Corrections or additions?
This article by Barbara Fox was published in U.S. 1 Newspaper on
September 9, 1998. All rights reserved.
Retreats: Outside the Box
Take your team meeting to the big front porch of a
bed and breakfast at the Jersey shore, and, for an afternoon break,
walk on the beach.
Gather around a big stone fireplace in the hills of North Jersey and
— when the lessons of teamwork need to be learned — clamber
onto a ropes course.
Stretch the horizons of your group members by taking them to a tower
room with a 360 degree view of the trees in all their autumn splendor.
Enjoy a catered lunch in the tower, and leave at the end of the day
with an expanded group vision.
Conferences and retreats don’t have to be dull, and they don’t have
to be held in Aspen or Seattle to get people to attend. Within an
hour’s drive of Princeton you can find all sorts of exciting, fun,
and often reasonably priced locations to hold your meeting, whether
it’s a corporate retreat or a planning session for a nonprofit group.
If your goal is to promote thinking “out of the box,” then
start with an “out of the ordinary” location.
Once you decide on your objectives and come up with a theme, you can
pick a location that has a lot of things built into it, says Michael
Young, president of Activities Inc. and its new spin-off, Meeting
Dimensions (see story page 47). If you want to do team-building, for
instance, you can arrange to play laser tag at a sports arena.
Meetings can also be held in museums, amphitheaters, planetariums,
parks, mansions, or health clubs, says Young. “The general rule
of thumb is that if it exists, an event can be produced there.”
Even at the most rustic place the basics can be provided: cover,
seating,
a space that can be darkened for projection, drink, risers (so you
can see the speaker), electricity, restrooms, food and drink, and
water.
Beyond the basics, you and your group can get creative — within
budget limits, of course. So the charitable groups like Affordable
Housing Network schedule their conferences with a religious
organization
that seeks to help the poor — Vincentian Renewal Center on
Mapleton
Road at a cost of $65 per night including meals.
Meanwhile top level executives for Big 10 pharmaceutical and financial
firms flock to pay $425 a night for Laurie House, a private (and
pricey)
converted farmhouse on the Chauncey Conference compound at Educational
Testing Service.
The central New Jersey conference and retreat destinations listed
below do not include the full-service hotels such as Novotel, the
Hyatt, Holiday Inn, Marriott, and the Nassau Inn — everyone knows
you can have a conference at a hotel. Here are some other choices
— unless specified, prices do not include tax and tip.
Quaint hotels and B&Bs in shore locations can
accommodate
small or medium sized groups in the off season at very reasonable
prices. You can rent an entire inn in Belmar for $700 on a weekend
night (less during the week).
The Inn at the Shore, 301 Fourth Avenue, Belmar, NewJersey07719, 732-681-3762; fax, 732-280-1914. Rosemary & Tom Volker.https://www.bbianj.com/innatttheshore.The Victorian-style house has a huge wrap-around porch with a viewof the ocean and cafe tables on the brick patio. In chillier weather,meet in the living room with its stone fireplace, the dining room,or the library. Full inn rental is $700 including breakfast or about$34 per person, including tax, plus about $20 for a catered lunch.Maximum capacity is 22 people. Of 17 rooms, three have private bath.Ashling Cottage, 106 Sussex Avenue, Spring Lake. Goodiand Jack Stewart. 732-449-3553; fax, 732-974-0831. E-mail:ashling@lonekeep.com,(https://www.bbianj.com/ashling). Open through October. Ten queen bedrooms rent off season for $124 to $134 with private bath, $99 withsinks and shared bath, all including full breakfast buffet. Meetingspace is available on a screened-in porch and parlor that could holdup to 20 people.Normandy Inn, 21 Tuttle Avenue, Spring Lake, 732-449-7172.Jeri Robertson, innkeeper. Small sales divisions of Merck, FirstNationalChicago, AT&T, Continental frequent the Normandy Inn. Groups of 20can rent the inn for midweek seminars for $88 each, including a fullbreakfast, use of the meeting space, and coffee break with fruit.Lunch can be catered for $13 or $14, and conferees go out to dinner,which costs about $20 or $25 in town. “They take an afternoonbreak and ride bikes or take beach chairs down to the beach,”says Robertson. “We have set up an evening boat ride on a bigfishing boat or on the River Belle out of Manasquan for dinner. Ourbig front porch can accommodate the meetings.”Spring Lake is