Skip to main content
Weddings

About

The Carousell Works Historic Event Center carries on a tradition of hospitality that began in 1907 when the Big Lake Amusement Park entertained thousands of visitors and the community’s crystal clear lake and sandy bathing beach drew visitors from miles around. Located in the historic brick schoolhouse in the heart of Big Lake, within easy distance of Elk River, Monitcello, St. Cloud and the Twin Cities, the Carousell Works is the perfect place for your gathering: a charming, vintage setting at an affordable price. One of the largest wedding and event venues in central Minnesota, the Carousell Works has a seating capacity of up to 325 and is a private event venue. Flexible room arrangements offer infinite possiblities for your wedding, event, or tradeshow. Vintage brick and polished maple floors (dating to the 1930s) offer a sophisticated beginning for your wedding or event decorating scheme. Smaller spaces at the Carousell Works are well suited for business retreats, meetings or more intimate parties, such as groom’s dinners, anniversary parties and birthday parties.

Dining at the Carousell Works is reminiscent of some of the best country clubs and restaurants in Minnesota. Our in-house caterer, A Catered Event , will surely make your celebration one to remember. Schedule a viewing today and experience the Carousell Works for yourself. We look forward to serving you. 763-263-7779.

illustration popular

Venues you may like

See other venues that are popular with couples right now

Frequently asked questions

How many event spaces or rooms does your venue offer?

1

Describe your venue:

Banquet Hall
Historic Building

What kind of settings are available?

Indoor
Uncovered Outdoor

Which of the following wedding events does your venue service?

Ceremony
Reception

What event services do you offer?

Accommodations
Event Planner
Event Rentals

What catering services do you offer?

Outside Cake

What event items are available?

Chairs

What food and beverage items are available?

Linens
illustration notebook

Any other questions?

Reviews of The Carousell Works

We're all about trust. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.
4.7 out of 5 rating
4.7 out of 5 rating
24 reviews
94% recommend it
  • Quality of service
    4.8 out of 5 rating
  • Average response time
    4.8 out of 5 rating
  • Professionalism
    4.7 out of 5 rating
  • Value
    4.6 out of 5 rating
  • Flexibility
    4.6 out of 5 rating
User2277119 Sent on 08/19/2015
5 out of 5 rating
Diane has been great to work with in planning out wedding. WE were able to get our date and then come in early to discuss what we wanted for our ceremony and dinner. She is allowing us in early so we can decorate and have our rehearsal so we can scope the place out with our photographer and wedding party and get out final details in order. She has been so kind and understanding that we have enjoyed working with her and even more excited for the day of our wedding. Her recommendations have been so helpful and wonderful and she even gave us some new ideas too.
M
Michelle Sent on 03/10/2015
5 out of 5 rating
I would recommend this place to anyone and everyone that will listen to me! It is set in an old school house that has the original (but sealed) hard wood floors perfect for dancing, she has her own table cloths chair covers and napkins at the location for you to rent from her if you choose to. It comes with a bar area (away from the dining room) a kitchen for the in house cater in back (guests wont know where they are coming from) and a guest greeting room outside of the dinning and dancing area. I had over 200 guests and it did NOT feel cramped when everyone was dining in the same room with the buffet tables and the cake and the DJ already set up in the same room. Diane (the owner) was so helpful with everything! She treated us as if we were family and was willing to bend over backwards to make sure our day was perfect! She helped so because I was planning my wedding out of state and she was very helpful. She greets guests when people start to flow in and gets people comfortable. She even saved our toasts when the DJ's microphone broke suddenly and didn't work she quickly turned on her sounds system and gave us her mic for us to use. This place is very reasonably priced also! Make sure you check this place out!
M
Martin Sent on 06/30/2014
5 out of 5 rating
Diane was very easy to work with for our wedding reception. We loved the layout of the rooms at the reception giving our guest options to hang out away from the music or stay close to the action. We had lots of compliments on the food which was wonderful. The option to bring in our own alcohol saved us money and allowed us to provide drinks for our guests for the night.

Professional Network & Endorsements

1 Endorsement
Phodot Photography Studio Phodot Photography Studio Wedding Photographers

Mark and I just photographed our first event at The Carousell Works in Big Lake. The natural light that pours through the windows is beautiful for photographs. We are very excited that we have a wedding to photograph this August at The Carousell Works. I'm positive the bride and groom will love the venue.

Map

Other vendors in Minneapolis for your wedding

Wedding Venues