Located three hours west of downtown Chicago in Galena, Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa features roughly 15,000 square feet of newly renovated meeting and event space.The 53,000-square-foot Eagle ballroom, outfitted with its own outdoor deck, can host events for as many as 600, while the smaller Galena ballroom can hold as many as 378. A selection of outdoor event spaces, available from April through October, includes a tented patio overlooking Lake Galena. Inside, the property offers 14 meeting rooms.
Onsite catering and banquet staff can prepare everything from breakfast to multi-course dinners and bar service; thematic meeting-break snacks are also on offer. The "Movie Time" package, for example, comprises stations devoted to nachos, caramel popcorn, chocolate-covered raisins, and Milk Duds. The resort's three restaurants include Paisanos pizza and Woodland Lounge, which features local produce and a 90-bottle wine list.
Group recreation activities range from customized golf tournaments on the resort's 63-hole course to campfire-side s'mores making, horseback riding, hay rides, and sunrise and sunset hot air balloon rides. An array of 30-minute "Ice Breakers/ Energizers," suited for meeting breaks, include a mini murder mystery and a photo scavenger hunt.
Guests can opt to stay at the resort's spa-equipped inn, where each room offers wireless, high-speed Internet access, or in the C.E.O.-appropriate Distinctive Homes, freestanding structures with four to eight bedrooms. The property's two- and three-bedroom town homes are also available for rental.
