This was the perfect location for our family of 21 to gather for Thanksgiving. The ranch had so many animals and places to roam and all the kids had fun playing on the baseball field. Enough ovens for all of the Thanksgiving Turkey and sides to be eaten hot, and enough room for all to enjoy our time together. Great location near Galena!
We were looking for a nice little getaway for our work group of about 16 people. Our primary goal was to allow everyone their own bedroom and bathroom, which was easily attainable given the amount of space available to us. When we arrived at the ranch, Mark was so hospitable and showed us all around the ranch multiple times as we had people show up at different times throughout the day. The houses we stayed in were clean and well-maintained. The scenery was also incredible, and we would absolutely consider coming back in the future!
We stayed here for my daughterâs wedding. Lots of family and also the bridesmaids. We were coming and going for 3 days. It was a fabulous place. The view and property were great. It was an incredible long weekend and this property was perfect for what we needed.
We really appreciate the size of the house so everyone can get together. There was an amazing ping pong tournament which may become an annual event. Joe, the ranch hand gave us ranch tours which were really appreciated. Overall we felt the maintenance of the property was inferior to our last stay. The location is about 25 mins to Galena and about 25 minutes to Chestnut Mountain Resort- both are worth visiting.
Wonderful Stay for Small Wedding and Family Gathering
We had a GREAT time! The venue was huge and just perfect for what we needed. We loved seeing all the animals, the gorgeous view, the game room, the comfort of the hang-out spaces, the kitchen, the swim spa, and the responsiveness of the host. We made good use of making meals and the kids loved running around. There were plenty of activities that we barely had to leave the area at all. We would love to come back during the summer months!
This was our second family gathering at Brixen Ivy, and we loved it even more than the first time. Clean comfortable rooms, plenty of space to spread out in, gorgeous views, friendly attentive hosts--thank-you Mark and Joe--and small nice touches, like the kiddie pool waiting for us and wood for the pizza oven. Everyone had a great time. Coming back to Brixen Ivy was like coming home again.
As soon as you get an overview of the property, your reaction is "I wish I had booked a couple more days here." The property has so much to offer. Great walking trails, par 3 golf (country style), frisbee golf, volleyball, miniature petting zoo, baseball field, water spa (they don't call it a hot tub) for 8, VIEWS, VIEWS, VIEWS. We had a family reunion for 26 ages 1 - 73. Everyone had a spectacular time. Lots of TVs in this place but I don't think one of them got turned on all weekend.
Nineteen of us girl cousins gathered at this beautiful ranch. We came from seven different states, most of us are grandmas. We were warmly welcomed and the lodge/accommodations far exceeded our expectations. Some of us took advantage of the nearby horse trail ride, and zip-lines. On the ranch we hiked, played golf, whiffle ball, bean bags and played cards outdoors. We had spectators to cheer on those of us who can't sit still - an easy task with such an amazing view. It was a unanimous decision to return in two years.
Fantastic Views and everything we could have wanted
We visited the Ranch for a March Madness weekend! We have four generations and 26 people. The youngest was 2years old and the oldest was 90! The Ranch was perfect. Many bed rooms, very comfortable beds, large kitchen, lots of table space for meals. Our main reason was to watch the basketball games (And we did!). Lots of seating in the main room in front of the beautiful fireplace (Which we had burning from morning to night everyday). The kids loved the goats, turkeys, Pea Hens and Peacocks, lama & alpacas. The Hot tub was also a hit with the kids. Mark is a great host and Joe (The ranch hand) took care of making sure we had no trouble checking in and showing us around. He also got us more fire wood when we asked. All in all an incredible long weekend.
I had an amazing time with my stay at Brixen Ivy Ranch. The place itself is so euphoric and peaceful. I used this weekend to recharge-renew and get back to basics regardless of what the world is experiencing. As a collective group of people we all should utilize areas such as this beautiful ranch to just get in touch with what really matters: family, friends, love and GoD. I cannot describe the amazing feeling this place gave me and those I stayed with. We had warmth and togetherness and the ranch help us create this environment. The owners (Mark and Lyza) are hospitable, polite and inviting -and getting what I needed for my time there was achieved. Thankful! Highly recommended.
