Unique Workshops and Activities for Groups in Arlington

Open to Being

Open to Being, a letterpress studio and store, offers classes and workshops in their Arlington space. In addition to their free drop-in open studio sessions every 2nd Saturday from noon to 3:00 p.m., Open to Being offers private workshops for small groups of up to 15 people. Workshops can be customized for your group's interests and skill level and are intended to provide a creative, mindful outlet for adults and seniors.

PLNTR

National Landing's newest Plant Boutique, PLNTR, offers classes and workshops in their shop, offsite or virtually! Whether you’re booking for the office holiday party or the bride to be, PLNTR has you covered with options like cut flower arranging classes, terrarium workshops, and more. Reach out to them directly for more information about group size limits, etc.

Rough Seas Productions

Rough Seas Productions specializes in crafting meaningful, herbal-inspired gatherings. Whether you're planning a birthday celebration, bridal shower, corporate wellness event, or just a creative afternoon with friends, they offer a variety of private event experiences designed to delight and inspire like tea tastings, herbal tea making classes, tea blending 101 workshops, and more. Reach out to them directly for more information about group size limits, class locations, etc.

Cookology

Groups can flex their cooking skills at Cookology, a hands-on venue in Ballston Quarter. Cookology’s Arlington location, with six kitchens and 5,600 square feet, is able to accommodate up to 350 participants. Take your group though a course on pairing food and wine or set up a team-based cooking competition when teams face off to create the best dish with a mystery ingredient.

Lebanese Taverna

For smaller groups, Arlington’s homegrown favorite, Lebanese Taverna, gets you involved in cooking Middle Eastern cuisine at its Lebanese Taverna Market location on Langston Boulevard. Learn about Lebanese food, nibble on tasty treats and sip wine as you learn the Abi-Najm family’s cooking secrets. A sample menu might include lentil soup, Lebanese rice, stuffed baby eggplant and um ali, a Lebanese-style bread pudding. A maximum of 20 people can attend demonstration-only classes or 14 for hands-on classes. Participants also get a 15 percent discount at the market, which offers plenty of ingredients so you can recreate your culinary masterpieces at home.

Sur La Table

Sur La Table at Westpost at National Landing offers group classes in fundamentals like knife skills, bake shop basics and specialties like “Secrets of Summer Paella” or “Street Food: Vietnam.” Classes can seat up to 16 people, with a minimum of 10 people. The small groups create delicious, multi-course meals, and then everyone sits down to eat and enjoy the fruits of their labor.

The Commentary Social House

Located at The Westin Arlington Gateway, The Commentary Social House offers monthly cocktail and pizza making classes for the public inside of their restaurant, as well as private cooking classes that can accommodate groups of 15 or more. Step into their state-of-the-art kitchen for an immersive culinary experience that combines expert instruction with hands-on practice. Private cooking classes can be tailored to your group's needs, interests, and skills.

5 Wits

5 Wits is more than an escape room experience, it's an adventure! The adventures, which each take about 30 minutes, may include total darkness, optional crawling, loud noises, flashing lights, theatric smoke and special effects. The interactive entertainment games feature puzzles and challenges, but the ending of each storyline changes depending on group decisions during the adventure. A narrator provides clues. 5 Wits in Ballston Quarter can accommodate groups as large as a few hundred people. The venue has four party rooms with tables and chairs for groups ranging from 25 to 70.

Escape Room Arlington

At Escape Room Arlington off Columbia Pike, visitors can expect a unique experience that truly "wows." Guests are on their own to find clues that range from musical snippets to puzzles and pictures, while proceedings are observed in a control room in case assistance is needed. The rooms include “Secret in the Attic," which places visitors in Grandma's house, where the attic has tales of its own; “The Mind Trap," where guests are trapped in their own version of "Clue;" and "Supervillains," which lets you battle the denizens of darkness before it's too late. Escape Room Arlington can accommodate groups of up to 50 people, with each game room holding up to 12 players.

Bond's Escape Room

Bond’s Escape Room is located on The Crossing Clarendon's upper level and offers six game rooms. Business coaches with training in organizational psychology guide groups through the experience and provide after-action assessments. The escape rooms include a variety of themes ranging from “Saddlewood Saloon" and "Elven Forest" to “Sleepover Slaughterhouse.” Each room is uniquely and ornately decorated to showcase the theme with clues places strategically throughout. Teams can compete with each other for the quickest solves. Bond’s will accommodate groups of up to 78 people, with about 50 people playing in the various game rooms simultaneously. There's also a meeting space where groups can gather to coordinate strategy or celebrate their successful escapes.

Immersive Gamebox

Take team building to a new level with Immersive Gamebox. Also located in Ballston Quarter, this digital interactive escape room features projection mapping, touch screens, motion tracking and surround sound, all designed to help you enjoy a hyper-immersive gaming experience. Immersive Gamebox offers a variety of 30 to 60-minute games for a minimum of two players and a maximum of six. Playing is as simple as entering the interactive digital room, donning a colorful motion-tracking visor, and waiting for instructions. Their games range in theme and difficulty, with everything from classic arcade-style games to collaborative adventures with more intricate storylines.

Lucky Strike

With 32 bowling lanes, a large arcade, a full sports bar, and delicious food options, Lucky Strike in Crystal City is a great option for large groups looking to spend an evening together.

Punch Bowl Social

Punch Bowl Social in Ballston Quarter is another local favorite that stays open late and offers signature cocktails, delicious small bites, bowling, karaoke, dartsee, arcade games, and more.