I have to admit that I have a tendency to forget about Fort Wayne, though having had a recent…read morevolunteer for my Tenderness Tour has put the city back on my mind. The Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory was a place I didn't get to spend a lot of time while in the downtown area, but I did enjoy the time I got to spend there. The conservatory has three indoor gardens and 1,000 varieties of plans (and 2,000+ plants). You can see cacti, palms, a chocolate tree and more. The conservatory was started by News-Sentinel publisher Helene Foellinger and Bill Sowers, a Fort Wayne attorney. The two often visited gardens and wanted Fort Wayne to have a similar experience. The conservatory opened in 1983 and houses 24,500 square feet of indoor gardens, four outdoor gardens, and is owned/operated by the Fort Wayne Parks and Rec department with charitable support. Fun fact 1: A beefsteak begonia was the first plant installed. Fun fact 2: In February 2024, the Conservatory had its three millionth visitor. Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for youth (3-17), and free for ages 2 and under. There's a $1 Thursdays deal from 5-8pm and there's no admission fee for the cafe, conservatory shop, or sales garden. There's venue rental available and quite a few classes to take. I generally found things accessible - maybe a bit iffy in a couple spots, but I could generally function just fine. I will say I didn't quite explore everything as I was on a schedule, but for what I experienced I really enjoyed it and could get where I wanted to get.

Entry fee is $1 on Thursday and Friday in December 2022 so we went thru the holiday display. It is…read morebased on a children's book written by a Fort Wayne resident! It was super court and very well done. There are even lights in the gardens outside. We've been there many times before during the day so it was different to see it at night. We sat up in the top level of the tropical area enjoying the sounds of the waterfall and lights. It was beautiful. Downtown in December is magical. $1 night is a cost effective way for the whole family to enjoy the gardens. Thank you parks and rec!

"Where it All Began…read more. In 1893 Wing and Mahurin began construction on Robert and Clara's Romanesque styled mansion. Same architect as the University of Saint Francis' Bass Mansion and The History Center both in Fort Wayne. Robert served as a 2 time state senator, assistant U.S. Commissioner for Indiana, huge investor in natural gas, (the reason Fort Wayne & even Chicago got natural gas when they did) and was a prominent lawyer. Clara helped form the first classes at the Fort Wayne Art School and was the co-founder of the Fort Wayne Museum of Art. The couple was originally from the Muncie area but moved up here for business purposes. They were a very prominent couple during their years here in Fort Wayne. Not only did Clara leave her forever footsteps at the Art Museum, Robert's law firm is still going strong known as the Barrett-McNagny law firm serving the local area still today. They only had one child Bessie but unfortunately due to illness died at 11 months old. After Robert's death in 1901 the home was sold to William K. Noble who ran a lumber company that operated in 3 states. His family of 3 lived there for 22 years and sold the building for $50,000 to The Klaehn Funeral home. In 1935 the west side addition was added due to high demand. At this time funerals were no longer held in the residents home as they were done in the 1800s. Today there are over 14,000 square feet in this absolutely breathtaking mansion. No detail has gone unnoticed. It remained a funeral home for over 93 years. Until they left the building in 2018 and the Sturm's bought the building in 2020 to preserve its beauty. We want to preserve our precious history first and foremost. History is the reason why we are all here today! We are SOOO PASSIONATE about preserving and sharing this place with the world!" My friend Jesse from JMH Fotografy https://www.facebook.com/jmhfotografy?mibextid=2JQ9oc https://instagram.com/jmhfotografy?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== was one of the invitees to do a Spooky Photo Shoot. Every room ( and there are lots of them ) have original wood work, beautiful pocket doors. Chandeliers, staircase is beautiful, stained glass, big open spaces. Since this was a funeral home for nearly 100 years there are bits and pieces of that history still here too. The building had a great vibe inside and out. They are raising money for more renovations so book an event. And call Jesse for photos. I was his assistant for the day. We had such a great time.

Amazing place and very beautiful atmosphere. Very welcoming and you will fall in love with the…read morearchitecture of the 130 year old building

Loved our time at House of Pins. My team and I enjoyed some much needed fun time bowling, listening…read moreto music and relaxing before spending time gathered around the big screen to do some vision planning. Great place for family a get together, party, or some team building!

Would definitely recommend this spot for any group event young and old. Plenty of room and just a…read morefun time overall. Sarah and her husband were very nice greeting us and great communication. Would book again for any future events!

