2015 Group Tour Planning Guide

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Fort Wayne, Indiana

Welcome to Fort Wayne, Indiana’s second largest city! We are so glad that you are interested in planning a group tour in our city.

Fort Wayne is a short drive from several major Midwest cities.

What makes Fort Wayne the perfect tour destination? As Indiana’s second largest city, Fort Wayne offers many unique and affordable one, two, or three-day experiential tours, with behind-thescenes and hands-on stops to factory stores, outlet shops, museums, and attractions. Our community embraces tour groups and greets them with our famous Hoosier Hospitality! Let Visit Fort Wayne help you plan a memorable trip to our city. Don’t forget to ask about our amazing group hotel packages! Start by calling us today at (260) 424-3700 and finding us online at visitfortwayne.com.


Vera Bradley Outlet Sale

One of Fort Wayne’s most popular bus tour options is the annual Vera Bradley Outlet Sale each spring! For over five days, this popular event welcomes more than 65,000 shoppers from all 50 states and eight countries to the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. Plan a fun experiential tour around this amazing sale, where your group can find 40-60% off retail prices of Vera Bradley handbags, purses, totes, luggage, stationary and accessories. More details on the 2016 sale will be released throughout the coming months. Stay tuned to Visit Fort Wayne email updates and contact vboutletsale@verabradley.com with general comments/questions.


Girlfriend Getaways

DeBrand Fine Chocolates Take DeBrand’s beautiful factory tour with samples along the way and see their chocolatiers in action!

The Olive Twist Enjoy tastings and shopping at an olive oil and vinegar boutique.

Cali Spa Relax in a group setting with over 30 pedicure/manicure stations.

Wineries Learn all about wine at Country Heritage Winery & Two EE’s.

Shopping Shop at Jefferson Pointe, Glenbrook Square & Covington Plaza.


Downtown

Historic Embassy Theatre Built in 1928, take a walk through this historic theatre - home to Broadway shows, concerts and a Grand Page Pipe Organ!

Genealogy Center

Downtown Sculptures Walk

Home to the nation’s largest public genealogical collection.

Enjoy a walking tour of 35 NEW downtown art sculptures.

Museum of Art

Botanical Conservatory

Visit a diverse lineup of contemporary exhibits & historical art.

Surround yourself with gardens and a cascading waterfall.


Historic

Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society Excursion Choo Choo! Learn the history of the famous Nickle Plate Steam Locomotive No. 765.

Grabill Amish Community Explore a living Amish community and its shopping district.

Historic Old Fort Watch re-enactments from the 1700’s to Civil War times.

The History Center

Historical Boat Rides

Tour six exhibits with more than 25,000 historic artifacts.

Cruise the rivers and learn our city’s past, present & future.


Student

Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo Indiana’s #1 Summer Attraction! See more than 1,000 animals and enjoy lunch in the zoo’s NEW picnic pavilion.

Science Central Explore 125+ exhibits and the NEW Science on a Sphere.

Sweetwater Sound Go behind the scenes of a national music retailer.

Fort Wayne Outfitters Take a canoe, kayak, bike or hike around downtown Fort Wayne.

Black Pine Animal Sanctuary Meet over 100 rescued animals in an intimate setting.


Agriculture

Cook’s Orchard and Farm Visit a country farm with an apple orchard, pumpkin patch, fresh sweet corn and produce store.

Tanglewood Berry Farm Family-owned organic farm with picking tours and market.

Steele Farms A family-operated farm with a market and popular corn maze.

Kuehnert Dairy Farm Watch day-to-day operations of a working Hoosier milk farm.

Fishburn’s Farm Market A locally-owned market with fresh produce, flowers, meat, & eggs


Factory

cinda b purses and handbags Watch high-quality, USA handbags and purses made from start to finish and end in their shopping outlet!

Peg Perego

Home Reserve

See a national retailer assemble children’s vehicles and toys.

Watch ready-to-assemble furniture made before your eyes.

Country Kitchen SweetArt

Sechler’s Pickles Inc.

Learn cake making tips, decorating tricks and tasty recipes.

