The DeKoven Center, Racine, Wisconsin

If you're looking for a location for your wedding, retreat, birthday celebration or quincinera, the DeKoven Center in Racine, Wisconsin might be just what you're looking for. It's a beautiful, picturesque area filled with towering trees, colorful gardens and green lawns. It has its own chapel onsite, a gym, pool, bedrooms and meeting halls. No matter what activity you have planned, the DeKoven Center is definitely worth a look, and the fees are not outrageous as some locations are.

The DeKoven Center can handle small groups as well as larger groups and is located right across the street from Lake Michigan in Racine, Wisconsin. The Center was built in 1867 as Racine College, a boarding school/college and while modernized to a degree, it still has the look and feel of the 19th century. The buildings are brick and stone. There is a full service kitchen and dining hall in addition to the sleeping quarters and conference rooms. The Center encompasses about 20 acres and is only a short distance from Chicago, Illinois or Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It's also located a short drive from the Milwaukee, Wisconsin airport, which makes air travel fairly easy and direct.

Dr. James DeKoven (1831 to 1879) was the warden of Racine College. It was a Christian college with regular church services in St. John's Chapel. Now, however, the Center is used for spiritual or business retreats, conferences, meetings, weddings in the chapel and then receptions in one of the halls or for other celebrations like reunions or birthdays. There is also a gym and swimming pool available for a small fee. Swimming lessons and exercise classes are offered at different times. The different costs can be found on the DeKoven Center website, www.dekovencenter.org. Reservations are essential due to the popularity of the Center, especially for weddings at St. John's Chapel. The Chapel was built in 1864 for the students and faculty of the Racine College. It has Belgian stained glass windows and a vaulted ceiling. The pews are the original carved wooden seats from the 1800s and there is even a pipe organ in the choir loft.

If you plan on staying at the Center during the summer months, be prepared for hot and humid weather. The rooms do not have air conditioning, but electric fans are provided. There are also no bathrooms in the bedrooms, but a men's and women's bathroom on each floor. There are several showers and toilet stalls in each bathroom. There is an elevator, but it's small and old and can only hold a few people at a time. The old wooden staircases are very creaky, but strong and safe. All of this only adds to the charming and old fashioned atmosphere. The gardens and location more than compensate for any small discomforts.