Mount Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park
Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
It’s one of the most iconic landmarks in South Carolina: The Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge.
The striking bridge, with its elegantly splayed-out cables, spans the Cooper River, connecting downtown Charleston on the west to the town of Mount Pleasant on the east. At the east base of the bridge sits the Mount Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park, which touts its “$14 million view” and a variety of event spaces.
Inside the Mount Pleasant Visitor Center, the Cooper River Room is nearly 1,840 square feet and can seat up to 150 guests for banquets. The space boasts a seven-foot-high gas fireplace, hand-forged iron chandeliers and sconces, murals depicting low country life and an attached catering kitchen. Groups can also put up tents on the adjacent Crescent Lawn using the existing tent stakes.
A short path leads visitors through a garden courtyard to Sweetgrass Pavilion, a room that accommodates 50 guests and has sliding barn doors that open to a covered porch with ceiling fans and rocking chairs. The pavilion also has a large adjacent paved patio area.
Because the center is located at the park, guests can sit on the large public lawn or stroll to the end of the 1,250-foot-long pedestrian pier that runs parallel to the bridge. Attendees can enjoy soft-serve ice cream from the River Watch Café or sit on bench swings to watch the sun set beneath the bridge over downtown Charleston.
Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center
Norfolk, Virginia
The Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center sits on the Elizabeth River waterfront in downtown Norfolk, part of a complex that includes Nauticus, a maritime-themed museum and science center, and the permanently docked Battleship Wisconsin, one of the largest and last battleships the U.S. Navy ever built.
The waterfront location and the neighboring attractions make the Half Moone center a popular venue for meetings and receptions. In the center, the 4,200-square-foot Grand Rotunda is a circular space with a soaring, curving wall of windows that floods the room with water views, and the adjacent 3,400-square-foot Promenade Deck also overlooks the river. With 13,500 square feet, the Vista is the largest space where guests can watch the sun set over the river. Attendees can also take in sunsets or views of the downtown skyline on the 9,600-square-foot Lido Deck. The center also has two smaller conference rooms: The Virginia Room can seat about 70, and the Bermuda Room can seat up to 40.
At Nauticus, groups can explore a variety of maritime science exhibits to learn about sea life, marine sanctuaries and maritime commerce. Visitors can experience hurricane-force winds in the hurricane simulator, touch horseshoe crabs in a replica tide pool or learn about the ships sailing past Nauticus at that moment.
At the Battleship Wisconsin, which launched December 7, 1943, a variety of guided tours take groups through the ship’s main areas or previously sealed-off portions, such as the captain’s and admiral’s cabins, the flag bridge, the navigation bridge and the combat engagement center. During the Life in the Engine Room guided tour, visitors go seven decks down into the belly of the battleship to learn how the massive ship was powered.
Tampa Bay History Center
Tampa, Florida
The Tampa Bay History Center in Tampa, Florida, is in the heart of the city’s downtown Channel District, so “no matter what space you’re in, you’re never too far from the water,” said director of marketing Manny Leto.
And in the bustling waterfront district, you’re never too far from restaurants, bars and attractions, including the Florida Aquarium, Amalie Arena, the Tampa Convention Center, the Port of Tampa and the American Victory Ship museum. An Embassy Suites and a Marriott are among a few hotels within walking distance.
Inside, the south wall of the 2,700-square-foot TECO Hall is essentially “a picture window” that overlooks the waterfront and river walk. Lykes Atrium offers another 2,500 square feet of event space, and a 1,500-square-foot terrace on the second floor overlooks the channel and Harbor Island. The center recently added a louvered cover on the terrace so it can be open to the sun or closed from the rain.
Reserving the history center for an event also includes admission to its galleries, so attendees can explore the museum and learn about the area’s native people, European explorers and the city’s cigar industry history. Groups can also arrange docent-led tours.
The center is launching an 8,500-square-foot expansion, slated to be complete this fall, that will include a new gallery with an exhibit about conquistadors, pirates and shipwrecks; a new map library and cartographic education center; and another small event space. The “crow’s nest” room will overlook Port Tampa Bay, giving a “really unique vantage point” for retreats or meetings for groups of up to 50 people, Leto said.
