Top Indianola Venues

• Spaces for 500-1,000 Guests

The team at Hilton Des Moines Downtown is excited you have considered us to be part of your big day! Hilton Des Moines Downtown is a luxury hotel welcoming wedding gatherings in Des Moines, IA. Celebrating at the Hilton, your party can expect a high level of service and extensive modern facilities that have seen the brand become lauded worldwide. With support from experienced staff and the city of Des Moines at your fingertips, you are only limited by your imagination when planning your event. To celebrate at the Hilton Des Moines Downtown is to celebrate in style, with a name you can trust. It’s our pleasure to assist in planning a moment to remember. Please let us know if you have any questions. Thank you once again for your consideration. We hope to welcome you and your guests to Hilton Des Moines Downtown for your special day. Hilton Des Moines Downtown Team

Welcome to The Vineyard, an extraordinary location for corporate events that seamlessly blends sophistication with natural splendor. Situated within a captivating vineyard setting, our exclusive venue offers an elegant backdrop for your professional gatherings. With expansive vineyard vistas, lush surroundings, and a modern aesthetic, The Vineyard sets the stage for memorable events. Whether hosting a gala, retirement party, holiday celebrate or team-building events, our versatile spaces cater to your unique needs. Experience the perfect fusion of refined elegance and functionality, creating an ambiance that inspires creativity and collaboration.

• Spaces for 40-600 Guests
• 2 Outdoor Spaces
• 1 Event Space
• 4 Total Spaces

Blank Park Zoo is Des Moines's accredited zoological park, home to over 2,500 animals and dedicated to conservation, education, and recreation. The zoo's private event rental program opens the entire grounds — and its most distinctive indoor and outdoor spaces — to corporate gatherings, weddings, galas, and celebrations of all sizes. The Holmes Foster Event Center, the zoo's largest indoor venue, accommodates up to 450 guests at banquet rounds or 600 for a cocktail-style reception, and comes with tables, chairs, audio/visual equipment, and setup and teardown service included. The Discovery Center seats up to 200 in a theater configuration or 120 at banquet rounds, with views overlooking the bird aviary and botanical gardens and access to year-round indoor animal exhibits. Outdoor options include the Large Pavilion, which handles 150 to 300 guests near the zoo's entrance alongside the Bald Eagle exhibit, and the African Pavilion, an intimate covered space for up to 60 guests with sweeping views of the giraffe and addax exhibits. Two exclusive on-site caterers handle food and beverage service, complimentary parking is available for all guests, and an on-site event supervisor is included with every rental. Animal viewing is available April through October, giving events an element that no ballroom can replicate.

• Spaces for 150-200 Guests
• 1 Winery
• 1 Event Space

Jasper Winery is an urban winery and events space located near downtown Des Moines, Iowa, at 2400 George Flagg Parkway. The winery produces its own wines and craft ciders on-site, offering a tasting room alongside dedicated event facilities that bring together a working winery atmosphere with full private-event capabilities. The indoor main event space accommodates up to 200 guests for receptions or 150 seated for dinners and ceremonies, supported by in-house audio/visual equipment, a modern bar, bartending and event staff, tables and chairs with setup, and post-event cleanup. A dedicated events coordinator guides couples and clients through the planning process from inquiry to event day. From May through October, an outdoor party tent expands total venue capacity to 300 guests, with the front lawn and on-site vineyard available as ceremony backdrops. Catering is open to any licensed caterer of the client's choosing, with venue recommendations available on request.

• Spaces for 30-400 Guests
• 1 Ballroom
• 6 Museums
• 6 Total Spaces

The World Food Prize Hall of Laureates occupies a magnificently restored Beaux Arts building in downtown Des Moines — the city's original public library, transformed through a $29.8 million capital project into the headquarters of the World Food Prize Foundation. The renovation honored Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr. Norman Borlaug, whose legacy in fighting global hunger the building now celebrates through museum exhibits, commissioned artwork, and a stained glass globe tracing the origins of world agriculture. As an event venue, the Hall of Laureates operates on an exclusive booking model: only one event at a time, so every gathering has the building entirely to itself. The venue encompasses multiple distinct spaces — including the Borlaug Ballroom, the Ruan Laureates Room, the Rotunda with its original stained glass skylight, and the Des Moines Mural Room featuring restored WPA murals — that can be combined or configured to suit dinners, receptions, conferences, and weddings of varying scale. The building is LEED Platinum certified and staffed by a professional events team that works behind the scenes throughout each event.

