Meeting Spaces

OSWALD VISITOR CENTER

The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum's stunning, new Oswald Visitor Center serves as a formal entry and orientation point to the Arboretum's 1,000 acres of beautiful gardens, exhibits, and displays.

McQuinn Great Hall

The most dramatic space within the new Oswald Visitor Center is the McQuinn Great Hall, with its soaring 40-foot ceilings, massive Douglas fir timber trusses, and expansive windows that showcase six outdoor gardens and terraces.  The centerpiece of the Arboretum's recent $65 million capital campaign, acts as a welcoming and orientation center for guests and gateway to the gardens. Seasonal plant exhibits, along with adjacent Reedy Gallery showings, add an added value to your meeting or event experience.  Perfect for an after hours hors ‘d oeuvres reception, the space accommodates up to 150.

MacMillan Auditorium & Reedy Gallery

The MacMillan Auditorium features state-of-the-art multimedia technology and accommodates groups up to 375 theatre-style for meetings and 300 for banquets. The space can be divided into as many as four smaller meeting rooms-each with its own lighting and multimedia controls. The adjacent Reedy Gallery provides space for buffet service and receptions.  Classrooms in the Oswald Visitor Center and Snyder Building and surrounding garden terraces offer additional spaces for breakout sessions. Windows on the north Gallery wall provide views of the Keating Terrace featuring Gingko trees and landscaped floral beds.

Arboretum Restaurant & Newton Terrace

The Arboretum's newest dining space, seating up to 150, offers views of the south gardens and terraces, as well as the panoramic view of Lake Minnewashta to the northeast. In cooler weather, the two-sided fireplace adds a cozy ambiance to both the main dining room and a private dining space, which can be used for buffet service. In warmer weather, the dining room opens to the multi-level Newton terrace that features a 10-foot granite waterfall. The terrace seats up to 150 people and is an ideal location for a social hour with butler passed hors ‘d oeuvres.

Classrooms

The Wall Education Wing features two high-tech classrooms with high-speed internet access and built-in video projection for presentations. The Teaching Garden Classroom and the Azalea Classroom are just steps away from Sweatt Terrace, a charming formal plaza featuring a rose garden surrounded by mixed beds of cool-colored perennials, such as clematis, iris, and rhododendron.

Nearby a row of linden trees leads your guests to the Wright Messerli Terrace, which combines plants and water to form a contemplative space. Plants in drifts of white, granite pavers shaped in a labyrinth pattern, and a water feature create a soothing sensory experience. Fragrant plants, including lilies, mock orange, daphne, and wisteria, enhance the restful character of the terrace.

SNYDER BUILDING    

The Snyder Building, designed by noted Minnesota architect Edwin Lundie as the first and original building, combines massive wood timbers and cathedral ceilings with earth-tone colors to create warm, intimate settings for smaller meetings, seminars, and receptions.

Auditorium

This majestic space, featuring curved ceiling beams and wrought iron chandeliers, accommodates up to 150 for meetings and 125 for banquets. The space includes a stage, a podium, a camouflaged blackboard, a pull-down screen, room-darkening shades, and sound system. Double doors open onto the front terrace and a magnificent perennial garden.       

Fireplace Room

A popular meeting place in the Snyder Building, the second-floor Fireplace Room, features a cozy atmosphere complete with crackling fire during the cooler months, a bird's-eye view of surrounding gardens and grounds, attractive cabin-style furniture, a projection screen, and room-darkening shades. The Fireplace Room can accommodate up to 50. The indoor balcony area is an adjoining space often used for food service.

Tea Room

This charming space is encircled with windows, features a wood-burning fireplace and massive wood beams, and a walkout stone terrace overlooking tranquil wetlands and woodlands. The space accommodates up to 50. The Tea Room Terrace connects with the more spacious Morgan Terrace and may be combined with the Snyder Building lobby.

Classrooms I & II

These large, airy, practical spaces are ideal for meetings, classes, and workshops. Each classroom is equipped with a wide blackboard, a pull-down screen, and blackout shades. Classroom II incorporates a double sink and counter for demonstrations, and accommodates up to 40 with theatre-style seating. Classroom I accommodates up to 50.