just a 45-minute drive from Princeton.Top Of PageBy the RiverB>The 1740 House, Lumberville PA 18933,215-297-5661.Robert John Vris, innkeeper. This unpretentious hideaway is righton the canal and the river, five miles north of New Hope, and it isfrequently used for small corporate retreats. The 24 rooms rent for$80 on weekdays, $118 on weekends and holidays, including a buffetbreakfast, ice and mixers. The innkeeper offers an assortment of menusso you can reserve tables at any of the nearby excellent restaurants.All rooms are air conditioned, have private baths and terraces orbalconies; the river is literally at your feet. Book ahead.Evermay on-the-Delaware, River Road (Route 32), Erwinna.610-294-9100; 610-294-8249. https://www.evermay.com. Built in1867, this 18th century mansion is now a Victorian country househotel,very quiet, says Dawn Smigo, manager, because the nearest town is1 1/2 miles away.Groups of 5 to 20 can schedule a mid-week conference at $120 perpersonper night including continental breakfast or about $200 includingthree meals — lunch, four-course dinner, and morning and afternoonbreaks. There is a charge of $175 for the meeting room, which couldbe the Garden Room with wall-to-wall glass windows.Centre Bridge Inn, Routes 32 and 263, New Hope.215-862-9139;fax, 215-862-3244.https://www.letsmakeplans.com/centrebridgeinn.Stephen R. DuGan, innkeeper. At the colonial inn, dating to 1705,private rooms are available for day meetings of up to 120, but onlyabout 10 rooms are available for overnight guests. The view of thebridge from the Common Room is quite something, and the room has afireplace as well. All rooms have private baths, some have a terraceor river view.Inn to the Woods Bed & Breakfast Conference and RetreatCenter ,150 Glenwood Drive, Washington Crossing PA 18977. 800-982-7619; fax,215-493-7592. E-mail: innsight@inn-bucks.com. Rosemary Rein, the owner(and no relation to U.S. 1’s publisher), drew on her background asa trainer and human resources consultant to design her retreatpackages.For groups of six or more she offers a commuter package for $49 perperson. That includes continental breakfast, meeting facilities,mid-morningand afternoon breaks, and what she calls “lunch in thecountry.”Overnight retreats cost $179 per person including private baths, plusbreakfast, lunch, and afternoon tea, and a progressive dinner ofcountryinn cuisine.Top Of PageIvory TowersCampuses are a cost effective yet pleasant place tohold a seminar, because they can evoke fond memories of yesteryear.Most are open for overnight conferences and training sessions onlyduring the summer but are happy to accumulate extra funds for daytimemeetings throughout the school year. Note that Rutgers does have itsown year-round conference center.Princeton University, Center for Visitors and ConferenceServices. 609-258-6115; fax, 609-258-4656. Cynthia S. Horr, director.(https://www.princeton.edu/~cvcs/The Woodrow Wilson School is among the favorite spots for outsidegroups to use for all-day events during the school year, as are thetraditional rooms of McCosh Hall. Eisenhart Lounge on the top of FineTowers has wall to wall windows and overlooks the new stadium. Ithas space for 25 at a large oak conference table plus an area fora reception.During the school year, half of the 100 events are sponsored byoutsidegroups. In the summer the university opens its doors to about 60not-for-profitorganizations of varying sizes, ranging from Princeton Ballet School’ssummer program to a conference for financial analysts.”Overnight accommodations in dormitories are available in summermonths, since we have no formal summer school,” says Eric Hamblin,assistant director of CVCS. Rooms range from $18 to $25 dependingon bath arrangements and air conditioning. Meals in student cafeteriasare about $28 per day. A meeting room could cost from $75 to 10 timesthat. The Eisenhart Lounge costs from $150 to $400 plus food.Rider University, 2083 Lawrenceville Road,Lawrenceville08648. Dave Keenan, director of student center. 609-896-5327. Homepage: https://www.rider.edu.University Inn and Conference Center at Rutgers, 178RydersLane, New Brunswick 08901-8535. Deana Guden, conference and eventscoordinator. 732-932-9148 or 732-932-9141; fax, 732-932-6952. E-mail:univinn@rci.rutgers.edu. Home page:https://www.ce1776.rutgers.edu.Meeting rooms are available for up to 100 participants, and thereare 36 guest rooms (for a maximum of 72 people) with private baths.Rooms are $90 for double occupancy, $70 single occupancy. Triplesare $95, Deluxe rooms, larger with king-size beds, are $99 single,$110 for two people. Available year-round.Georgian Court College, Lakewood. 