The Old Barn at Brown County

Pros:Communication between when we booked the space and when we arrived was great. They happened to have changed owners during that time and our original contract was honored with no problems. Nice large space can accommodate about 70 people downstairs with plenty of room to walk around. You gain access to the space beginning at 1pm on friday and ends Saturday evening or Sunday morning depending on if there is another wedding. Space for bartenderBeautiful barnLake up the hill is beautiful to take pictures Secluded, not much road noiseCons: When we arrived, they filled every space in the loft of the barn with tables and chairs, leaving no clear space for a dance floor. They didn't ask about how we wanted the upstairs arranged, only the downstairs. We wanted to put the dance floor in the loft, because that seemed the most logical space for dancing. So, we rearranged the tables upstairs to make a space for a dance floor and we carried the chairs from upstairs to outside during the reception. Most chairs were used to sit around the bonfire, because there were only three small benches to sit on out there. The coordinator from the barn arrived at 10PM and started badgering us to clean the space up right away. They wanted us to put every table and chair back where it was when we arrived (again, they never asked us how we wanted the space to be arranged). We carried most upstairs, but they badgered us about 10 more they found instead of taking 2 trips to help us carry them back upstairs. They also made us move the tables and chairs back into the same positions they were in when we got the space. Some of their heaters didn't work. Our wedding planner had called several times about the heaters being out of gas. They should have left some propane tanks to use as extras, because it was freezing!The countertops in the kitchen were filthy. We used a Lysol wipe on it and it was black with one wipe. Utility area was just cluttered leaving us no room to store anything.Several gnats outside, should maybe consider spraying. The refrigerator wasn't plugged in and therefore wasn't cold when we arrived, so that we could put our food, desserts, drinks, and flowers in the fridge.They have a very small hand sink in the kitchen making it hard to wash up stuff. They don't have potable water, and they don't even have signs that say that the water isn't potable, we had to make, print and bring our own. Some of our guests drank the water before our signs went up. Oops! There are no outlets in the hallway. Some could be added to that food or drink warmers could be plugged in.

I attended a wedding here recently and was very surprised by this place. Sitting in rural Brown County, you wouldn't expect for such a place to exist as you wind your way along Hoover Road looking for the location, but when you least expect it, it appears around the corner. It's not well marked AND the road is very curvy (having a light at the entrance would have been appreciated).The venue itself is an old barn (hence the name) that has been beautifully restored. Although simple, it's tasteful and easily able to fit to anyone's wedding colors. The inside of the barn was decked out in tables for a sit down dinner for around 100 people with a small dance floor on the west end of the barn. It was a little tight walking around with the tables, but everyone managed without any troubles and nothing was spilled that I saw.The wedding ceremony was outside. Wooden benches and a stage under the trees made for a very pretty venue, but since this is about the venue and not the wedding (although fantastic).. it should be pointed out that the bugs were awful here. There was bug spray available that looked like it came from the wedding party, but it didn't do much of anything. Fortunately someone had some of the "good stuff" and it was passed around to everyone and liberally applied. Seriously, make sure if you have an event here that you pack extra strength bug spray.. something I wouldn't have thought of until being here.One other item to point out... the mens restroom. It's a single use bathroom (meaning one at a time). For me, I was pleased with this. For the others standing in line, I heard some grumblings.If you're looking for a rustic venue for a wedding of about 100 people, this is the place I'd pick. Absolutely lovely.