This is a wonderful venue to host and attend conferences. The entry works perfectly for exhibitors…read moreand I love all the natural light that comes in and that its the first thing attendees see when they walk in. Down the hall is the main conference room and additional space for breakout sessions or I have seen those rooms used for exhibitors as well. Again, lots of natural lighting in the session rooms, which I absolutely love. Catering is all done out of house but the venue has a list of local businesses they work with you can choose from for your event. I have only had box lunches when I have been at events here, but I would guess they could do a buffet meal as well.

The enrichment center is part of an on the DMACC campus in Ankeny…read more We have used the center for our annual infinite campus user group meeting. The facility is very clean and accommodating. The staff are very helpful in getting the access to technology and helping us help the presentations. It easily accommodated our group text of 300 people. We used a local vendor to cater our event and the facility is great at supporting them as well. We have already scheduled this venue for next year.

Wow, fancy pants new events space just south of downtown! I…read morewas invited to the DSM MAGAZINE cover unveiling party, so I thought I would check it out! Little did I know there was going to be free food and drinks in a new fancy pants events space.. The River Center is set up perfect for an event like this! Lots of space upstairs and down stairs, and also fun outdoor space! The River Center had bar set up in all three locations as well, up/down, and outside! The staff was super nice and were super accommodating! I got to check out the upstairs bathroom cause naturally I brought my son ( bad idea?) and he had to go! Bathrooms were super nice, the food looks fab (again my son ate like 5 fancy cookies) and the space and sound system worked really well! If you were going to have a huge wedding, prom, or a big corporate event, this would be a great spot to do it.. It's fancy without being, to fancy. It got lots of parking around it, and it's close to other fun restaurants and bars, and the baseball stadium if you need to venture out and eat more food since you didn't get to eat 5 cookies like your kid.

One Great Location for any Gala Occasion, the Event Staff and Culinary Team can make your ideas of…read morethe perfect Swarah Happen. Chef Diego will make Magic happen with an appetizer spead, buffet style meal, or a full plated table service. Check out the Catering Guide online, Call the Event Directors, and get your Event Scheduled. This is an extremely unique Event Space that can handle small business Groups during the day and large Cascading Parties day or night...Dream it, Book it, then Enjoy it...

Wow is what I have to say about this wonderful Venue Chateau doesn't disappoint! As a guest at a…read morerecent wedding I attended I was pleasantly surprised at the attention to detail by the staff, we were greeted at the front of the Chateau and escorted to walk down a pathway to the gazebo, where the Ceremony took place which looked stunning coming down the pathway as the wedding party made their way down, after the Ceremony headed back up the pathway inside to discover everything set up perfectly for the dinner with was very elegant the staff very accommodating released tables, food line well placed and ran quickly and efficiently, staff picking up empty glasses and plates, everything right on point and staff extremely well orchestrated down to the last detail of service for guests, and wedding party, then as the party got a bit rowdy the staff watched for signs of to much alcohol intake, and took action of kindness but assertiveness for cutting off alcohol when needed. Have your event here and you will love every second of every minute...

My old job had a holiday party here and good lord, it was lovely! I felt soooo fancy and pretty…read moreprincess. The food and servers were fantastic and the place looked beautiful. I hope to return or throw a party here myself.

I attended my Nephew's wedding here last Saturday. The Decades building used to be Dahl's grocery…read morestore, and I personally found that this place was hard to find, even with directions. The most likely reason is that the Antique Mall (that shares a common wall with Decades) otherwise known as the Picker Knows has clearer signage. Besides wishing Nathan and Brooke well, my other important task was driving my 95 year-old Dad (aka, the Family Patriarch) here, as he had a key part in the ceremony. Oh yes, my brother Tom and his daughter Charlotte were in town from Taiwan. They were in the car as well. Decades is basically one large room, that included the bar, lots of table seating, an area for the band, and of course, a place for the ceremony. Our family was in the minority, as the Bride's Italian clan in attendance was huge. And they were certainly enjoying themselves. I don't think our side fit in more than 2 tables, of which we were content to enjoy our "Dinner and a Show". And I did get to chat with all of my Nephews and Nieces in the process. I've attended fancier wedding venues, but when you consider the bar, seating, quite good buffet food, professional staff, guests enjoying themselves, the ceremony and of course the glowing Bride and Groom (and their Parents), our evening had great synergy and enjoyment. The overall noise level had its moments, but it was a wedding celebration after all. It would have been fun to stay longer, but when my Dad started looking at his watch, it was time to take him home. And I should be as active when I reach his age. My only wish is that he lives long enough to enjoy at least one great grandchild. Hint - Hint Nathan!

This review is for a large wedding party. We flew in for our family member's wedding. The space is…read morelarge with a large bar on one side. The staff at the bar aren't the most professional but they are friendly. There was a rent-a-cop hanging out to make sure that there were no underage drinkers. The entrance was great for greeting guests, signing in and dropping gifts and cards. The dance floor is great. Very large in the center of the room. The decor is fairly rustic, but nice enough for a traditional wedding reception. This is not the place for clean modern and showy. I think the adjoining business is a flee market or antique shop. If that is okay it's you then this is a solid choice for event space. The reception was about 200 people with room to spare. They had a private bride room. I didn't tnotice many other amenities. Definitely a space worth a look if you're looking. Just remember that many things aren't noticed when the lights are low.

