on location: midwest O
john kloster
Midwest Dinner Theaters Cater to Groups Musicals are part of the fare at Derby Dinner Playhouse in Clarksville, Indiana. A GOOD PLAY IS A sure hit on al-
MINNESOTA
Gateway Arch. King Henry VIII and his
most any group itinerary. If the show
Chanhassen Dinner Theatre is a 90,000-
bevy of wenches have been at this for
starts at 7:30, you really want to get
square-foot entertainment complex that
four decades now, making it the longest-
tour members to the theater by 7:00,
was built over 40 years ago on a corn-
running medieval show in the country.
so you need to find a restaurant for
field outside of Minneapolis-St. Paul.
[314-621-5800, royaldumpe.com]
dinner not too far away. And you need
Not only was the location a risk, but so
to find one that’s open before 6:00,
was the decision to add a restaurant in
MICHIGAN
which not all are. Once you’ve been
combination with the theater. Today
Cornwell’s Turkeyville USA is located in
able to figure all that out, you wind up
Chanhassen is the nation’s largest pro-
the countryside just outside of Marshall,
spending the entire dinner time check-
fessional dinner theater as well as the
which is near Battle Creek. In its 20th
ing your watch. It’s great when you
largest privately owned restaurant in
year, Cornwell’s offers a year-round
lean back and the curtain rises, but by
Minnesota. [800-362-3515,
schedule of entertaining Broadway hits
that time you’ve already spent at least
chanhassentheatres.com]
and eight or nine lunch or dinner per-
a few frazzled hours. At a dinner theater, you don’t have to
formances weekly in an intimate setting. MISSOURI
The menus are designed to complement
Royal Dumpe Dinner Theatre promises
the show’s theme. Needless to say, visi-
know you won’t be late for the play, and
an evening of medieval madness in its
tors to Turkeyville don’t need to ask
both the food and the performances are
show of bawdy comedy and music. Lo-
what the entrée is going to be! [800228-4315, turkeyville.com]
worry about your meal reservation, you
generally very good. Here’s a sampling
cated in historic Laclede’s Landing along
of Midwest dinner theaters popular with
St. Louis’ Mississippi River waterfront,
group travelers:
it is the No. 1 attraction north of the
30 April 2009
Genitti’s Hole-in-the-Wall began in 1971 as a family-owned grocery store, LeisureGroupTravel.com