732-364-2200, x 285.Mary Cranwell, director of special events. E-mail:cranwell@georgian.edu.Meeting space for up to 1,500 year-round with accommodations onlyin the summer. This is the former estate of railroad and steel magnateand polo fan George J. Gould.Lehigh University, 63 University Drive, Bethlehem 18015,610-758-5306; fax 609-758-3586. Mary Kay Baker, conference services.E-mail: mkbl@lehigh.edu. Meeting space for up to 500 and summeraccommodationsfor up to 1,110. It is one hour and 15 minutes driving time fromPrinceton.Lunches or dinners can be held in the Tower Room for up to 75 people.It has a floor-to-ceiling windows with a 360-degree view of thehistoriccity of Bethlehem, lit at the holidays with millions of twinklingwhite lights. Don’t plan a meeting here if you need audio visuals;you can’t close any shades.Top Of PageConference CentersB>ETS Chauncey Conference Center, Rosedale Road,Box 6652, Princeton 08541-6652. 609-921-3600; fax, 609-683-4958.E-mail:chauncey@pluto.njcc.com. Home page:https://www.chaunceymeetings.com.Mary Janelle, acting general manager for Marenzana ConferenceServices.This conference center with capacity for 200 guests is available tothe public only for educational and research-related conferences.Outside for-profit groups generally come from the pharmaceutical orNew York financial market. “The assumption is that there isproductknowledge to be learned,” says Jan Zak, director of global sales.The main conference center rooms cost from $285 to $325 includingmeals and tips.”Our closest competition is Merrill Lynch and Forrestal, and bothare three times as big as we are,” says Zak. She can book onlyabout 100 rooms, including a half dozen in Laurie House (formerlya farm house, then the upscale home of Henry Chauncey, the ETSpioneer).When his wife, Laurie, died in 1975, Chauncey donated the house tothe conference center.Executives use Laurie House when they need guaranteed privacy for”senior senior” type meetings. “A lot goes on in LaurieHouse that you read about in the Wall Street Journal two monthslater,”says Zak. With its own chef and helipad and a very high level ofamenitiesand service, it costs about $425 per person per night inclusive.Thoughit has only six bedrooms, 10 other rooms in the larger center arededicated to Laurie House use and have a separate entrance.The Forrestal at Princeton Hotel and Conference Center,100 College Road East, Princeton 08540. Neil Pompan, assistant generalmanager. Rich Cimilluca, director of sales and marketing.609-452-7800;fax, 609-452-2523.This conference center hotel with two restaurants and completerecreationfacilities on 25 wooded acres was formerly known as Scanticon. Ithas 33 conference rooms with 35,000 square feet on one level; theyrange from 200 to nearly 5,000 square feet, including two board rooms,22 breakout rooms, and nine conference rooms. The largest room canseat 250 people. All are soundproof and have up-to-date AV equipment.The 290 guest rooms (including 10 suites) have closed circuit TV andlarge sliding windows overlooking the woods. Also here: a 61-footswimming pool, a whirlpool and sauna solarium, game room, exerciseroom, tennis and sand volleyball courts, a Parcourse fitness cluster,and jogging trails.For groups ranging from two to 250 people, the meeting package rateranges from $310 to $325 per person including all meals and snacks,although rates can be cheaper at certain times.Merrill Lynch Conference Center, 900 Scudders Mill Road,Plainsboro 08536. A.J. Panaia, general manager, John Murphy, directorof operations. 609-282-1000; fax, 609-282-2126.This conference and training center connected to the corporateheadquarterson Scudders Mill Road is open to outside organizations and can takegroups of up to 400. It is run by Harrison Conference Services basedin Glen Cove, New York, which manages seven other centers includingthose at Duke, Wellesley, and Vero Beach.The published rate is $339 per person per night, inclusive, or $399for a suite in the Executive Center. Depending on the month or week,a groups might get a more preferential rate. Facilities include 34meeting rooms, a 316-seat auditorium with a key-pad response systemfor mini-polls, 343 guest rooms with closed circuit TV capabilities,phone labs, an Olympic-sized lap pool, a 1.2 mile jogging trail,tenniscourts, billiards lounge, a half court for racquetball and basketball,and a lake-view dining room. A more private Executive Center forgroupsof up to 50 has a separate entry, a private dining room, and ahelipad.Slightly more than half of the groups are from Merrill Lynch, andthe rest are from Fortune 500 companies, accounting firms, and lawfirms.Top Of PageDay RatesB>Forsgate Country Club, Forsgate Drive,Jamesburg08831. Tom Grant, general manager. 