We loved Brixen-Ivy! We had 30 family members travel to the Galena area from all over the country for a 5-night family reunion at the ranch. We reserved the Main Lodge and the Sunset Cottage. They were the perfect accommodations for our group. We loved all the open spaces for visiting, cooking, eating, and having fun. Plus, the baseball diamond, goats, horses, turkeys, and peacocks make it an extra special destination. In addition to the great spaces for gathering, there is also plenty of privacy with ample bedrooms and bathrooms. Everyone commented on how comfortable the beds were! The houses were very clean. Our family has been gathering for reunions every 3 years for the last 22 years â each time in a different area of the country. We all agreed that our stay at Brixen-Ivy stands out as one of our best reunions, ever.
If you are looking for a place for your group whether it is social, corporate, family, friends, youth or church groups- look no further. Brixen Ivy Ranch is absolutely breathtaking. We hosted our wedding here with our immediate family which totaled about 32 people using 3 of the houses on the property. The main lodge was the setting for our group events. Everyone was completely blown away by the lodge, the scenery, the ranch, and so much more. It simply doesn't get any better than this. We had an amazing wedding and made memories that will last a lifetime for all of us. We wanted to stay forever! Thank you Mark & staff for making this incredible property available for others to enjoy. I truly believe that we couldn't have chosen a better location.
Our family of 30 people included adults, teens, toddlers and infants and the property fit us all very comfortably! The property itself is in a wonderful area and itâs very easy to get to. I wasnât able to do the check in as planned, so Mark, the owner, worked with someone else in my family and they had no issues as all. Joe, the ranch hand, was also great and very helpful throughout our stay. There were only a few things we wish would have been better.
1. Some of the landscaping and plants on the property were really overgrown and seemed like they should have been cleaned up before large groups arrive. Particularly at the sunset cottage, there was an overgrown plant that was partially covering the stairs we needed to use to get up to the main lodge. The side stairs going to the back of the cottage also had been overgrown and we didnât feel safe using those. This could have just been during our stay, but would recommend for areas with stairs specifically to be cleared for people to use. 2. Mark was a wonderful host and I donât want to take away from that, but there were a few times he just popped into the lodge and we werenât aware he was going to be stopping in. I would just recommend knocking before entering just to allow people inside the lodge to know that someone is coming in. Especially with such a large group that included a lot of children, we would have just appreciated a little knock to know that someone else was entering. The other times we asked for help specifically, Mark or Joe were available quickly which was appreciated. 3. We had some shortages of kitchen supplies, but this is really easily fixed. We had to request crockpots to be delivered to the lodge, they arenât readily available like other kitchen equipment. We also didnât have enough forks in the main kitchen upstairs, so we had to borrow forks from the downstairs kitchen and still didnât have enough so we had to wash extras when people were finished eating. I would recommend bringing backup silverware or just know that there arenât quite enough to feed 20+ people at once. Again, not a big deal, just something I wanted to note for larger groups.
Overall we had a really great stay and would recommend the property. Mark and Joe showed many people in our family around the ranch on the UTV which was really nice. The rooms were beautiful and our group had plenty of space to spread out and enjoy.
Our large group of family and friends had a wonderful time at the ranch. We had plenty of room to spread out and be comfortable. The views were just spectacular, and we loved the fire pit, the many balconies with ample seating, the large dining room tables, the comfortable beds, and the swim spa. Mark took many of us on a guided tour on his Rover which was fun for all. We got to see many of the ranch animals which was very special especially for the kids in our group. We would love to visit this place again!
A beautiful, roomy lodge amidst rolling hills and gorgeous scenery.
Perfect for a large group, with plenty of space to enjoy time together or be alone. Wonderful amenities outside to take advantage of. The host and ranch hand are very accommodating. Many of our large group commented that this is the best venue weâve had yet for our biannual family reunion!
The nam Brixen Ivy comes from the rooftop building at Wrigley Field that i used to own.It is a play on words pertaining to the outfield walls of Wrigley Field made out of Bricks and Ivy. Man builds the Bricks, God grows the Ivy. Our facilities have been used by many inner city, under rescued communities to bring their groups of kids, to experience a beautiful interaction with nature, animals and scenery.