Attendees are more eco-conscious than ever, so they’ll enjoy exploring all of Iowa’s green venues. The state, with its focus on agriculture and abundant natural areas, has made great strides in sustainability. From picturesque gardens to nature-focused exhibit halls to living buildings, Iowa’s sustainable meeting spaces let attendees feel good about gathering.
Indian Creek Nature Center
Cedar Rapids
Indian Creek Nature Center is a perfect nature escape; with seven miles of nature trails that weave through 400 acres of restored prairies, woodlands and wetlands, it’s just five miles from downtown Cedar Rapids.
The center’s 12,000-square-foot main facility, built in 2016 and known as Amazing Space, is bright, airy and modern with exposed wood beams and windows that look out on the picturesque property. On one side, the facility opens onto a patio with multiple pergolas and seating areas.
The building is Living Building Challenge Petal-Certified, meaning it met rigorous criteria for sustainable building design and performance, including net-zero energy and water use.
“That certification signals to everyone that this building is one of a kind in Iowa,” said Sarah Botkin, Amazing Space manager. “Our design mirrors the ideals that we try to promote at the nature center, including being champions of nature.”
All Amazing Space rooms are equipped with A/V, and chairs and tables are provided. The largest room, the auditorium, seats 120 at round tables and includes access to a catering kitchen. Other meeting spaces include classrooms and conference rooms and an exhibit hall.
The building’s idyllic setting makes it a favorite.
“We’re in such a beautiful natural area,” Botkin said. “People say that even though we’re just minutes from the city, there’s such a relaxing, peaceful feeling here.”
Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center
Lansing
Nestled on limestone bluffs on the outskirts of Lansing, the Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center is both an educational center and headquarters for the Allamakee County Conservation Board.
The 10,500-square-foot building is bright and inviting, with windows and observation decks that overlook the nearby Mississippi River. Its interactive exhibits explore the Native peoples and natural history of the Driftless Area, a rugged American Midwest region marked by steep hills and deep river valleys. Live animal exhibits display native fish, reptiles and amphibians.
Opened in 2017, the facility dedicates two floors to exhibits. The third is dedicated meeting space for groups of 40 to 50.
Staff can connect planners to local caterers, and a projector is provided for A/V presentations.
While there is a trail near the facility, it isn’t an easy stroll.
“It’s steep, and it’s rough. I like to say it’s the hardest half mile in Iowa,” said conservation board director Ross Geerdes. He suggests attendees may wish to turn instead to the trail system in Lansing, including at Mount Hosmer Park, for more accessible nature walks.
Reaching the center is easy, as it sits 40 miles south of La Crosse, Wisconsin, on the Great River Road, a national scenic byway that runs along the Mississippi River from Minnesota to Louisiana.
allamakeecountyconservation.org/driftless-center
Hotel Millwright
Amana
Historic charm and modern comfort combine at
Hotel Millwright, a 65-room boutique hotel and meeting venue that was originally a 19th-century woolen mill.
A portion of the property continues to be a working textile mill, producing high-quality woolen pieces, including the blankets and sheets used in the hotel guest rooms. Sustainable design principles guided the property’s transformation to hotel and event center, from the use of eco-friendly, methane-powered electricity to landscaping with water-conserving native plants.
The 7,000-square-foot Merino Loft occupies the second floor of the property’s historic weaving building. With room for up to 225 guests, it features exposed brick, hardwood floors and a wall of elongated windows that flood the room with natural light.
“We kept everything we could keep, from the original walls and windows to the original beams,” said Keeley Degel, Hotel Millwright’s director of sales. “There was a really catastrophic fire on the property in 1923, and in some places, you can still see the soot from that fire on the beams.”
Smaller groups can also gather at the more intimate Carding Studio, housed in the former millwright workshop, with space for up to 50 people.
The property includes a full catering service plus the Indigo Room, an on-site restaurant that serves upscale cuisine and house-baked pastries. The Electric Thread, the property’s bar and lounge, encourages downtime socializing at its creekside beer garden patio.
Reiman Gardens
Ames
Part of the Iowa State University campus, Reiman Gardens is known for its 17 acres of botanicals, including elaborate displays of roses and native prairie flowers and plants.
In operation since 1995, the gardens host special events throughout the year, from art workshops and trivia nights to seasonal events like Orchid Fest, Spring Enchantment — timed for the arrival of spring bulbs — and the Halloween-themed Spirits in the Gardens festival.
Groups can meet in its six meeting rooms, including in its largest room, the main Conservatory Complex, where natural stone and wood accents mix with floor-to-ceiling windows that provide unimpeded views of the property.
The 2,400-square-foot Garden Room accommodates up to 250 attendees, while the 1,296-square-foot auditorium can fit up to 100. Renting the 960-square-foot Speer Room, with space for up to 80 people, also includes access to a patio. There are smaller classrooms and conference rooms for groups of 50 or fewer. Outside the main building, the Hunziker House, with a capacity for 80, includes a modern meeting room with stunning garden views.
On-site teams can connect groups to approved caterers, and the facility offers rentals for all A/V needs.
When groups meet on property, admission to Reiman Gardens is free.
“I think groups enjoy that they can walk in the gardens during breaks and just enjoy the beauty that we have here,” said Reiman Gardens private event coordinator Saylor Upah.
Heartwood Pavilion at Hitchcock Nature Center
Honey Creek
The Hitchcock Nature Center, a 1,268-acre prairie and forest preserve, sits near the Missouri Valley within the unique Loess Hills of Iowa, so named for their formation from deposits of loess — fine, windblown soils — at the end of the last ice age.
“Western Iowa is one of only two places in the world that have a Loess Hills landform — the other is in China,” said Jeff Franco, executive director of Pottawattamie County Conservation, which oversees the area.
Located 15 minutes north of Council Bluffs, the nature center’s lodging includes cottages, RV sites and tent camping spots. Its newly opened Heartwood Pavilion sits near the south entrance to the nature center. The open-sided, outdoor, covered meeting area has a concrete floor, a fireplace, electricity, a refrigerator and microwave, and access to restrooms and picnic tables.
The pavilion uses natural edge timbers — which still retain the look of live trees — as its vertical support timbers, while the overhead beams and pavilion siding are also made of timber harvested from the area.
“All the timber was felled at the nature center as part of our ecological restoration process to preserve and support the natural prairie here,” Franco said.
Signage in the building details the pavilion designers’ commitment to construction in harmony with nature and the surrounding landscape.
Nearby, the nature center’s Moonseed Trail, part of its 10-mile trail system, is a two-mile trek perfect for seeing wildflowers in bloom.
