In the northwest corner of Ohio on Interstate 75, Lima is thriving with new development and a vibrant small-town scene.
Known for its Kewpee hamburgers and Shea locomotives, the town of 40,000 is a center for entertainment and events that attracts regional and national conferences.
Downtown, the Veterans Memorial Civic and Convention Center is Lima’s primary meeting venue with a 14,500-square-foot exhibit hall and 10 meeting rooms. Skywalks link it with a 100-room Wingate Inn and a new city parking garage.
The convention complex features Crouse Performance Hall, a 1,767-seat proscenium theater with the region’s largest movie screen.
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| Races at the Lima Land Motor Sports Park are a popular diversion. |
Also under the center’s umbrella is Allen County Memorial Hall, built in 1908 and one block from the convention center. The hall is under renovation and its beaux-arts grand lobby and horseshoe-shaped auditorium will be available for meetings and events.
Next door to the center, a historic building was renovated earlier this year to create office space on the lower floors — the convention bureau is housed there — and a meeting space dubbed the City Club on the third floor.
“The atmosphere of the City Club reflects the original 1885 architecture with restored stained-glass windows and decorative woodwork,” said Sharree Brenneman-Reehling, the CVB’s director of conventions and meetings sales.
The City Club can be used in conjunction with events at the convention center or for stand-alone events for up to 230 guests.
Three hotels have opened in Lima since last fall: a Courtyard by Marriott near the interstate, a Microtel Inn in Delphos and the full-service Holiday Inn and Suites, with 116 rooms, near the interstate.
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| City Club is a new venue in a 1885 downtown building that is near the other convention facilities. |
The new Children’s Discovery Center will add to the Allen County Museum’s popularity as an off-site venue. Also popular for off-site events are the Old Barn Out Back restaurant, for groups of up to 450 who love country cooking, and Tilton Farm, a few miles out of town, with Civil War artifacts and a herd of buffalo.
When the National Trappers Association came to Lima earlier this year, the group used the Allen County Fairgrounds. Brenneman-Reehling helped set up area tours and arranged a candle- and soap-making demonstration.
For the past 25 years, the CVB has arranged two-day spouse tours for the annual Auto Technology Seminar at the University of Northwestern Ohio. This year, spouses were treated to spa days at the Ohio State Beauty Academy before joining their spouses at the Lima Land Motor Sports Park for the races.
Lima/Allen County Convention
and Visitors Bureau
(888) 222-6075
www.lima-allencvb.com
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