dozens of hands on, interactive exhibits will make this a rare treat for meeting planners seeking to take their events to new heights.”
Additionally, Lehman suggests checking out: the Brandywine Battlefield; IceWorks Skating Complex; Historic Rose Tree Park; Chaddsford Winery; and Penns Woods Winery. The battlefield is a famous historic site and is ideal for corporate picnics, retreat activities and re-enactments.
“The value of teamwork, preparedness and setting high goals fits in well with this beautiful, natural environment,” she notes.
IceWorks Skating Complex has long histo- ry of producing winners. This facility focuses on both figure skating and ice hockey, with four professional rinks plus party rooms on site. It has a stellar repu- tation as a figure skating training center for Olympians (such as Elvis Stojko), young hopefuls, and medal winning coaches. Each year it hosts hundreds of ice hockey tournaments and more than five-million hockey players and family members from all around the world.
Historic Rose Tree Park offers a state-of- the-art outdoor amphitheater with lawn (and lawn chair) seating for up to 3,000.
The park property has an amazing history, with buildings that were once home to a Hunt Club that featured Steeple Chasing and Fox hunting, as well as another that had once been used as a stagecoach stop and Colonial era tavern. There is plenty of room here for putting up tents, team build- ing, picnicking, festival booths and more.
“If an event requires a stunning stage with professional lighting and sound, rest- rooms, free on site parking and handicap accessibility - this is the right place,” declares Lehman.
Chaddsford Winery and Penns Woods Winery offer idyllic country settings. There are wine cellars to explore, plus an option for outdoor concerts and organi- zational programs. Both have interesting historic roots and the ability to host wine parties, tastings, tours and tented events. “There’s more,” Lehman notes. “Some of
20 November December 2013
Media’s vintage theaters are popular meeting venues. Sweetwater Farm Bed and Breakfast, Colonial Pennsylvania Plantation in Ridley Creek State Park, Chanticleer Gardens and Estate, Longwood Gardens and Tyler Arboretum are all rich in history, too.”
Sweetwater is a 50-acre historic Quaker farmhouse estate dating back to 1734. Among its highlights are 14 guest rooms, a Georgian wing, original carriage house, greenhouse and a caretaker’s cottage. Its circa-1750s renovated bank barn is ideal for corporate meetings, team bonding, cocktail receptions and other events.
Chanticleer Gardens and Estate, located along the Main Line, is named for the first train service into Philadelphia’s western suburbs. It is the site of one of North America’s Top 22 Secret Gardens, as selected by National Geographic Traveler magazine. Attendees love this 35-acre Pleasure Garden with its courtyards of tropical, perennials, vegetable gardens and woodlands, plus a Water Garden and a Ruin Garden. Open April through October, it provides an ideal setting for small breakout sessions, brainstorming, or simply meditating on a meeting’s theme.
Anyone hoping to orchestrate an event amid history and nature will want to con- sider
even if they don’t visit any of its amazing sites and landmarks. “Our region repre- sents a museum without walls. Simply walk through our towns and you truly absorb history.”
However, if you really want to create an unforgettable meeting experience, the prospects are bountiful.
“Meandering through our streets is a his- tory lesson in itself,” stresses Steckman. “Brick-lined, they were created centuries ago according to a Baroque European plan. There are little alleyways and short- cuts to unveil. In addition, we have more 18th century brick buildings in Annapolis than in any other city in the United States. They are all color coded and marked with plaques to designate architectural peri- ods - such as Victorian and Georgian Italianate. Everything is so reminiscent of a glorious past.”
the Colonial Pennsylvania
Plantation. Groups can get a taste of 18th century farm life through a number of team building and outreach activities. Living History hands-on workshops not only educate but inspire, as well. There are stocked trout streams, horse trails, hik- ing and biking paths, and winter sports.
Both Longwood Gardens and Tyler Arboretum offer exceptional landscapes for special events that bring history and horticulture together. “I can’t think of bet- ter places to motivate sales growth,” asserts Lehman.
The final destination in our metaphoric WABAC machine is found in Maryland. Susan Steckman, vice president of com- munications for the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Conference and Visitors Bureau, reports that people feel like they touch history just by being in this area -
Next, Steckman discloses a secret that will titillate ghost story enthusiasts. “When you stay at Historic Reynolds Tavern, you will be cared for by its innkeepers, and per- haps even by Mary Reynolds herself. Mary maintained the tavern until her death in 1785, yet some believe she never left the building. Employees have heard her sing Christmas carols, experienced her fixing the grandfather clock in the din- ing room, and watched as she showed dis- like of new employees by breaking tea pots and glasses. The Maryland Ghost and Spirit Association confirmed her presence with photographs and temperature read- ings, proclaiming Mary is not alone. In all, they identified a total of five spirits in the tavern,” adds Steckman.
Jo Ellen McNees, Annapolis and Anne Arundel County CVB vice president of sales, provides some additional ideas. “There is a new E-Cruiser tour called Urban Adventures that takes folks right up to the doors of historic churches and State Houses. They whiz up and down alleys and tiny back streets, places that buses or cars could never reach. Some of these sites are: Middleton’s Tavern; the Naval Academy; St. John’s College; the William Paca House; and the Charles Carroll House. Paca and Carroll were two of the four Maryland residents who signed
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