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The Group Travel Leader Going on Faith Select Traveler

Elegance and Atmosphere at Historic Estates

Dunsmuir-Hellman Estate

Oakland, California

Listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Sites, the Dunsmuir-Hellman Estate is one of the premier venues in Oakland, California, providing a serene, cinematic backdrop for every group event. The 37-room Neoclassical Revival mansion was originally built as a wedding gift from Alexander Dunsmuir, the son of a wealthy coal baron in British Columbia, to his young bride in 1899. The property later fell into the hands of a San Francisco-based banker named I.W. Hellman Jr. Under the ownership of the Hellman family, the estate was extensively developed, adding a swimming pool behind the mansion and the charming Dinkelspiel House across from the North Pond. During the 1960s, the city of Oakland purchased the home and opened it to the public as an upscale conference space.

Since then, the Dunsmuir-Hellman Estate has been featured in various movies and television shows over the years, including the Clint Eastwood film “True Crime” and the James Bond installment “A View to Kill.”

With over 50 acres of scenic landscape and historic structures, the estate has numerous venue options available. Inside the mansion itself, planners can organize an intimate corporate dinner or high tea for up to 50 attendees. On a wooded hillside overlooking the South Pond, the Garden Pavilion features red-oak wall paneling, exposed ceiling beams and a spacious outdoor terrace. The facility can entertain more than 250 guests for receptions, seminars and other social events.

Nearby, the Dinkelspiel Cottage offers a cozy retreat for groups of 50 or fewer, and the historic Carriage House provides a grand, vintage setting with mahogany-paneled walls and adjoining rooms that can host up to 50 guests.

www.dunsmuir-hellman.com

Mitchell House

Lebanon, Tennessee

Just 30 minutes from downtown Nashville and 20 minutes from the Nashville International Airport, the Mitchell House is a beautiful Neoclassical Revival home in the outlying town of Lebanon, Tennessee.

The house was built during the early 1900 by a young businessman named David Mitchell who ran a successful mining company and later became the president of Cumberland University at the age of 26, making him the youngest university president in the nation. After the untimely death of his wife, Mitchell sold the property and moved out of Tennessee. Though the house felt into serious disrepair for a number of years, it was lovingly restored during the late 1990s and is now considered one of the state’s most prized historic homes and event venues.

The Mitchell House can host up to 150 guests inside, with additional space on the exterior grounds for parties of 500 or fewer. Guests will feel like royalty as they make their way down the grand driveway entrance to the home and leave their vehicles with valet parking services. The interior of the home features beautiful wood-paneled walls, exposed beam ceilings, golden chandeliers and expansive windows that offer a pleasant spread of natural light.

Many groups set up receptions outside in a charming circular courtyard area with a white pergola wrapped around the rim that connects to a lovely garden and fountain.

www.mitchellhouse.org

House of the Seven Gables

Salem, Massachusetts

Drawing upon more than 300 years of history, the House of the Seven Gables was built in 1668 for Capt. John Turner I, the head of a prosperous maritime family in Salem, Massachusetts. His son later modified the Jacobean home with high-style Georgian paneling, which today remains one of the finest specimens of this architectural feature.

Nearly two centuries later, esteemed author Nathaniel Hawthorne grew up in Salem not far from the historic house and was heavily influenced by the vivid lore surrounding early Salem, as well as other New England towns. Later in life, he immortalized the site in his famed Gothic novel “The House of the Seven Gables,” which follows the fictional tale of a New England family with a dark past. 

Today, groups can learn about the estate’s rich background as they explore the beautiful mansion and adjacent historic structures. Entry onto the property includes a 40-minute guided tour of the main house, a visit to Hawthorne’s birthplace, a stroll through the Colonial Revival seaside gardens and group activities at the old Counting House.

The Seaside Lawn can host up to 300 guests for cocktail or lecture-style events. Indoors, the Hooper-Hathaway House accommodates parties of 50 or fewer; the Plumsock and Holyoke Rooms can entertain up to 75 dinner guests with a dance floor or up to 100 guests lecture style.

www.7gables.org