The right venue sets the tone for every meeting, and few settings are more inspiring than the great outdoors. Whether overlooking sugar-white beaches, perched on the shores of a tranquil lake, nestled among mountain peaks, or surrounded by towering pines, natural venues offer a refreshing change of scenery and help attendees relax, reconnect, and engage. In nature, the best meeting experiences don’t end with the last session; the real adventure is just beginning, as planners and attendees alike embrace the beauty, wonder, and inspiration of natural settings.
Along the shore
Beaches are always top of mind for meetings and events. Beyond the natural beauty and coastal atmosphere, beachfront venues offer a setting where attendees can easily enjoy an experience beyond the meeting room. “For planners seeking a destination where nature enhances the meeting experience, Alabama’s Beaches deliver something truly special,” says Michelle Russ, vice president of sales for Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism. “Our natural white-sand beaches and diverse coastal ecosystems create a setting that encourages both productivity and relaxation. The beach itself is a powerful attendance driver, but what keeps groups coming back is the opportunity to blend meaningful meeting time with outdoor experiences.”
Among the Alabama Gulf Coast’s standout meeting destinations, The Lodge at Gulf State Park blends into its 6,000-acre natural surroundings, offering 350 guest rooms, more than 40,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, and Gulf views from its signature ballroom and outdoor Dunes Terrace. Just down the coast, Perdido Beach Resort pairs more than 30,000 square feet of meeting space with beachfront event decks and a full-service resort experience.
Nearby, the 132-room SpringHill Suites by Marriott at The Wharf serves as an ideal home base for groups, with three light-filled meeting rooms overlooking the marina and convenient access to larger gatherings at The Wharf Event Center. Just minutes from the beach and steps from Gulf State Park’s trail system, attendees can easily transition from meetings to dolphin cruises, catamaran rentals, bike rides, waterfront dining, or sunset excursions departing directly from the marina. “Being just minutes from the beach, we’re miles from the stress,” says Michelle Davis, general manager. “My favorite activities for groups are the sunset dolphin cruises, but we can also help groups shuttle back and forth to the beach—just five miles down the road—to enjoy the beauty of the Gulf Coast.”
At the beachfront Island House Hotel, each of the 161 Gulf-front guest rooms features a private balcony overlooking the water. Flexible meeting facilities can accommodate groups of up to 200, and an outdoor venue adjacent to the Gulf Room is ideal for receptions and networking events. According to Victoria Branch, director of sales, the boutique-style property makes it easy for attendees to park, stay, meet, dine, and unwind all in one place. “Private beach access makes it easy for guests to enjoy a walk along the shore, relax between sessions, or unwind after a productive day of meetings,” she says. “The peaceful coastal setting creates a refreshing atmosphere that inspires creativity, encourages connection, and leaves attendees feeling rejuvenated.”
Beyond Island House Hotel’s meeting rooms, planners can round out the agenda with beach outings, kayaking, dolphin cruises, and fishing charters. “These outdoor experiences provide an excellent balance to a productive meeting schedule while giving attendees a true taste of the destination,” Branch adds. “One of the most popular group activities is a dolphin cruise through the Intracoastal Waterway, offering guests a unique perspective of Orange Beach from the water.”
Groups seeking a more residential-style experience will find plenty of flexibility at Caribe Resort, where spacious condominium accommodations, a 7,000-square-foot event venue, an onsite marina, and easy access to fishing charters, dolphin cruises, and other water excursions create a memorable backdrop.
For groups looking for a more resort-style escape, The Beach Club offers renovated meeting space alongside Gulf-front condominiums and cottages. Beach campfires, walking trails through the adjacent wildlife refuge, pickleball, tennis, and a full-service spa provide plenty of opportunities to unwind. “Groups can go offsite for water activities like offshore fishing and sailboat rides, but there’s so much to do here as a full-service resort that guests don’t have to leave the property during their entire stay,” says Ashlee Lowry, director of marketing. “Attendees who bring their families can also take advantage of nightly kids’ activities.”
Kiva Dunes’ 3,000 feet of private beach, championship golf course, and beach houses, condominiums, and lodge accommodations make it a favorite for smaller gatherings, incentive trips, and golf-focused retreats. “For more than 25 years, Mississippi Farm Bureau has rewarded its top-performing agents with an incentive trip to Kiva Dunes, and it has become one of our most anticipated traditions,” says Caleb Tillman, associate state sales manager for Mississippi Farm Bureau. “The experience has created lasting memories and become a reward our agents strive to earn each year.”
By the bay
Not every waterfront meeting destination is defined by the beach. Along the Chesapeake Bay, expansive waterways, picturesque marinas, and centuries-old coastal towns provide a picturesque setting for meetings and events.
