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The Group Travel Leader Going on Faith Select Traveler

Only in Iowa

When groups meet at Starr’s Cave Nature Center just outside Burlington, Iowa, “they love it because they’re not in the office,” said Kent Rector, environmental education coordinator for Des Moines County Conservation.

That’s the appeal of venues that get groups out from under fluorescent lights and into nature, away from conference centers and into historic settings. In Iowa, groups can eat, meet and sleep in the only Frank Lloyd Wright-designed hotel still operating in the world, explore trails at Indian Creek Nature Center, make their own works of art at Octagon Center for the Arts and launch a boat from the dock at Waterloo Boat House.

Starr’s Cave Nature Center

Burlington

Starr’s Cave Nature Center offers meeting attendees 200 acres of natural beauty and scenic views, all just minutes from city conveniences.

“You can go out and hike and get away from the normal office atmosphere,” Rector said.

The nature center is housed in an 1800s red dairy barn at the 200-acre Starr’s Cave Park and Preserve. The three-level center recently redid all the flooring, lighting and restrooms, and the second phase, slated to start next winter, will open up and redo the main exhibit hall, and will include new finishes and new exhibits.

The third floor is the center’s main conference space and can hold about 80 to 100 people, depending on the setup. During breaks, attendees can explore interactive exhibits, among them a large beaver pond that illustrates Iowa animal habitats.

Planners can also arrange for a naturalist to lead educational programs, and groups can hike on two miles of maintained trails that wind though forested areas of old oak, hickory and maple trees; over the Flint Creek bridge; and to the Starr’s Cave entrance. The cave is currently closed, however, to prevent the spread of white-nose syndrome among bats.

www.dmcounty.com

Octagon Center for the Arts

Ames

Mingling among artwork hung on white walls or meeting among sculptures poised on hardwood floors infuses events with “a little more cultural ambiance,” said Heather Johnson, executive director of the Octagon Center for the Arts in downtown Ames, Iowa.

The center’s main gallery features rotating exhibits throughout the year as well as a stage and a baby grand piano. The space can accommodate up to 120 guests for seated meals or 175 for receptions. The recently renovated Octagon Community Gallery on the ground level has large windows that let in natural light and views of the bustling street. Groups can have seated meals there for 40 people or receptions for 65. The center also has a dance studio that can hold up to 75 people and a small boardroom for a 15-person meeting.

But Octagon’s biggest appeal is its main mission: art education. Planners can incorporate classes, workshops and symposiums into their events. Whether it’s a business retreat or a social outing, “we make it something that’s fun for everyone,” Johnson said.

In the past, groups have done hands-on painting or created vision boards to tie in with the meeting’s theme. Other popular options are a mosaics class, during which visitors use broken pieces of glass, mirror and tile to create a patterned mosaic piece, and an encaustic class, where students learn to paint with wax.

www.octagonarts.org