This is America; and in America, we like bars. We invented the cocktail. Our founding fathers liked a good beer after a day of plotting revolution. Our cowboys settled their differences with a bar fight or with a shootout in front of the town saloon. So it follows that a group looking for a relaxed yet meaningful venue should consider taverns and bars where our country's colorful history was made.
Fraunces Tavern in New York City offers up a taste of revolutionary history, along with New England fare and foamy pints of ale. In 1762 an innkeeper named Samuel Fraunces bought the three-story property on one of Manhattan's first landfills. He opened a tavern, which soon attracted a local revolutionary by the name of George Washington. It was here, in 1783, that Washington delivered an emotional farewell address to his officers after winning the war for independence. His resignation as commander-in-chief secured the democratic future of the United States.
In 2004221 years after General Washington's historic speechanother general, Secretary of State Colin Powell, welcomed the G-8 Ministerial Working Dinner to Fraunces Tavern, saying: "In Washington's day this wasn't a place for boarding in, but for serious eating and drinking, and for serious conversation. And so it is again tonight. We're going to eat and drink, and we're going to talk."
Available to groups looking for a historical event space are the tavern and five dining rooms, including the Nichols Room with a private elevator and in-room bar. Capacity is up to 300 for seated dinners, and the restaurant offers all-inclusive catering packages to fit your budget.
One of America's favorite, and oldest, maritime taverns, the Griswold Inn in picturesque Essex, CT, was founded in 1776 by three brothers. During the American Revolution, the inn was captured and used by British forces for a command center. In 1801 it was moved to its present location by a team of oxen, rolling it on logs down Main Street.
The historic inn and tavern does "a good amount of corporate dinners and some meetings," says banquet sales manager Laura Shipman, adding that reservations should be made at least one or two weeks in advance to secure space.
"Our largest dining room can hold up to 85 guests. For meeting space, it would depend on the setup. We can accommodate up to 25 for a square style and 35 for classroom style," Shipman says.
The Covered Bridge Room is constructed from old boards rescued from an abandoned covered bridge in New Hampshire, and is loaded with the largest collection of works by U.S. maritime artist Antonio Jacobsen. A large stone fireplace warms the room in chilly New England winters.
Fittingly, New Orleans is the birthplace of the cocktail. According to local legend, the Sazerac was concocted in the 1830s by a Haitian pharmacist named Antoine Amedee Peychaud, who was living in New Orleans. He combined medicinal bitters with Louisiana cane sugar and imported French brandy to create what is now the official state cocktail of Louisiana.
Benny Harrell, general manager of TBA Global's New Orleans offices, says the French Quarter itself is a historic district of bars not to be missed by any group visiting the Big Easy. Bourbon Street is within easy walking distance to many of the city's business hotels, and TBA Global has also organized traditional New Orleans parades complete with marching bands, as well as horse-drawn carriages to usher attendees to post-event dinners and receptions. Harrell suggests the Napoleon House on Chartres Street, a historic landmark dating from 1797. Capacity is around 200, and food is "not fancy, but classic New Orleans style." Groups can also bring in their own caterers to the second-floor event space.
The venue has a unique history, Harrell says. The building's first occupant, Nicholas Girod, was mayor of New Orleans from 1812 to 1815. In 1821, he offered up his home to Napoleon Bonaparte, who was exiled from France. Though Napoleon never made it across the Atlantic, the residence became known as the Napoleon House.
If you're looking for a taste of rotgut from the Old West, the Occidental Hotel, founded in 1880, has been restored to its former glory as a favorite watering hole of Buffalo Bill Cody, Teddy Roosevelt, and Calamity Jane. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid also hid from posses at the hotel located at the foot of the Bighorn Mountains in Buffalo, WY, on the historic Bozeman Trail.
The property closed in 1986, but was saved from the wrecking ball and restored in 1997. The 25-foot-long black wood bar with stained-glass accents may look tame, but look up to see 23 original bullet holes on the tin ceiling, and be reminded of the venue's wild past.
Groups of up to 75 can rent out the Saloon and the hotel restaurant The Virginian (holds up to 80), which serves up succulent buffalo steaks, seafood, and Wyoming-raised bison (Buffalo Bill Cody's favorite), and offers not rotgut, but a decent wine list.
Originally published Oct. 1, 2008For more ideas, tips, and tools for better meetings and events,
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