Go behind the scenes and tour a pickle factory and field.


Performing Arts

Arts United Center The main performance venue of the Fort Wayne Ballet, Civic Theatre, Youththeatre and Dance Collective!

USF Performing Arts Center

IPFW Rhinehart Music Center

Downtown concert hall for the University of Saint Francis.

University and community theater on the campus of IPFW.

Foellinger Theatre

Arena Dinner Theatre

Outdoor theater, concert and music venue in Franke Park.

Live theater production in historic West Central Neighborhood.


Dining Listed below are popular group-friendly restaurants in Fort Wayne. For a complete list of delicious dining options, go to visitfortwayne.com and search under “Best of Dining.”

BakerStreet 4820 N. Clinton St. (260) 484-3300 bakerstreetfortwayne.com Seating up to 30 people

Don Hall’s Old Gas House 305 E. Superior St. (260) 426-3411 donhalls.com Seating up to 50 people

Fort Wayne Famous Coney Island 131 W. Main St. (260) 424-2997 fortwaynesfamousconeyisland.com Seating up to 25 people

Biaggi’s Ristorante 4010 W. Jefferson Blvd. (260) 459-6700 biaggis.com Seating up to 50 people

Eddie Merlot’s 1502 Illinois Rd. (260) 459-2222 eddiemerlots.com Seating up to 60 people

Mad Anthony’s Brewing Company 2002 Broadway Ave. (260) 426-2535 madbrew.com Seating up to 25 people

Casa Ristorante (3 locations) 7545 W. Jefferson Blvd. (260) 399-2455 caserestaurants.net Seating up to 55 people

El Azteca 535 E. State Blvd. (260) 482-2172 elaztecarestaurant.com Seating up to 50 people

Main St. Bistro 200 E. Main St. (260) 420-8633 mainstreetbistrolounge.com Seating up to 30 people

Central City Cafe 620 S. Calhoun St. (260) 422-2233 centralcitycafe.com Seating up to 40 people

Flat Top Grill 4140 W. Jefferson Blvd. (260) 432-4100 flattopgrill.com Seating up to 50 people

Shigs In Pit 2008 Fairfield Ave. (260) 387-5903 shigsinpit.com Seating up to 40 people

Chop’s Wine Bar 6421 W. Jefferson Blvd. (260) 436-9115 chopsfortwayne.com Seating up to 50 people

JK O’Donnell’s Irish Pub 121 W. Wayne St. (260) 420-5563 jkodonnells.com Seating up to 40 people

Red Rok BBQ and Bourbon Saloon 123 W. Columbia St. (260) 755-6745 redrokfw.com Seating up to 40 people

Club Soda 235 E. Superior St. (260) 426-3442 clubsodafortwayne.com Seating up to 60 people

Joseph Decuis 191 Main St. Roanoke, IN (260) 672-1715 josephdecuis.com Seating up to 60 people

Tucanos Brazilian Grill 4130 W. Jefferson Blvd. (260) 436-4433 tucanos.com Seating up to 60 people


2015 Calendar of Events Listed below are popular group-friendly events in Fort Wayne. For a complete list of events and festivals, go to visitfortwayne.com and search under “Calendar of Events.�

Home and Garden Show

Vera Bradley Outlet Sale

February 26-March 1, 2015

Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival August 24-31, 2015

cinda b Factory Outlet Sale November 12-14, 2015

April 8-12, 2015

Johnny Appleseed Festival September 19-20, 2015

HolidayFest November 21-December 31, 2015

*Dates and times are subject to change*


Attractions African/ African-American Museum 436 E. Douglas Ave. (260) 420-0765 african-americanw.com

Cali Spa 1615 W. Dupont Rd. (260) 451-8888 calispa.com

Allen County Courthouse 715 S. Calhoun St. (260) 449-4246 allencountycourthouse.org

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and Museum 915 S. Clinton St. (260) 424-1485 diocesefwb.org