• Spaces for 300-750 Guests
• 2 Ballrooms
• 1 Landmark
• 3 Total Spaces

The Scottish Rite Consistory in Des Moines, Iowa occupies a landmark building at 519 Park Street and brings together historic architecture and newly renovated interiors for weddings, corporate gatherings, and fundraisers. Three distinct event spaces accommodate celebrations of virtually any scale, from intimate receptions to large-scale ceremonies. The Langdon Auditorium seats up to 750 guests and draws on the grandeur of its original design — marble columns, theatrical lighting, a pipe organ, and a grand piano make it a memorable setting for ceremonies. The Dahl Grand Banquet Room, recently renovated, welcomes up to 450 guests beneath elegant archways and marble columns. The Tapestry Room, on the second floor, holds up to 300 guests and features a large fireplace, walnut woodwork, and a flexible floor plan with a portable dance floor and bar service area. All rentals include tables and decorative chairs with setup and teardown, an on-site event supervisor, and uniformed security. Outside catering is permitted, giving planners full flexibility over the culinary experience.

• Spaces for 60-600 Guests
• 1 Restaurant
• 5 Museums
• 5 Total Spaces

The State Historical Building, home to the State Historical Society of Iowa, is a landmark event venue in Des Moines' East Village, steps from the Iowa State Capitol. Established in 1857, the institution has long been a civic gathering place — and the building itself carries that tradition into its event programming, hosting everything from wedding receptions and corporate galas to film screenings and nonprofit fundraisers. The sky-lit Atrium, anchored by a grand staircase, is the signature event space, accommodating up to 400 guests at round tables or 600 in theater-style seating. The Grand Terrace opens outdoors with sweeping views of the State Capitol and can welcome up to 500 guests — a backdrop that few venues in Des Moines can match. Smaller gatherings find a home in the Café Barattas and Café Terrace, an intimate indoor-outdoor pairing with Capitol views suited for rehearsal dinners and daytime receptions. The Cowles-Kruidenier Auditorium serves presentations, lectures, and screenings for up to 245 guests. Baratta's Catering serves as the exclusive on-site caterer, with in-house coordination for food, beverage, and table service. Tables and chairs are included in the rental fee, and complimentary parking is available in the adjacent Capitol Complex garage.

• Spaces for 60-300 Guests
• 3 Museums
• 1 Landmark
• 3 Total Spaces

Salisbury House & Gardens is a historic English Tudor-style estate and museum set on nearly ten acres of private woodland in Des Moines' South of Grand neighborhood. Built between 1923 and 1928 by cosmetics magnate Carl Weeks and his wife Edith, the 42-room, 28,000-square-foot mansion was modeled after the King's House in Salisbury, England, and features authentic 16th-century English oak woodwork, English flintwork, and rafters dating to the time of Shakespeare. Today the estate is owned and operated by the Salisbury House Foundation as a historic house museum and private event venue. The property offers both indoor and outdoor settings for weddings, receptions, social gatherings, business meetings, and photography sessions. Indoor events accommodate up to 100 guests, while the formal gardens and grounds — featuring over 9,000 square feet of English and French landscape design, terraces, Greco-Roman statuary, and rolling lawns — can host up to 250 guests outdoors. The estate also supports micro-wedding packages for groups up to 30 and provides an on-site ordained officiant with advance notice. On-site amenities include WiFi, audio/visual technology (projector, screen, podium, microphones, and speakers), general electricity indoors and out, and designated getting-ready spaces. Catering is arranged through a selection of five preferred caterers, with outside catering permitted for an additional fee. The estate is located approximately ten minutes from downtown Des Moines.

• Spaces for 3,000-16,980 Guests
• 1 Ballroom
• 2 Convention Centers

The Iowa Events Center is downtown Des Moines' largest event complex, bringing together three interconnected venues — Casey's Center, the EMC Expo Center, and the Community Choice Convention Center — across more than 304,000 total square feet. Owned by Polk County and operated by Oak View Group, the complex opened its arena in 2005, added the EMC Expo Center in 2004, and expanded with the Community Choice Convention Center in 2012, which was converted from the historic 1955 Veterans Memorial Auditorium. The convention center's centerpiece is Iowa's largest ballroom, a 28,800-square-foot Grand Ballroom on Level 4 that accommodates over 3,000 guests and divides into two sections. A recently renovated Junior Ballroom on Level 1 offers 10,560 square feet with its own pre-function space and private entrance. Level 3 holds 21 individual meeting rooms spanning 50,000 square feet, divisible via operable airwalls, while the EMC Expo Center contributes 150,000 contiguous square feet of exhibit space across three halls, each served by covered loading docks. The facility is connected via an indoor skywalk to the adjacent 330-room Hilton Des Moines Downtown and offers 1,400 on-site parking spaces. In-house catering, audio/visual production, and dedicated event coordination are available for conventions, tradeshows, galas, and weddings alike.