Nestled on 220-plus acres overlooking the Chesapeake Bay on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Kent Island Resort offers a natural setting where nature is woven into every part of the meeting experience. With 16,700 square feet of event space across nine venues, the resort accommodates everything from executive retreats to gatherings of 250 in its open-air, climate-controlled pavilion. Attendees move between meeting rooms, patios, and waterfront spaces via scenic brick walkways that encourage a connection with nature. “You’re not stuck inside a convention hall looking out a window,” says Carlie DuLac, dual property director of business development. “You can enjoy the sunshine. It’s very much grounded in nature.”
The property’s waterfront setting makes it easy to build the outdoors into the agenda, whether through kayaking, paddleboarding, sunrise yoga, paint-and-sip sessions by the bay, or a friendly round of Splash City Golf, where participants hit biodegradable golf balls from the dock toward floating targets. Even simple moments—an afternoon nature walk, s’mores around the firepit, or spotting deer grazing in the surrounding fields—become part of the experience. “You can go fishing off the dock, see deer, and then watch the fox run over the grounds at the end of the day,” DuLac adds. “It’s always so special to see groups enjoy it.”
Chesapeake Bay Beach Club provides the best of both worlds, with waterfront gathering spaces and garden-inspired accommodations just steps apart. The full-service destination offers 109 guest rooms across its hotel properties, along with a collection of flexible meeting venues ranging from boardrooms and intimate event spaces to a waterfront ballroom accommodating up to 300 attendees. “Our planners and groups really love that they get to move around from one building to the other,” says Carrie Simmons, vice president of strategy and brand management. “They get to change the scenery and then the views.”
The waterfront setting naturally lends itself to memorable group experiences, with expansive lawns suitable for teambuilding activities, cocktail receptions, and breakout sessions overlooking the bay. Groups can take to the water for fishing charters, kayaking, and paddleboarding, or put their creativity to the test during the resort’s popular build-a-boat challenge, where teams use cardboard, pool noodles, duct tape, and other provided materials to construct a vessel capable of making it across the bay without sinking. “We really try to make it authentic to the area,” Simmons says, “so guests can experience the destination without ever leaving the property.”
With 400 guest rooms and more than 85,000 square feet of outdoor event space, Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa and Marina offers groups plenty of room to gather while embracing the region’s natural beauty. Set along the Choptank River, the resort combines waterfront meeting venues and event spaces with unique outdoor experiences. Groups can participate in oyster cage construction activities to support the local ecosystem or in the “Feed the Fishes” program; this fun approach to feeding allows participants to hit biodegradable fish-food balls into the water, much like hitting a golf ball. Attendees can also explore the resort’s 18-acre Blue Heron Rookery, a wildlife refuge that’s home to a variety of birds, paddle nearby waterways, or venture to the renowned Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. “Our resort’s location in Cambridge is an incredible destination to explore the outdoors year-round,” says Cari Ruppert, director of sales. “Guests can easily experience the area by land or by boat.”
Into the mountains
For groups looking beyond shorelines, the scenic views, fresh air, and outdoor experiences of mountain destinations strike the perfect balance for inspired meetings.
Set on 12,000 private acres in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, The Lodge at Primland, Auberge Resorts Collection offers a secluded, luxurious retreat. The resort’s 54 accommodations and flexible indoor and outdoor gathering spaces are surrounded by beautiful mountains. Outdoor venues are among the property’s most popular gathering spaces, according to Will Rentschler, general manager, with terraces and scenic overlooks providing dramatic settings for welcome receptions, networking events, cocktail hours, private dinners, and fireside gatherings. “Unlike traditional conference destinations, Primland blends meeting spaces with immersive mountain experiences,” Rentschler says. “Primland’s secluded setting and expansive outdoor environment create memorable experiences that strengthen team connections and engagement.”
Primland also makes it easy for groups to build adventure into their agendas, with golf, horseback riding, RTV adventures, sporting clays, fly fishing, and stargazing at the property’s observatory. “The combination of luxury accommodations, elevated dining, outdoor adventure, and flexible meeting venues allows organizations to create programs that feel both productive and memorable,” Rentschler adds.
Out on the range
Ranch retreats offer an alternative to traditional meeting destinations for groups seeking wide-open spaces. These scenic settings, surrounded by rolling landscapes and outdoor recreation, encourage attendees to disconnect from daily distractions and experience the destination’s natural beauty.
Situated on 1,000 private acres between Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park, Summit at Big Bend offers 42 stargazing and deluxe domes, cave accommodations, and flexible gathering areas where meetings can unfold against a backdrop of West Texas mountains. “We want to get people in nature but have them still be comfortable,” says Brent Pickette, co-owner.
The property offers many options for groups to build adventure into the agenda. Guided hikes, Rio Grande rafting trips, ATV excursions, horseback riding, mountain biking, and nearby golf at Lajitas Golf Resort give attendees the opportunity to experience one of Texas’ most dramatic landscapes firsthand.
