Convention centers with a ‘huh?’
Surprise can be a very good thing when it comes to convention centers, even the most modern and advanced of the genre. That’s why the totally unexpected at these workhorse meeting venues adds delicious spice to the typical sauce of ballrooms, expo floors and breakout spaces.
Lancaster County Convention Center, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
A viewing area within the lobby reveals a preserved portion of an Underground Railroad site. An adjoining museum dedicated to the two abolitionists who hid runaway slaves opens this year.
Read More: Eastern Pennsylvania: Penn Ultimate
Statehouse Convention Center, Little Rock, Arkansas
Nestled next to this downtown facility is a Korean shrine and garden dedicated to Eternal Grand Master Haeng Ung Lee, founder of the American Taekwondo Association, once headquartered in this city.
Greater Columbus Convention Center, Ohio (above image)
Yes, that bronze statue with the rippling muscles outside the building really is Arnold Schwarzenegger. He won the Mr. World contest there in 1970, then founded the city’s annual Arnold Sports Festival.
Colorado Convention Center, Denver
The Big Blue Bear is the 40-foot-high landmark curiously peering into the glass façade of the center’s lobby. The sculpture’s creator drew inspiration from photos of bears peeking into mountain homes.
This article appears in the March 2026 issue. You can subscribe to the magazine here.