• Spaces for 12-200 Guests
• 1 Event Space
• 1 Meeting Space

The Indianola Activity Center is a multi-purpose event and community facility operated by the City of Indianola Parks and Recreation Department, located at 2204 W. 2nd Avenue in Indianola, Iowa. The center serves as the department's headquarters and hosts a wide range of private events, city meetings, and community gatherings throughout the year. The Buxton Room is the center's signature event space, accommodating up to 200 guests for receptions, birthday and anniversary celebrations, family reunions, and more. It comes fully equipped with 35 round folding tables, 288 folding chairs, 15 rectangle tables, a public address system with lectern, a projector screen, and a full kitchen with stove, refrigerator, and microwave. The space is ADA accessible and offers complimentary WiFi. A smaller Arts and Crafts Room accommodates up to 12 guests for intimate meetings or small group gatherings, complete with folding tables, chairs, and a sink. The Indianola Activity Center is an affordable and flexible venue option for Warren County and the greater Des Moines area, with daily and hourly rental options available seven days a week.

• Spaces for 150 Guests

• Spaces for 256 Guests

• Spaces for 270 Guests

• Spaces for 150-250 Guests
• 1 Hotel
• 1 Meeting Space

Baymont by Wyndham Des Moines Airport is a full-service hotel located minutes from Des Moines International Airport, offering convenient access for both overnight guests and event attendees. The hotel provides complimentary airport shuttle service, making it an accessible choice for groups traveling from out of town. The property features over 4,000 square feet of flexible meeting and banquet space across four rooms, accommodating up to 250 guests for conference-style events or 150 for banquets. In-house catering and AV capabilities support a range of gatherings — from corporate meetings and seminars to private celebrations and receptions. Guests and event attendees have access to a heated indoor pool, hot tub, fitness center, and complimentary continental breakfast, rounding out the stay-and-celebrate experience.

• Spaces for 500 Guests

Water Works Park is a nearly 1,500-acre public park and event venue in Des Moines, Iowa, operated by Des Moines Water Works along the Raccoon River near Gray's Lake. The park's grounds feature the Charles Sing Denman Memorial Fountain — a geyser-style fountain set within a formal garden — and the adjacent South Garden Gazebo, both available for outdoor wedding ceremonies from Memorial Day weekend through early October. A covered south shelter is available for picnic receptions and gatherings, with electricity, water, and picnic tables on site. The park also connects to an extensive trail network and hosts an equestrian area, fishing ponds, and open fields suited to a range of outdoor events. Amplified sound is permitted with a City of Des Moines sound permit, and alcoholic beverages are limited to beer and wine.

• Spaces for 70-1,000 Guests
• 1 Bar
• 1 Outdoor
• 3 Event Spaces

Principal Park is a 11,500-seat professional baseball stadium in downtown Des Moines, Iowa, home of the Iowa Cubs — the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. Opened in 1992 and renamed Principal Park in 2004 following a naming rights agreement with Principal Financial Group, the ballpark sits at the confluence of the Des Moines River and the Raccoon River, offering views of both the skyline and the surrounding waterways. The park's event programming spans game-day group packages and non-game-day private rentals across several distinct spaces. The climate-controlled Left Field Lounge accommodates groups of up to 70 and includes a full bar, audio and visual capabilities, and views of Sec Taylor Field. The Mezzanine, on the second level behind home plate, hosts groups of up to 1,000 with panoramic views of the city and the field. The CKF Left Field Landing, situated above the home bullpen, serves as an exclusive picnic area for groups of up to 125. The venue's catering team customizes packages for reunions, receptions, graduation parties, holiday events, business meetings, and staff retreats. Ample parking and a convenient downtown location make Principal Park easily accessible for guests arriving from across the Des Moines metro.

• Spaces for 300 Guests