A scavenger hunt team adventure in SF

Are you planning a team outing in San Francisco? Explore the Dogpatch neighborhood! It's accessible from all around the Bay, it's sunny, it's full of art and industrial history.

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Fun fact: Dogpatch is among the 40 coolest neighborhoods in the world, according to TimeOut.

Another fun fact: It's the sunniest and the least windy neighborhood in San Francisco, making it perfect for outdoor outings.

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The Wildtype team

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This February, we organized an annual company outing for Wildtype, a 110-person-strong biotech company dedicated to building a better food system. As an outsider, I immediately noticed Wildtype’s vibrant culture. Wildtype works primarily in person. For their annual celebration, Wildtype partnered with Spaciously.

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For this outing, we chose to stay in Wildtype's neighborhood (Dogpatch) and do a local scavenger hunt for two reasons:

Learning more about Dogpatch would make the team feel at home in the neighborhood
The team wouldn't have to change their daily routine: they are already used to commuting to Dogpatch, and if an urgent meeting comes up, they can take it at the office without missing the event

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The itinerary

12 - 1 p.m. - Picnic at Crane Cove Park
1 - 3 p.m. - Dogpatch Art and History Scavenger Hunt
3 - 5 p.m. - Bites, drinks and awards

Picnic at Crane Cove Park

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Crane Cove Park is a fantastic picnic spot. It's also the only picnic spot in San Francisco that stays sunny from mid-March to October—thanks to the nearby Potrero Hill, which protects Dogpatch from annoying things like wind and fog. There are picnic tables for 30 people and additional benches for 50. So even if your group is large, you'll be comfortable.

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The picnic area isn't reservable so you need to come early to save some tables. You don't have to get a permit for a large group as long as you aren't using any sound amplifiers.

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What to bring

food
water
cups, utensils, napkins
large compostable/trash bags (according to the park's employees, you can leave your trash bags next to the park's trash containers)
sunscreen (a lot of it)

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Scavenger hunt

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As we prepared for the day, we realized that we'd have to organize not one but two events because half of Wildtype employees had something else going on that morning. Half of the employees gathered at Crane Cove and went on a long scavenger hunt, while the other half gathered later at HQ and did a "half-hunt."

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Dogpatch is perfect for scavenger hunts—because of its industrial history and its vibrant art scene. We collaborated with a dozen local businesses to make this adventure happen. Some of out favorite stops:

Solving puzzles at the Dogpatch Games, who opened earlier that day for us ❤️
Interpreting art at the Dogpatch Community Hub and the Minnesota Street Project
Imagining the future at the local public spaces

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Bites and drinks at STEM

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One of the awards we gave away was "The most steps," and the winning team counted more than 7,000. So at the end of this very healthy scavenger adventure, the crew was famished. When we looked for a restaurant to host us for drink and bites, we needed a place that:

serves fresh foods
has great service (I came an hour early, and their team was completely relaxed because they had everything under control)
can hold 100+ people
is great at communication
wouldn't charge a prohibitive minimum

STEM Kitchen and Garden was the perfect place for this group. We reserved the entire restaurant (which was great because we filled the space) and even hosted a company award ceremony. Before it got chilly, the team enjoyed the outside garden and played some bocce ball.

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The budget

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Do you want your team to have an amazing day out? Book a San Francisco Scavenger Hunt separately or drop us a note and book this itinerary as a package starting at $160 per person.

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The package includes:

locally sourced sandwiches and salad delivered to Crane Cove Park
our Dogpatch art and history scavenger hunt
bites + drinks at a highly-rated local restaurant (we'll pick one that works best for your team size)

Tight budget? We’ll help you create another itinerary on a budget. Email us at hello@spaciously.io

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Feeling more artsy? More outdoorsy?

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Check out our top 25 activities in San Francisco. Email us at hello@spaciously.io if you want to create a team event based on these activities.

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Things to do on your own

Drinks at The Dogpatch Saloon
Live music and beer at The Ramp
Walk along the water from Crane Cove Park to the Giants stadium
Visit the Museum of Craft and Design, the Minnesota Street Project, and the Institute of Contemporary Art
Catch the golden hour at the Mission Rock Resort
Check out the food trucks at Spark Social

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Driving and parking

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Street parking in Dogpatch is free but limited to a few hours. These limits are heavily enforced. Use paid street parking and watch parking limitations closely.

Flying in

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San Francisco International Airport is a 15-minute ride away.

Why we recommend this itinerary for a San Francisco offsite

Dogpatch is easy to get to from San Francisco downtown (take the T-line), from South Bay and the Peninsula (take the 280 or 101 if you're driving or take Caltrain to the 22nd Street Station), and from East Bay (take the 80 if you're driving or take BART + the T-line).
Dogpatch is walkable: people can join and leave at different times
Budget-friendly and can be modified
All activities are branded to your company
Lots of activities to enjoy on your own
Easy-to-get plane tickets and close to the airport

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A scavenger hunt team adventure in SF

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