Tucked away on 9,000 acres in the Texas Hill Country is Rough Creek Lodge, Resort & Ranch, located 75 minutes from downtown Fort Worth and 90 minutes southwest of downtown Dallas. The property has 52 guest rooms, four cabins, and approximately 15 private residences. Its flexible meeting spaces, including the 3,600-square-foot Pavilion, accommodate everything from executive retreats to corporate gatherings. Floor-to-ceiling windows in the main meeting rooms frame the surrounding landscape, ensuring attendees remain connected to the ranch’s natural beauty even while indoors.
Beyond the meeting agenda, Rough Creek Lodge, Resort & Ranch offers more than 80 activities. The signature Rough Creek Challenge leads teams through a series of friendly competitions—including archery, sporting clays, tomahawk throwing, pickleball, and more—while horseback riding, fishing, ziplining, hiking, and shooting sports provide additional ways to enjoy the outdoors. “People choose us because there’s so much to do here,” says Christy Lemons, director of sales. “You’re away from the hustle and bustle of the city, surrounded by nature, with incredible food and activities that keep everyone together.”
Set on 300 acres of a historic Texas ranch, the 522-room Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort & Spa combines the charm of the Hill Country with the convenience of a full-service meetings destination. Following a $100 million-plus renovation, the resort now offers more than 100,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, including the new Rancher Hall overlooking its 2.2-acre recreation lagoon, The Big Spring, where glass windows and doors bring the outdoors into every gathering. Groups can also set up in the 20,200-square-foot Independence Ballroom or the 13,590-square-foot Hill Country Ballroom before taking advantage of the resort’s championship golf, kayaking and paddleboarding on the lagoon, Toptracer driving range, bicycle rentals, and a five-acre waterpark with a Texas-style lazy river. “Guests can also join Ranger Sean, our onsite naturalist, to learn more about the unique black rock squirrels, Egyptian geese, and other animals that are regularly seen around the resort,” adds Laura Ashley Hardaway, director of events.
Collection provides a retreat experience
in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Courtesy The Lodge at Primland, Auberge Collection
Along the trails
Unlike a traditional meeting destination centered around a single resort or convention center, the Natchez Trace Parkway invites groups to experience an entire region. Stretching 444 miles through Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee, the nationally designated scenic byway connects a collection of welcoming gateway communities, allowing planners to craft itineraries that blend productive meetings with scenic beauty, outdoor recreation, and rich history. “The Parkway itself is the experience,” says Kim Foster, executive director of the Natchez Trace Compact. “It provides an incredible backdrop for meetings and retreats, and the surrounding communities offer the accommodations, dining, attractions, and venues that round out a memorable itinerary.”
At the Parkway’s southern gateway, Mississippi River bluff views, a walkable downtown, historic charm, and flexible meeting facilities encourage attendees to explore Natchez Trace between sessions. Groups can gather for sunset receptions overlooking the river, begin the day with yoga or guided bike rides along the bluffs, or venture onto the Trace itself before returning downtown for dining and entertainment.
Farther north, Tupelo—home to the Natchez Trace Parkway Visitor Center headquarters—offers another ideal base for groups, with more than 61,000 square feet of meeting space at Huntington Bank Arena & Conference Center, more than 2,200 hotel rooms, and easy access to one of the Parkway’s most-visited gateways. Along the way, planners can incorporate a wide range of offerings, such as ranger-led programs, guided hikes, cycling excursions, birdwatching, fishing, stargazing, or simply a leisurely drive along one of America’s most-celebrated scenic roads.
“One thing that resonates with meeting planners is that the Natchez Trace allows attendees to step away from the traditional conference setting and genuinely connect with one another,” Foster adds. “Rather than serving as the meeting venue itself, the Natchez Trace becomes the experience, transforming a traditional meeting into something attendees will remember long after they return home.”
groups to enjoy Alabama’s natural surroundings. Courtesy Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism
A landscape like no other
Nature takes on an entirely different look at Graystone Quarry, just south of Franklin, Tenn. Once an abandoned limestone quarry, the 150-acre property in Williamson County now pairs dramatic cliffs, waterfalls, forests, and a quarry lake with flexible event spaces designed for everything from executive retreats to large-scale gatherings.
The 10,000-square-foot Gathering Hall is a lodge-inspired venue featuring a patio overlooking the waterfall, while the adjacent FirstBank Amphitheater is ideal for large-scale programs. For smaller meetings or breakouts, flexible event spaces throughout the property create a unique setting for workshops and daytime meetings.
According to Sarah Erickson, content marketing manager for Visit Franklin, Williamson County offers more than 70 hotels and approximately 6,500 guest rooms. Graystone Quarry is conveniently located just minutes from Interstate 65, Interstate 840, Nashville International Airport (BNA), and downtown attractions.
“Franklin also offers plenty of opportunities for groups to extend their experience, such as exploring Williamson County’s agritourism scene and outdoor adventures like horseback riding, kayaking, mountain biking, and hot-air balloon rides,” Erickson adds. “Graystone Quarry offers an experience that’s hard to replicate at a traditional hotel or convention center. While the scenery feels secluded, the venue is equipped with everything planners need.”