732-521-0070; fax, 732-521-0687.Daytime conference center and private country club with two 18-holegolf courses and two full-service public restaurants. A day meetingpackage for at least 25 people costs $35 per person including snacks.For $50 you get a “roll-in” lunch.New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association, 12Center Drive, Jamesburg 08831-1564. JoAnn D. Bartoletti, executivedirector. 609-860-1200; fax, 609-860-2999. E-mail:njpsa@aol.com.Home page: https://www.njpsa.org.This daytime conference center for up to 130 people can accommodateovernights by arrangement with a nearby hotel. Corporate rentals rangefrom $250 (at a 10-person table or in a computer training room) to$500 for 22 to 24 people. Nonprofit fees are slashed to less thanhalf that. Food service is about $5 per person for snacks and $11for lunch plus a waitress fee of $75. It is a state-approved vendor.New Jersey Hospital Association Conference Center, 760Alexander Road. 609-275-4035; fax, 609-275-4058. Steve Krebs, directorof conferences and facilities. The center can handle up to 300 guestswith room rentals ranging from $150 to $600 per day without foodcosts,from $100 to $600 if a meal is served.New Jersey Housing & Mortgage Finance Agency, RoeblingCenter at 637 South Clinton, Trenton 08650. 609-278-7401;609-278-1754.Ann Applebaum Merlino, director of administration.As a community service NJHMFA allows nonprofits to use the atriumgallery in its Roebling Center building, designed by Michael Farewellof Ford Farewell Mills & Gatsch. Light floods in the four-story atriumwindows by day, and at night with the lights shining outside, it isbright and airy. Trade groups and government agencies have stagedconferences here. A kitchen adjoins the board room and atrium, andup to 150 people can have a sit-down meal. From 300 to 400 peoplecan be seated classroom style or, for a reception, traffic can flowthrough two rooms. One caveat; the walls of glass and the slate floorcan be detrimental to acoustics, but that is being worked on. NJHMFAcan provide the tables and chairs but charges a fee for after hourssecurity.Top Of PageTapping the PastB>Lambertville House, 32 Bridge Street, Box 349,Lambertville, 609-397-0200; fax, 609-397-0511,https://www.lambertvillehouse.com.Traci Ambrose, conference coordinator.Newly restored, this former stagecoach stop can handle groups of 25people overnight. Midweek corporate rates range from $149 to $199per luxury room, some with jetted tubs, fireplace, and/or balcony.Meal costs would be $35 for lunch and snacks plus $33 or $39 fordinner.A conference room for 24 people might run $400.Brick Hotel and Restaurant, South State Street &WashingtonAvenue, Newtown, PA. 215-860-8313. 215-860-8084.Www.brickhotel.com. John Mueller, director sales of marketing. Built by a brickyardowner in 1764, this house did indeed entertain George Washington.It fronts a busy street but a glass-walled conference room overlooksa lovely garden. All 14 rooms can be booked for a conference, allwith private bath, telephone, and television, for from $70 to $110including breakfast, plus $20 for lunch.”But most of the conferences we do are during the day,” saysMueller. The daytime charge of $20 per person covers breaks and lunch,and the room rent ranges from $100 to $250. As with most places, asufficient food and beverage bill is reason to waive the room tab.Top Of PageFor Soul SearchingPrograms with a spiritual tinge — the holisticwellnessprograms and creativity-tapping sessions — have been used by thosein the creative industries, but now they are spreading even to thefinance community, says Sandra Kimbrough of the Kimbrough Company,a public relations, marketing, and special events firm with officesin New York and Ewing. “Now they are getting to the hard core,to the stockbrokers.”She sees corporations starting to provide information to theiremployeesabout how to balance life and work, unleash creative power, help withtime management, improve concentration through meditation, increasemental acuity, develop positive conflict resolution skills, managestress, and improve decision making ability. “It’s all to balancethe wellness of individuals to improve mind body fitness within thenew corporate culture, still while looking to increase corporateproductivityand the bottom line,” she suggests.Your group doesn’t have to talk religion when you book space at areligious center, but you may need to specify some sort of topicpertainingto inner growth. A caveat: be sure that no one in your group is goingto object to religious symbols. These camps and centers range fromthe very liberal (at Kirkridge, Daniel Berrigan is a frequent guestspeaker) to the opposite (Twin Pines Camp in Stroudsburg, run bythe Evangelical Congregational Church, requires groups to subscribeto a conservative Christian credo).Need we add that the religious centers are among the least expensive?Vincentian Renewal Center, 75 Mapleton Road, Box 351,Plainsboro 08536. Charles P. Strollo CM, director. 