ACPL Genealogy Center 900 Library Plaza (260) 421-1225 acpl.lib.in.us

Chief Richardville House 5705 Bluffton Rd. (260) 426- 2882 fwhistorycenter.com

ARCH Downtown Tours 818 Lafayette St. (260) 426-5117 archfw.com

cinda b Handbags & Purses 1530 Progress Rd. (260) 748-8234 cindab.com

Artlink Gallery 300 E. Main St. (260) 427-7195 artlinkfw.com

Cook’s Orchard and Farm 8724 Huguenard Rd. (260) 489-3940 cooksorchard.com

Arts United Center 300 E. Main St. (260) 424-0646 artsunited.com

Country Heritage Winery 185 Country Rd. 69, Laotto, IN (260) 637-2980 countryheritagewinery.com

Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum 1600 S. Wayne St., Auburn, IN (260) 925-1444 automobilemuseum.org

Country Kitchen SweetART 4621 Speedway Dr. (260) 482-4835 countrykitchen.com

Baer Field Heritage Air Park 3005 W. Ferguson Rd. (260) 478-3428 baerfieldheritagepark.com

DeBrand Fine Chocolates 10105 Auburn Park Dr. (260) 969-8333 debrand.com

Black Pine Animal Sanctuary 1426 W. 300, Albion, IN (260) 636-7383 blackpine.com

Eagle Marsh - Little River Wetlands 2403 Fairoak Dr. (260) 478-2515 lrwp.com


Attractions Embassy Theatre 125 W. Jefferson Blvd. (260) 424-6287 fwembassytheatre.org

Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society 15808 Edgerton Rd. (260) 493-0765 765.org

Fishburn’s Farm Market 9110 N. 300, Markle, IN (260) 638-4788 fishburnsfarmmarket.com

Fort Wayne Trails 300 E. Main St. (260) 969-0079 fwtrails.com

Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory 1100 S. Calhoun St. (260) 427-6440 botanicalconservatory.org

Fox Island County Park 7324 Yohne Rd. (260) 449-3180 allencountyparks.org/parks/fox-island

Fort Wayne Aviation Museum 3801 W. Ferguson Rd. (260) 747-4146 fwairport.com

Grabill Amish Community 13717 First St., Grabill, IN (260) 627-0933 grabill.net

Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo 3411 Sherman Blvd. (260) 427-6800 kidszoo.com

Historic Old Fort 1201 Spy Run Ave. (260) 437-2836 oldfortwayne.org

Fort Wayne Firefighters Museum 226 W. Washington Blvd. (260) 426-0051 fortwaynefiremuseum.org

History Center 302 E. Berry St. (260) 426-2882 fwhistorycenter.com

Fort Wayne Museum of Art 311 E. Main St. (260) 422-6467 fwmoa.org

Home Reserve Furniture 3015 Cannongate Dr. (260) 969-6939 homereserve,com

Fort Wayne Outfitters/Historical River Tours 1004 Cass St. (260) 420-3962 fwoutfitters.com

Karpeles Manuscript Library 3039 Piqua Ave. (260) 456-6929 rain.org/~karpeles

Fort Wayne Parks Department 705 E. State Blvd. (260) 427-6000 fortwayneparks.org

Kuehnert Dairy Farm 6532 W. Cook Rd. (260) 417-1918 facebook.com/kuehnertdairtfarm.com


Attractions Lazer X 244 Fernhill Ave. (260) 484-1350 lazerfw.com

Seven Sons Farms 15718 Aboite Rd. (877) 620-1977 sevensons.net

Mad Anthony Brewing Company 2002 Broadway Ave. (260) 426-2537 madbrew.com

SkyZone Indoor Trampoline Park 401 Fernhill Ave. (260) 483-5867 skyzone.com/FortWayne

Moose Lake Christian Craft Village 11330 E. 500, Laotto, IN (260) 637-2372 mooselakechristiancraftvillage.com

SportONE/Parkview Fieldhouse 3946 Ice Way Dr. (260) 444-2788 sportonefieldhouse.com

National Military History Center 5634 County Rd., Auburn IN (260) 927-9144 nationalmilitaryhistorycenter.org

