Write a run of show.
The week after: Send a short survey while it is fresh, and share what the group decided.

What to do once you get there

Plan one shared activity a day that has nothing to do with work. In 17 of these cities, a live host brings Feud Night, Team Trivia, Blitz Speed Trivia or Music Bingo to your venue. In all of them, an instructor can run a canvas painting or watercolor card workshop with every supply, so the team leaves with something they made.

Coworkers paint mountain lake landscapes on small canvases at long wooden tables while an instructor helps one of them

Agendas, session ideas and the full activity list are on our company retreat page. Planning for the leadership team only? See leadership retreat ideas. Teammates who can’t travel can join a virtual team event from home, and a whole-company retreat with several groups fits a multi-event program.

Send us your city, dates and headcount and get a free quote, with a full plan within 24 hours.