This space is a fantastic indoor/outdoor event venue. I helped with setup for the Packards and Pints event, which utilized both indoor and outdoor spaces. There was plenty of room for everyone. The main indoor space holds several tables and is equipped with a kitchen and restrooms. We also used a smaller barn for serving guests and used the huge lawn for vendor and beverage tents. There was also plenty of room on the grounds for a variety of food trucks and display cars for a car show. A full band was set up in an area large enough for a nice bandstand. I spoke with a woman who volunteers regularly at the venue. She had nothing but nice things to say about the management. Every inch of the grounds was clean and well-maintained. I'd definitely recommend it for events and special occasions. read more

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I recently attended a wedding here, and it was lovely. The venue hosted the nuptials outdoors amongst the trees, and it was beautiful. An older vehicle drove the newly married couple around after the "I dos." After the ceremony, we moved indoors, which was adorned with pretty lighting and the tables were set up spectacularly. The venue was clean and they set up a drink stand when you walked in, having some popular mixed drinks available to be taken right away instead of waiting. The old car inside the reception area was a nice touch, and I was pleasantly surprised by how good the food was (see the photos). I also came here for a private photo shoot about 1.5-2 years ago, and it is a lovely venue for a myriad of events. read more

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Overall, I would recommend getting married at Packard Proving Grounds!! Below is a summary. Price: It was $5000 flat fee ($500 deposit) to rent the space for a Sunday of Labor Day weekend. The place comes with 25 tables mix of rectangular and circular, with limited chairs you can use. Other than that, everything else was DIY (vendors, staffing, decor, etc.) So the overall budget for your wedding at this venue is really based off of the scale and size of your wedding. The price point was worth it to us as a couple because we needed the flexibility of being able to rent the WHOLE grounds. COVID really had us needing to be flexible with whether we needed an outdoor, indoor, large, or small space. Packard allowed us to do that. Coordinators: Renee and Mary Ann are VERY responsive and always replied within 1-2 business day emails. They are pleasant and flexible to talk with on the phone. I dropped by sometimes on last minute notice to show the space to family or bridal party and they always worked with us so we weren't in the way but could still see the space. They have a book of vendors that they recommend which is great. My only suggestion is to have that book available online or can be emailed since it is only displayed in their office. They are NOT wedding coordinators and you should expect to hire your own. But they are great point of contacts for the venue and are very sweet and kind. We booked our wedding during COVID times and they just did a great job to work with couples to be as flexible and understanding as possible. They even allowed us to have a dress rehearsal on a Saturday morning. Cleanliness- the place is generally clean. As another reviewer commented though, you will need to have someone precheck the space before your wedding starts to make sure the wedding before cleaned up. We had some issues but our coordinator helped us to clean up empty beer cans, glass, etc. Unique features- we used a packard car to come in and exit from our ceremony. It was cool for photos and video but there were communication issues. The volunteer needs to be told directly where to go and if he needs to pick you up after the ceremony. Our volunteer didn't know that but fortunately we told him right beforehand so he adjusted. I wish our volunteer had turned on the car before driving up because my father and I were roasting in the back. Downsides: This venue does not have a getting ready location. Unfortunately that ended up being a big issue on our wedding day and it would have been so much better logistically if they had a getting ready location. They have a small room the bride can get changed in but its very bare bones. Dont expect for your bridal party to be able to get all changed in there. Also there were wedding guests walking in and out outside to see the car tour which doesn't make it very private. Also this place did not offer a place for nursing mothers. They do have some high chairs available. Photographs: this place is GORGEOUS for photos. read more

This was my first time at the proving grounds. I have always been very curious as to what it was like here so it was nice to get the opportunity to check it out. We tried to get tickets to Packards and Pints last year but they sold out very quickly. I got tickets right away when they went on sale this year. The proving grounds are unique but very charming. They hold weddings and other events here as well. As for the event, you get 12 drink tickets. We have attended a lot of events similar to this, and typically we have way too many drink tickets. How we, this event, we ran out very quickly. You receive a glass with measurements on it when you get there. One ticket is good for a pour up to the first line. Which is maybe 3 oz. So if you want a decent pour you have to give them 4 tickets. Which means you run out of tickets quickly. A lot of vendors ran out of popular beers very early as well. Dirty Blonde by Atwater was gone by 7:30. They had wine and cocktails as well, which was nice. The event was only 3 hours. I'm honestly not sure it was worth the price. We all walked over to tap and barrel after and continued the fun! Overall it was a great night but I don't think I would do it again. read more

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I went for the Great Pierogi Polish Favorites Drive Up. This was ran really professionally. A security person was at the entrance directing you were to go, there were signs with red arrows directing were to turn. You picked an appointed time so there was no overcrowding. We were lined up with other vehicles. A worker came over to get our confirmation email. She went and filled our order and loaded it in our vehicle. You were not to leave your vehicle. Our order was filled correctly. Things were packaged properly. If the food is as good as the service will definitely do this again. read more

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Awesome fireworks display. Beautiful colors and height ! 20 minutes..? We parked in Big Lots ( formerly the old Kmart).. at 8pm. Bought moon pie ice cream off a truck passing through lol ate it too fast to photo sorry. Viewed fireworks on 23 mile rd across the street from entrance to Ford field park. 1st time to enjoy. Thanks yelper Aleana! For info tip. Shelby police did a great job directing traffic. Next stop Fraser on July 23 read more

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Packard proving grounds is a nice place to throw an event. I have been here before for a wedding and it was lovely. Yesterday was a beer, wine, and cocktail event. It was fun. You get a lot of bang for your buck. If you need a venue for an event consider looking here. read more

