Honolulu, Hawaii
Looking to get beyond the typical luau? Hawaii is never a hard sell, but it can be a challenge to find the authentic heritage experiences among all the luxury hotels and beach culture. So the Hawaii Visitor and Convention Bureau has put together a slate of activities and unusual event venues to mix business with Hawaiian culture.
Up in the hills and away from the throngs of sarongs, the Manoa Heritage Center offers groups both meeting space and the opportunity to tour ancient ceremonial grounds and learn about traditional Hawaiian plants before enjoying a Hawaiian lunch complemented by fresh poi made by the group during a poi-pounding class. The CVB can also arrange for a gyotaku, or fish-painting artisan, to come and do a workshop with your group that will culminate in their own hand-pressed Hawaiian fish shirts.
Right in the middle of downtown, meeting groups can experience life like Hawaii royalty at two homes of the last Hawaiian monarch, Queen Liliuokalani. Private tours are available of Washington Place, which became the gubernatorial mansion following the residence of Queen Liliuokalani, and groups can end their day with a reception and a meal at Iolani Palace, the residence of the Kamehameha Dynasty.
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
For meeting groups, a trip to Pennsylvania Dutch country can offer a combination of enjoyable cultural exploration and the opportunity to bring back valuable skills for business and community building.
Three venues offer interpretive museum and living-history experiences: the 1805 Amish Farm and House, 1840’s Amish Village, and Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum. Landis Valley Village explores the history of the Pennsylvania Dutch from the 1740s to the 1940s through more than 20 historic buildings exploring traditional Amish trades, cooking and village life, including local fraktur calligraphy.
For a look at how Lancaster County’s Amish live today, Brunswick Tours and All-In-One Tours can bring groups for half- or whole-day excursions to Amish homes to have casual conversations about the Amish lifestyle and enjoy meals with families.
Groups can carry the historic vibe through their entire meeting in downtown Lancaster, where the convention center hotel, the Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square, includes a facade from the town’s 1800s department store and holds an entire 1804 federal-style building in its lobby.
