Pythian Castle
Springfield, Missouri
It may be surprising to see the towers of a gray, stone castle rising from the surrounding neighborhoods in Springfield, Missouri, but Pythian Castle is a favorite landmark and event venue among locals.
The Knights of Pythias, a fraternal organization and secret society that was founded in 1864, built the castle in 1913 as an orphanage and retirement home for members’ children and widows. Originally called the Pythian Home of Missouri, the castle also served as the group’s meeting hall until 1942, when the military used it as a facility to help rehabilitate and entertain troops injured in World War II.
Designed to look like a castle, the building’s exterior was constructed with limestone. On the first floor, the 2,400-square-foot ballroom has a lobby for cocktail receptions and an attached buffet room. On the second floor, a theater with a stage and lobby area is also available for presentations, ceremonies and events, including the castle’s murder-mystery dinners. The castle offers private murder-mystery dinners for groups up to 180 people.
Other function spaces include the Tower Room, the highest room in the building, and the West Wing, which can accommodate events for up to 25 people. The castle also offers lunch and dinner options for corporate gatherings. Groups can tour the castle during a regularly scheduled public tour, a history tour or a nighttime ghost tour.
Falls of the Ohio State Park
Clarksville, Indiana
Stretching along the north shore of the Ohio River in Clarksville, Indiana, just across the river from Louisville, Kentucky, Falls of the Ohio State Park is one of the few places in the world where visitors can walk over hundreds of acres of 390 million-year-old, naturally exposed Devonian fossil beds.
The park’s Interpretive Center reopened in January 2016 after being closed for a year for renovations. The $6 million update installed new hands-on exhibits that were designed around four themes that tie into the fossil beds: An Ancient Sea, A Changing Land, Converging Cultures and The Falls Today.
Visitors can walk through a Devonian sea, hear the story of Lewis and Clark’s journey from the Falls of the Ohio to the Pacific Ocean and listen to a recording of the Shawnee language. The project also renovated the Lewis and Clark Theater to improve accessibility and replaced the center’s roof.
Groups can reserve a variety of spaces, including the River Room, which has glass-window walls overlooking the river and can seat 20 at tables; the library, which can accommodate up to 30 people at tables; and a classroom. The entire interpretive center is also available after hours.
While there, visitors can explore the fossil beds, either on their own or with a guide. August through November is usually the best time to visit because low river levels expose most of the 220 acres of fossil beds.
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Every presidential library and museum in the country is housed under one roof in one facility, except one: the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum. President Ford wanted the museum to be in his hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan, but he wanted his documents, archives and academia to be in Ann Arbor, where he went to the University of Michigan, said Kate Murray, special events coordinator for the library.
The main event space at the library is the lobby, where groups of up to 120 can gather for seated dinners, or as many as 250 guests can mingle during standing receptions. The 1,700-square-foot auditorium has a stage and audiovisual equipment and can seat 200 people for lectures, symposiums and other presentations. The library’s classroom can accommodate up to 40 people or can be divided into two smaller rooms.
Groups most often have a lecture or a symposium in the auditorium, followed by a reception or a dinner in the lobby, Murray said.
In the lobby, guests can explore a variety of exhibits, such as the Betty Ford corner dedicated to the former first lady or the Wolverine corner, which highlights President Ford’s time at the University of Michigan. One exhibit goes over the timeline of his life, including how he went by his birth name, Leslie Lynch King Jr., before his mother married his stepfather.