I was invited to an engagement party here and had no idea it even existed. As we pulled up it almost looks like a little Frankenmuth Village with slate roofs and a chalet look to the building off to the right. The other buildings looked more industrial but would be a really cool venue for a wedding with the old lighting and open raftered ceilings. The grounds were fairly well maintained and in the far warehouse is housed somewhat of a museum with some beautiful old Packards, a few engines, a 40-50 foot boat that was covered unfortunately, and some pics and placards. For the party it was a pretty cool venue on a summer night. I'd imagine this would be a pretty cool venue for any larger event for that matter. read more

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My husband and I got married here in August of 2016. The girls that help run the events and the volunteers are helpful and informative. We especially loved Mary, Stephanie, and Ray. They helped me nearly every step along the way. The grounds are beautiful. The event space is unique and to die for. It was a lot of work to rent out EVERYTHING, but it was so worth it. Getting married at a historic site meant a lot to us, since we have restored our 1891 home. Most historic sites that we had looked at have done "renovations" that were not historically accurate and it totally turned us off. The Packard Proving Grounds really seem to have their wits about them in restoring the buildings historically accurate, and it is SO refreshing. The only issue we had was, upon getting there to finish getting ready, a bus of people pulled up for a tour of the grounds. This was only a couple hours before our ceremony was set to start. Most of them put their hands on my (very expensive) wedding gown, which was hanging in the house. I had to wait for the group to leave the house, so I could get my gown on. This put us very off schedule and I missed getting pictures with my bridesmaids. We ended up having to rush those pictures right after the ceremony, which added stress to an already stressful day. I really try to not let things like this bother me, so that whole issue does not take away from my rating. I would, however, suggest getting to the grounds early to make sure trash is cleaned up outside if there is a wedding the night before. Thankfully, my husband and I had to go pick up his car the day after our wedding. There was a wedding setting up and my husband and I went around outside to pick up our guest's cigarette butts, cigar butts, and a broken glass outside. I would have felt HORRIBLE if that stuff was left from us for the guests of the next wedding to see. Overall, this place is absolutely beautiful. I am STILL obsessed with it. We go to many events here, to this day, just to look around and see what is new. I HIGHLY recommend holding your event here. I would give 10 stars of I could. read more

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Very nice informative place. I went when they were hosting the old car show and it was a fun two hours. The tour through the proving grounds and house was free and we got to learn a lot about the house, the family that ran the proving grounds, what happened, the history behind it, and how it almost got demolished. Seeing a lot of old artifacts along with the old cars that were there that day was very interesting and a blast through the past. Te architecture of the house was stunning and very nice, it is a photographers paradise. read more

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I am a Caterer In Washington Michigan. It is such a pleasure to have my clients contract this venue. The Building is an Historic site in Macomb County and Albert Kahn structure. Working with the staff is a pleasure , they are all volunteers who take their love for this wonderful site to heart . We at Pamelas Catering are thankful for the love and care this team has given to preserve and maintain this venue. Working with the staff is a joy. For all clients looking for a venue, go no far this is the historic , rustic ,location for you. Do not worry , heat and air conditions has been added for 2016 . read more

I want to thank the kind folks at PPG for their hospitality in allowing my Corvette Club to stage our cruise from their property. Thank you!! read more

Packard Proving Grounds - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Shelby Township, Michigan

Well what can I say except great place for a wedding,anniversary,car show,retirement party,Christmas party, anything you can think of this place is perfect for. 17 acres of property along with buildings to have your party compete with A/C and heat and the best part unlike a hall that you just get the hall at PPG you also get the grounds to use for outside fun. Plenty of parking available for your friends and family also. Wonderful place read more

Great place for interesting history and restoration of the grounds.

Attended a fundraiser gala for care house here tonight. Beautiful and unique venue - as an attendee it was stunning! I know the organization utilized many vendors as most things don't come included with venue but it is worth checking out if you're looking for a rustic elegant look! read more

The Good: The grounds are beautiful and they have a very large space to work with. They also reinvest the money from their events back into restoring the grounds and building a museum. The Bad: One reason we chose the Packard Proving Grounds (PPG) is because they promised to let us clean up the day after our event. We discussed this with the ground's representatives and were told verbally and through email that they would honor next day cleanup. At some point during our reception, we were told that we had to clean up that night, which we were not at all prepared for. We spent two hours DURING OUR RECEPTION trying to sort through old emails, rereading our contract, and speaking with family and friends to figure out how we would possibly clean up that night. Two hours that we didn't get to spend celebrating with our friends and family. Two hours, I might add, that we paid an additional hourly rate for on top of the regular rental rate. After we finally found the email that stated we could clean up the next day, we showed it to the volunteer on site. The volunteer stated that he didn't know why we were told we could clean up the next day and that we still had to clean up that night because the PPG had an event the following day. In addition to this, we sent the PPG manager the email, but we never received a response. Furthermore, there was no running water in the catering area, the venue still had items left out from PPG and a past event that we had to clean up, and tours of the garages were being given that got in our way and invaded the private space that we paid for. Also, PPG provides few accommodations considering their price. With all of that being said, if you choose the Packard Proving Grounds for your event, get everything that you want to be spelled out in your contract; don't trust their verbal agreements or emails. Also, ensure that the venue is clean and ready for set-up and that the utilities are in working order. read more

I held a corporate evening event at the Packard Proving Grounds in June 2017. My guests thoroughly enjoyed the uniqueness of the venue, as well as the stunning antique cars. A true gem! read more