Meeting in a Green Space

Bring your group to visit!

Host your next meeting at one of the most environmentally friendly buildings in the nation. The Leopold Center in Baraboo, Wisconsin is a beautiful and unique facility available for rental for professional groups that share our mission and vision. The center is located in rural Wisconsin near Aldo Leopold's "refuge from too much modernity," the Leopold Shack and Farm. The Leopold Center is surrounded by the lovely 1,500 acre Leopold Memorial Reserve, an ideal retreat to get away from all the distractions of the modern day workplace and have a productive, reflective meeting in the setting that so deeply inspired Leopold.

Why is it different?

hybrid

Slow down and enjoy the short walk to the meeting from our shady parking area. Hybrids and carpoolers get the closest spots!

The Leopold Center is quite different from a typical meeting facility. It has been certified by the US Green Building Council as a Platinum LEED building, earning the highest number of LEED points of any building in the United States. The rooms showcase walls, ceiling decking, trusses, flooring, and furniture all made from locally- harvested or recycled materials and finished and installed by local craftspeople and contractors. It is truly a unique space. The connection to Leopold is palpable, and we hope the setting we provide can be an inspiration to groups with similar goals.

Scheduling

Typically we require at least one month’s notice to book meeting spaces. Currently most of our Saturday dates are reserved for our own programming, but many weekday dates are available throughout our open season. Meeting rates are based upon meetings that take place during normal business hours during the business week. The facility is not available for private events such as wedding receptions. We approve requests for professional gatherings during evening hours on a limited basis.

Interested in booking? Submit a request to receive more information.

Two Green Meeting Spaces

The Outlook Meeting Wing

capacity 25

for more information, click here.

The Home Range Hall

capacity 35-80

for more information, click here.

See a slideshow of our meeting spaces.

Programs for Meeting Participants

We strongly encourage rental groups to schedule time to interact with our education program staff during your meeting.

Tour the Historic Leopold Shack and Farm

The Shack is a re-built chicken coop along the Wisconsin River where noted author and conservationist Aldo Leopold and his family stayed during weekend retreats and initiated surrounding ecological restorations. The land surrounding the Shack and farm provided the inspiration for the essays in the conservation classic A Sand County Almanac, and it continues to provide a window into one of the earliest attempts at land restoration anywhere in the world. Each year, thousands of visitors are inspired through visits to the same landscape that deeply moved Leopold. Minimum time needed in your schedule to include a Shack tour is 1 hour. Recommended time is 2 hours.

Tour the Leopold Center

Since the Leopold Center is such a unique setting, many participants enjoy learning more about their surroundings. Learn how solar power, geothermal, and sustainable building materials helped our facility earn the rating of "greenest building in the world." Minimum time needed in your schedule to include a Leopold Center tour is 30 minutes. Recommended time is 1 hour.

Presentations

For groups that do not have time to actually walk around on a tour program down at the Shack or around the Leopold Center, The Leopold Foundation education staff can also do a talk (PowerPoint or simple lecture style) on a variety of topics that consolidate the tour program content.

Catering

ALF is partnering exclusively with Taffy Durkee at Vintage Port Catering for all catered events at the Legacy Center. She spent 10 years in San Francisco soaking up the European ambience and renowned cuisine that the city had to offer and now brings her knowledge to Baraboo. Her catering business offers some of the area's best selections of healthy sandwiches, organic coffees, and homemade breads. Send us a meeting request for details on catering rates and menus.

Dinners or evening receptions for rental groups at the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center are permitted on a very limited basis for special events with prior approval. Our maximum capacity for a seated meal in one space is approximately 45 people. More can be seated if everyone does not have to be in the same room. Many evening events at the Leopold Center are structured as informal receptions with heavy hors d'ouvres and a cash bar, with all building areas open to guests for mingling and socializing. Please inquire about rates and availability.

Note that catering charges are subject to state of Wisconsin sales tax of 5.5% unless your group is a US Government agency or a non-profit that holds a Wisconsin Sales and Use Tax Certificate of Exempt Status (CES) Certificate number. Vintage Port Catering cannot legally extend tax exemption on catering to non-profits without tax exempt status in the state of Wisconsin. Catering is billed separately to the client by the Vintage Port Catering.

Lodging

The Leopold Center is located in the rural township of Fairfield, Wisconsin. We are located about 20 minutes northeast of Baraboo and approximately 15 minutes southeast of Wisconsin Dells. Contact us for lodging recommendations in either area.

Map and directions to the Leopold Center.

Contact

Interested in booking? Submit a request to receive more information.

Please contact us as far in advance as possible-- meeting rentals must not conflict with existing programming of the Aldo Leopold Foundation, and schedules fill up quickly. Thank you for your interest!