SportONE/Parkview Icehouse 3869 Ice Way Dr. (260) 387-6614 icesports.com/fortwayne

Painting Fun Spot 4150 W. Jefferson Blvd. (260) 616-0350 paintingfunspot.com

Steele Farms 5525 W. 300 N, Decatur, IN (260) 565-3355 visitsteelefarms.com

Peg Perego 3625 Independence Dr. (260) 482-8191 pegperegousa.com

Sweetwater Sound 5501 US 30 (260) 432-8176 sweetwater.com

Salomon Farm Park & Market 817 W. Dupont Rd. (260) 427-6790 fortwayneparks.org

Swinney Homestead 1424 W. Jefferson Blvd. (260) 424-7212 settlersinc.org

Science Central 1950 N. Clinton St. (260) 424-2400 sciencecentral.com

Tanglewood Berry Farm 2427 Hadley Rd. (260) 418-8386 tanglewoodberryfarm.com

Sechler’s Pickles, Inc. 5686 State Road 1, St. Joe, IN (260) 337-5461 sechlerspickles.com

The Glass Park 4037 S. Wayne Ave. (260) 579-3201 eranparkglass.com


Attractions The Olive Twist 6410 W. Jefferson Blvd. (260) 436-3866 theolivetwist.com TinCaps Baseball at Parkview Field 1301 Ewing St. (260) 482-6400 tincaps.com Tour Fort Wayne Segways 1104 W. Coliseum Blvd. (260) 433-6155 tourfortwayne.com Two EE’s Winery 6808 US 24, Huntington, IN (260) 672-2000 twoees.com Ultrazone Family Entertainment Center 1104 W. Coliseum Blvd. (260) 471-6719 ultrazone.com University of Saint Francis-Schouweiler Planetarium 2701 Spring St. (260) 399-7700 sf.edy/plantarium Wine & Canvas 6410 W. Jefferson Blvd. (260) 444-9441 wineandcanvas.com WPTA (ABC) Television Station 3401 Butler Rd. (260) 48300584 indiananewscenter.com Zip Timber Lake 1740 E. 675 N. Huntington, IN (260) 672-3251 ziptimberlake.com


Fort Wayne – By The Numbers

1,100,075

Physical articles in the collection at The Genealogy Center, the nation’s largest public genealogy library (add that to the more than 2,500,000 searchable records in their online data files!)

81

Parks 86 and 56 Playgrounds to enjoy in

in our awardwinning trail system.

Fort Wayne

Rent a bike or kayak and explore!

Cups of Draft Beer

served at the Memorial Coliseum annually

th

100

Anniversary of the Lincoln Highway – travel this historic road through Fort Wayne!

60,000

#

#

1 and 2

nd

2 80,465 MILES

Our rankings in the “Indiana Summer Gotta Dos” contest. Take in the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo and TinCaps Baseball B to enjoy the #1 and #2 “Indiana Summer S Gotta Dos!”

LARGEST CITY IN INDIANA!

95,309 Rose Carmella chocolates sold at DeBrand Fine Chocolates every year!

7feet

15 MILES

of hot dogs sold at Parkview Field in 2013

Length of Fred the Mastodon’s tusks. Visit him at Science Central!

Shoppers who attend the Vera Bradley Outlet Sale each spring

139,325

33,250 Panes of glass covering the roof of the Botanical Conservatory

Riders who enjoy the Zoo’s most popular ride (the River Ride!) each year

30,000

Lights i that adorn r the Christmas trees during the Embassy Theatre’s annual Festival of Trees. Square feet of custom Terrazzo floors in glistening shades of black, gray, white and green provide ooohs and ahhhs at the Grand Wayne Convention Center


Contact Us

For more information on Fort Wayne tours, hotels, attractions, restaurants, and group itineraries, please go to visitfortwayne.com or contact Emily at emily@visitfortwayne.com. We can’t wait to work with you and your group!

Visit Fort Wayne 927 S. Harrison Street Fort Wayne, IN 46802 www.visitfortwayne.com (800) 767-7752


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