Egypt in Raleigh? It’s not only doable in the North Carolina Museum of Art, it’s one of the easiest themes to accomplish in the museum’s gallery of Egyptian art, says Linda Ilsley, CMP, vice president of destination management for Raleigh, N.C.-based Sterling Events Company.
“The gallery has great pieces of art, including a pharaoh’s sarcophagus,” she says. “All you need to bring in are centerpieces and table linen that are appropriate, in-house catering takes care of the rest. If weather permits, we also like to use the museum’s outdoor dining venue in Museum Park. The staff has always been great to us. Once they even opened up the museum’s very magnificent gift shop after-hours and our people shopped the jewelry.
There are other riveting art features outside the pharaoh’s lair to wow guests, she adds, and more is coming after an expansion of the museum scheduled to open in 2010.
Event planner Janice Mrkonjic, a principal with Savvy Event Designs, says many groups enjoy getting off Raleigh’s beaten path to experience some of the local cuisine culture.
“We are strong supporters of small businesses like the mom and pop restaurants,” Mrkonjic says, “and we often go to ones owned by Rocky Top Hospitality, like Bogart’s. It has private dining, and great fresh food like rotisserie chicken. Fins Restaurant downtown is really beautiful and chic, and it makes guests think they are somewhere else.”
Tables in Fins’ main dining area rest on raised wooden platforms, and the granite-topped bar is separated from main dining tables by a glass aquarium and panels of frosted glass. Some call the cuisine “Cal-Asian.”
Mrkonjic likes to take some groups on tours of research and development sites on North Carolina State University’s campus.
“For people who have an interest, there are tours at the textile school so visitors see things like fire-retardant bandages in development. Or at the veterinary college, we do a tour of the facilities and see the equestrian pool that horses in recovery use,” she says. “Raleigh is such an important research and development destination, so these kinds of sites are of particular interest to medical people and others.”
The NC Museum of History has exhibits year-round that appeal to all ages, she says: “This site is good for spouses and kids, and it can be as formal or informal as you want.”
Modecai Historic Park is another planner favorite. This plantation with two centuries of history sits on 5,000 acres. The historic family home is available for tours, and the adjacent park offers group activities like softball and tennis. Shaded by a variety of majestic trees that are original to the antebellum landscaping, the grounds provide a unique and picturesque setting for many types of occasions of up to 250 guests.