We had Black Creek provide flowers for my daughters wedding. Susan has a definite talent for…read moredesigning beautiful and memorable arrangements. She knows her flowers and the process to grow, cut and arrange them to meet your expectations. My wife and daughter meet at Black Ridge a couple times to discuss the brides ideas and develop a plan to meet her wants. Susan also held a final meeting a couple weeks prior to the wedding to make sure everyone was on the same page and agree on last minute things. On the big day Susan and Tom were right on time to deliver the flowers. They went right to work putting things in the right spot and cleaning up after themselves. Now for the flowers...my wife and daughter were over the top pleased with the freshness, color, arrangement and overall beauty of the designs. The brides bouquet was a perfect size and just beautiful. The bouquet held up through all the handling and toss. The table flowers were simple and attractive. They didn't detract from the social interactions by being over sized, wide spread or in your face. They just blended nicely. The lapel flowers were very attractive as the were designed to be simple, worn close/flat to the lapel and masculine looking. The design was very innovative and attractive plus simple to pin on. The wrist corsages were simple, not fluffy or dangling, and beautiful of course. The flower girls had very attractive flower rings that were easy to manage and secure on a 5-8 year olds head. Susan also created a pair of flower arrangements that were attached to the arch behind the minister. These flowers were artificial but you would never know it. They were very attractive and blended with all the other flowers and color schemes. I would definitely recommend Black Creek for your flower needs. Susan is very talented. She listens well and works passionately to make your ideas come to life. Her husband Tom is a wonderful helper and behind the scenes guy. You will find both Susan and Tom to be very professional, friendly and customer service oriented!

what a beautiful setting with delightful & helpful hosts! perfect place for a bridal showe!read more

I had a great experience staying here this fall. The room was really nice and included a…read morerefrigerator and microwave. The staff was nice including a friendly and helpful housekeeping and bartending staff. The location is excellent, right by the historic theater and wonderful botanical gardens. Although the hotel doesn't have a complimentary breakfast and is not a Four Seasons, it is really a good value and overall I was very pleased.

Welcoming and attentive staff. Clean spacious room. Comfortable bed. In walking distance to nearby…read moreattractions in the downtown area. The also have a restaurant inside the hotel.

I was surprised to see that this place had not been reviewed on Yelp yet, because it's such a…read morebeautiful place for an event. I believe they may be fairly new. Located just down the road from the golf course and Selma, Bailey's Place has been beautifully landscaped to hold events, wedding ceremonies, etc. I was visiting here for a wedding. It's a gorgeous setup with an arbor, that the bride and groom got married under. There was seating set up in front of the arbor for guest. Behind the arbor was a cabin, that can be used for wedding party to get ready. But also can be used for receptions or having the wedding in. I believe this was the backup if it had rained. There isn't necessarily a parking lot, but a grassy area this is designated for parking. And lots of trees for shading.

From the owner: Tours are by appointment only…read more Email BaileysPlaceEvents@gmail.com for all injuries.

My MIL threw my FIL a surprise 90th birthday party at McIntyre Place. The place is hip, beautiful…read moreand great for small gatherings.

From the owner: McIntyre Place is an event space dedicated to providing you with long-lasting memories and…read moreunforgettable moments. Located in the heart of downtown Auburn, Indiana, McIntyre Place features a beautiful urban and industrial setting with upscale amenities. It’s the ideal place for receptions, meetings, and events.

Absolutely beautiful rustic venue for a wedding. This isn't on Google maps or listed anywhere but…read morefor the lucky couple that finds this place, you'll love it. The bathrooms and dressing rooms are so cute. The setup is perfect. The grounds are beautiful. Bar, catering area, dance floor, etc - all was perfect. The setup with guests upstairs and down, gave a perfect view to everyone, while able to keep distanced. The upstairs was a little warm but windows and fans circulated the air just fine. I cannot recommend this venue enough. It's in the middle of nowhere but you won't be disappointed.

Mini breakdown of my experience at The Landmark:…read more -Overall cleanliness/facility setup: I would deem this place a wedding factory. There were three weddings/receptions going on at once during my friend's festivities - one of which was in the area that was supposed to be reserved for post-wedding photos opps for our crew leaving us dilly dallying in the parking lot for a half an hour before heading in. The facility itself was clean and basic in a convention center kind of way. However, it appeared that the outdoor space might have more character. Because there was so much going on within the space you could step to the door of one reception and hear the music of the other reception down the hall (perfect wedding crashing opportunity?). -Food: not too shabby! I'd highly recommend adding the green beans and carrots sides to your menu - I may or may not have went back for seconds. -This seems to be the perfect spot for those wanting to hit the whole shebang - bar, food, venue in one swipe. Leaves a bit to be desired in the realm of making things feel personal.

What an absolutely beautiful venue for our wedding reception. Everything was done to perfection…read more The food was delicious. Everything from the hors d'oeuvres to the main course. Our Coordinater Leah and her assistant Lesli were wonderful to work with. They paid close attention to all of the details and helped to create a day that dreams are made of. I can't thank everyone enough. Strongly recommend this venue.