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The Group Travel Leader Going on Faith Select Traveler

Carbondale: A Southern Illinois Sweetspot (Sponsored)

Where else can you host corporate gatherings in an elegant ballroom, meet with business partners in a quiet private lounge, or collaborate during breakout sessions at a sophisticated economic development center, all on the site of an accredited research university?

Only Carbondale offers a vast variety of meeting spaces. Meet on Southern Illinois University’s beautiful campus with over 5,000 sq. ft. of ballrooms, multiple small meeting spaces, sports complexes, and auditoriums, complete with onsite dining. Known to locals as “The Strip,” downtown Carbondale houses The Civic Center, with meeting and banquet space totaling 8,200 sq. ft. As one of only a few “Gigabit Cities” in the US, your meetings will have the fastest Wi-Fi connection around. Pine Manor B&B, a beautifully re-stored historic mansion, features nine rooms and three guesthouses, a wine cave, theatre room, chef’s kitchen, swimming pool, and billiards. Hickory Ridge Golf Course is also nearby. Walker’s Bluff Vineyard has an onsite high-end General Store with gas station, sprawling vineyard, Wine Cave, onsite restaurant, and Tasting Room.

If you are looking for a location for a staff retreat or team building venue, Touch of Nature Environmental Center has you covered. Nestled away in a peaceful wooded area are banquet and meeting rooms, outdoor amphitheaters, and camp style cabins. Garden Grove Event Center features banquet rooms, onsite dining, a “man cave,” and a gym attached for team building exercises or a play-area for children.

Whether you’re traveling by air, train, bus or car, Carbondale is just a short trip away! Located just 15 miles west of Interstate 57, you can easily access Carbondale from any major city. While many arrive via Amtrak, there are also daily shuttle flights to and from St. Louis via the Williamson County Airport, 15 minutes east of Carbondale.

Beyond your time spent doing business, Carbondale allows you the chance to relax and unwind at the end of each day. Local shopping, wineries, and eateries can fill your free time and make your business trip feel like a trip away from business. With forty independently owned wineries and vineyards and 280,000 acres of the Shawnee National Forest, your stay in Carbondale is sure to leave you with much more than the notes jotted down at your breakout session.

Contact our Carbondale Tourism’s Sales and Administrative Coordinator, Jordan Wren at 618-529-4451 or Jordan@carbondaletourism.org to book your next meeting or conference.