8/2026 Park/Swim Area/Marina…read more We've been here several times now and really enjoy it. The playground structure seems really well maintained and is quite large with several options for kids to choose from. There isn't any trash throughout the area and there are many trash bins provided all throughout the park. The bathrooms are also pretty well maintained and stocked. The only downfall with those is that there are no light fixtures in there; they are strictly natural light. The three main large covered picnic areas/gazebos have plenty of tables and quite a bit of room for gatherings; you can also reserve them. Same goes for the little individual gazebos along the shoreline. Each of those has one picnic table that is covered, with a grill and trash bin close to it. The water is clearly marked throughout the lake and the swimming area is pretty large. The entire lake is a no-wake zone, which is nice when you're kayaking. We have also rented a few kayaks and a pontoon boat from the marina. This is such an amazing option! Each time we have gone there, the guys that help us are incredibly nice as well as patient. They helped load the kayaks into the water and they helped eve

We visited the beach area. The enormous play area was pretty impressive. The entire area…read moreaccommodates large groups and has multiple areas of shelter for gatherings. Restrooms were clean and stocked. Plenty of parking spaces available. It would really awesome if there was some type of concession stand.

I was extremely disappointed by the way management treated one of the servers during my visit. The…read moremanager spoke to the server in a rude, disrespectful, and unprofessional manner in full view of customers and other employees. No employee deserves to be embarrassed or belittled while simply trying to do their job. Watching someone be reprimanded publicly created an uncomfortable atmosphere and reflected very poorly on the restaurant's leadership. Good managers address performance issues privately, with respect and professionalism--not by humiliating employees in front of guests. The server remained calm and continued providing excellent service despite the treatment, which made the manager's behavior even more disappointing. If this is how employees are treated on a regular basis, it's concerning. I hope ownership takes these concerns seriously and encourages a workplace culture built on respect, professionalism, and dignity for both employees and customers.

Copper Creek Grille (formerly The Bunker) is a great location with a gorgeous patio for outside…read moreeating. But this time we ate inside on a Friday night. Not too busy, but on Friday's they have their prime rib deal. It was cooked just right. Didn't come out with any horseradish (raw or creamy) or au jus sauce. Very odd. We asked the waitress for some. She seemed dumbfounded, but went and asked the cook and another staff came back at least with some raw horseradish. Definitely need something with it. But it was cooked well. The cheese curds are always good. So many that come in anorder too, so be ready to share!! The veggie spring egg rolls are delicious, surprisingly because I always get pork. I think I'll always go veggie next time. They tasted great. Not pictured with the filet de burgo, which our friends had, which is always delicious there. Our waitress was a little "clueless" on a few things. I do get scared for this generation. Maybe a few more trips will improve her skills, but overall a place we will be back to.

I recently attended a wedding at Bella's Farmhouse and unfortunately came away disappointed by…read moreseveral aspects of the guest experience. First, the outdoor grounds appeared poorly maintained. The grass was extremely long throughout much of the property, which felt surprising for a venue that markets itself as a premium wedding destination and made navigating the outdoor areas less comfortable for guests. During the ceremony, the microphone repeatedly malfunctioned, making it difficult to hear the officiant and portions of the vows. This was especially disappointing during one of the most important moments of the day. The technology and connectivity issues continued throughout the event. There was little to no cell service inside the venue, and Wi-Fi access was either unavailable or insufficient for the needs of the event. The DJ experienced ongoing connectivity problems that caused music interruptions during the reception, which impacted the overall atmosphere and flow of the evening. The pricing at the bar was also difficult to justify. Guests were charged $8 per glass for what appeared to be a very small pour (roughly a quarter glass) of Josh wine. While I understand venues need to make a profit, the value simply did not align with the price being charged. The wedding itself was beautiful because of the couple and their efforts, but the venue's maintenance, audio equipment, connectivity, and beverage pricing left much to be desired. I hope management addresses these issues, as they significantly affected the guest experience.

What a fun bit of Des Moines history that I've never heard of before! We had just finished up at…read morethe Art Center and my Mom mentioned the Salisbury House. I had no idea! We got to see it all gussied up for the holidays since we stopped in the week after Christmas. All of the different designers did a fabulous job of decorating each room differently. Plus what an amazing house to begin with. A touch of Art Deco because of the time frame it was built plus Tudor and Gothic inspo from Europe. Just amazing! The history of the family was interesting as well. What an interesting venue to rent for a party!

I had no idea the Salisbury House was even a thing until a little over a month ago. Although not…read morethe "ideal" time of year to check it out, I was very pleasantly surprised. After making an unintentionally dramatic entrance, I was greeted by two smiling ladies and a beautiful painting. After an informative session and pamphlet push, got the blessing to proceed with the self-guided, bottom-floor-only tour. This place is really cool, and structurally somewhat reminiscent of the missions of California, minus the religious element. Lots of old heavy wood, stone, ornate masonry, narrow hallways, cornices, etc. As steadfast as I am with respect for the rules of historic property, I had a reaaaaaaaally hard time keeping my hands to myself. I could feel that itch to touch everything I passed, so I mostly just had to keep my hands firmly clasped behind my back. A crackling oil painting is a very hard thing to not touch, as is a massive piano, as is a giant...hmm...what are those rotating cylinders with the tics on them that you wind up and they play a plinky music-box type song? Whatever those are, Salisbury has a big one, and you can hear it yelling play me play me play me! I really really wanted to see inside the library, because the collection sounds truly impressive. Worth a visit for sure. I'll definitely be back to get the full tour so that I can see the rest!