609-520-9626; fax,609-520-0593. E-mail: vrc1625@erols.com.The tree-shaded grounds are a quiet haven from the everyday bustle,yet this former boys’ school — St. Joseph’s Seminary — is justtwo minutes off Route 1. In 1988 the 90-year old building wasremodeledto accommodate individuals and groups from all faiths. PrincetonPublicLibrary’s board held a retreat here.Now Father Strollo is trying to book group with a stronger emphasison the Vincentian mission for “faith sharing, healing, andaccompanimentfor all who come, especially the poor, clergy, vowed religious, theVincentian family and all those who expend their energies in theserviceof the least among us,” he says.Facilities include the renewal center chapel, a meeting lounge forsmaller groups, a 65-person dining hall, 14 bedrooms with privatebath and shower and individual room controls (double and tripleoccupancy),and use of the basketball/tennis/racquet ball court or indoor gym.Plus, of course, the grounds that are an oasis of quiet andcontemplation.Day groups pay $10 per person plus meal costs. Rooms are $40, $65with three meals, $105 for two days with five meals.San Alphonso Retreat Center, 755 Ocean Avenue, Long Branch07740. 732-222-2731, extension 40; fax, 732-870-8892. Father JohnMurray C.S.s.R., rector.The Redemptorist Fathers and Brothers run this retreat center thathas nine acres right on the ocean in Long Branch. Any group, religiousor not, can book space here midweek, and a group of Rutgers Universityis the latest to reserve space. The cost is about $80 per person perday including overnight stay, three meals, and use of meetingfacilities.United Methodist Camps and Conferences: Camp Aldersgate,Swartswood, Sussex County, 973-383-5978; 973-383-4428. DeclanThompson,executive director. At this camp, 15 minutes from Blairstown, a groupof 20 people would pay about $49 per person for carpeted rooms withfour people sharing a bath. Hiking trails range from “a pleasantstroll to a breathtaker” on site, and there are three state parkswithin a 15-minute drive. Though 85 percent of the traffic here comesfrom Methodist churches, it does have retreats from such corporationsas M&M Mars and some nonprofits.Presbytery of Philadelphia USA: Kirkwood Camp and ConferenceCenter, located near Stroudsburg, off Route 611. 215-732-1842.Carolyn Jeffrie. This Poconos-based camp costs $35 to $37 per nightincluding meals and bunk bed accommodations.Kirkridge Retreat Center, 2495 Fox Gap Road, Bangor PA18013-6028, 610-588-1793. fax 610-588-8510. Janet Lewis, registrar.Cynthia Crowner, director.Enjoy extraordinary views on Kittatinny Ridge near Delaware WaterGap with healthy food for $75 per person overnight with three mealsincluding linens. Facilities for group of 16 to 100 include a lodgewith a stone fireplace, a house with an octagonal meeting room, andan 1815 farmhouse with wide plank floors and a stone hearth. “Prayand picket” is the motto here, where the approved list of causesincludes peacemaking, gay community rights, and victims of sexualabuse.Top Of PagePitching InPendle Hill Center for Study and Contemplation, 338 PlushMill Road, Wallingford PA. 610-566-4507 or 800-742-3150. HeatherSnediker-Morcheck.This Quaker refuge and resource for peace education can take corporategroups of up to 35 people. It is popular for board meetings andpicnicsand “community-building” retreats. Costs are $63 to $65 perperson in a rental group for bed and breakfast, plus $6.75 for lunchand $9.75 for dinner. Day groups pay $95 to $120 for meeting space(including basic visual aids) plus meals.The Quaker ideals show: Everyone who attends an event at Pendle Hillduring the summer, even for the day, must do a chore. You will seepeople in business suits washing dishes. “The way we justify thisis that we couldn’t accommodate the people without extra hands.Everyonewho lives here has a weekly chore and a daily chore, and the othersneed the spiritual exercise of work,” says Snediker-Morcheck.”Some do object very strenuously.”Next StoryCorrections or additions?This page is published by PrincetonInfo.com— the web site for U.S. 1 Newspaper in Princeton, New Jersey.
