22 Awesome Baby Shower Venues

This post is all about ‘baby shower venue near me’.

If this is your first pregnancy and you are only a couple of months away from meeting your new baby, you are probably starting to think about your baby shower. Maybe you’ve been on google for a few hours, searching for ‘baby shower venues’. Or maybe you’re on Pinterest, looking for the best baby shower themes and decorations. Sometimes, depending on the time of year, it can be tough to find baby shower venues. Whether you are the mom-to-be at the helm and planning your own baby shower, or you expect to be surprised, here’s a list of the best baby shower venues that you might like to consider when planning your baby shower.

What are baby showers and why have one?

Baby showers are fun events that bring loved ones together to celebrate the expecting mother and her soon to be child. It can be as simple as having a meal together, or some people opt to have games and other activities during the baby shower that the guests will enjoy.

Many first time parents host baby showers to celebrate the pregnancy, but let’s be real here, there’s also another reason why expecting parents host baby showers: in order to help accumulate the items that a newborn baby might need — I mean, let’s face it: baby items aren’t necessarily cheap!

During the baby shower, the mom-to-be may also get some solicited and unsolicited advice on how to take care of the baby, as well as stories and advice about the impending labour and postpartum. Many guests that have already had babies in the past also end up giving gifts that they found useful when they had a newborn.

Who organizes the baby shower?

According to Parents.com, baby showers should be hosted by a friend or distant relative (like a cousin or an aunt) to avoid the appearance that the family was simply on a mission to collect gifts. However, in practice, baby showers are usually organized by friends and relatives close to the expecting mother. Other times, the mom-to-be herself has a hand in organizing the baby shower and there’s no surprise at all. If you’re anything like me, you’re probably the one organizing everything and making sure everything is pinterest-worthy!

Still, other times, the expectant mom’s immediate team at work will throw their own surprise baby shower before she goes away on maternity leave.

Sometimes, church groups or community groups will also throw their own baby shower, again, to celebrate your pregnancy and to help provide you with some of the items that you might need once baby comes. Because you don’t know who will be willing to help out with purchasing items for baby, it’s useful to have a baby registry completed so that well-intentioned family and friends don’t accidentally give you the same gifts.

When should I have my baby shower?

As a general rule of thumb, baby showers are usually held a month before the baby is due. Of course, babies have a way of coming into the world in their own timeline, and some babies come out sooner than later. For this reason, some parents opt to have their baby showers earlier, up to three months before the due date (or the beginning of the third trimester).

How much do baby showers cost?

Baby showers can be as low-cost or as expensive as you want it to be! However, sometimes new parents are shocked at how much baby showers really cost, once you add up all expenses. In the day and age of instagram-worthy baby showers, it’s easy to underestimate the cost of a baby shower that you will want to post up on your instagram page. But if you add up the cost of renting props and supplies, renting out a venue, and food catering, the cost can be shocking.

However, If you are looking to have a simple party at home, the cost could really just be the cost of buying food for your guests, and buying balloons and some party decor. On the other hand, if you are planning on renting a hall and hiring someone to decorate your baby shower, you could be looking at spending a couple thousand dollars.

You may also want to play fun baby shower games. If so, purchasing prizes for the baby shower games champions will cost some money which will add up to the cost of having a baby shower.

For the sake of simplifying the cost, a baby shower held at home with decorations, party favours and gift prizes could cost you about $500 – $800.

Who pays for the baby shower?

The person organizing the baby shower typically foots the bill. That means, mama, that if you are planning your own baby shower, you will be the one to pay for everything. However, if you are reading this and planning your sister or best friend’s baby shower, you will be the one expected to pay for the baby shower! But don’t fret: if you are planning the baby shower along with other friends or family members, you can come to an agreement of splitting the cost with everyone involved.

Where can I host a baby shower?

Now for the part that you came here for: where can you host a baby shower? After spending hours scouring the internet, searching for terms like ‘baby shower venue near me’, you’ve found yourself here, and we’re glad to have you! This list has original ideas for baby shower venues that you will love. Most of these are common venues to host parties, and you will most likely find a suitable venue close to you.

22 Awesome Baby Shower Venues:

Without further ado, here are baby shower venue ideas you’ll find near you.

1. Outdoor Park

If you are hosting a baby shower sometime in late spring, summer or early fall, you may consider using an outdoor park as your baby shower venue. This is honestly one of my favorite baby shower venues for the summer. It is free, and you get to socialize out in nature.

A baby shower held at a park are just naturally more laid back and less formal. If you want to take off the pressure to have a super formal shower, this might be a good option for you.

Some of the things we love about hosting events at an outdoor park is the ease of cleanup, lots of activities (think frisbee, playing catch, etc.). It’s pet friendly, and you and your guests can be as loud as you want! However, the downside is that you are playing chance with mother nature, and the party will typically have to end before dusk because it’s outdoors.

2. Home of Baby Shower Host

One of the many great baby shower venues you can choose from is none other than your home. A great option and one that many people opt for when they are planning a baby shower is to host the baby shower at their own home, if space is available. This is a great low-cost option and one that also comes with the least restrictions. You can have the party go on for as late as you want, and you can start decorating as early as you want as well. However, if space is limited, you may not be able to invite as many people, or have fun baby shower games.

3. Virtual Baby Shower

A couple of years ago virtual baby showers were very few and far in between. Nowadays, it’s sometimes the only option available to some people, and have become somewhat mainstream during the pandemic. If many of the guests are from out of town, or if you have health concerns about bringing in a lot of guests for a large party, a virtual baby shower is the best option.

4. Home of the Expecting Parents

If you are the expecting mother, and also the one planning the baby shower, you may decide that you want to host the baby shower in your own home. I did this for my own baby shower and I found that I was a lot more comfortable and it was a great excuse to invite friends and family into our home. For me, it was the perfect baby shower venue since we were in the comfort of our own home.

If on the other hand, you are planning the baby shower for the expecting mother, you can still coordinate with her husband or partner in order to have access to the home to decorate and set up beforehand. However, planning and setting up a baby shower in the expecting mother’s home could be difficult because you would have to make sure that the mom-to-be is out of the house as you are decorating, setting up and as the guests are arriving for the surprise.

5. Home of a Friend

If your own home and the home of the expectant mother cannot be used for one reason or another, why not enlist the help of a friend willing to help out with the baby shower and have the baby shower at their place? This is a great option that many chose to go with for their baby showers.

6. Parents of Expecting Parents

Another baby shower venue option is to have the shower at the parents of the expecting mother or father. You would have to coordinate with them if you want to make sure the guest of honour doesn’t accidentally show up unannounced!

7. Drive-By Baby Shower

Don’t have many baby shower venues to choose from where you live? Why not do a drive-by instead? Somewhat of a new innovation brought on by the pandemic, a drive-by baby shower could also be a fun and unique option! Just set up a cute backdrop by your front yard for picture taking, and have cute, customized sugar cookies as party favours for those that drive by! Doing a drive-by can also be a low-cost option of having a baby shower!

If the baby shower is not a surprise, a drive-by baby shower is a great option, especially during the pandemic and if there are restrictions in your specific area, or if you are wary of being in enclosed spaces with a lot of people.

8. Banquet Hall

If you have a bit more of a budget, this is one of the best baby shower venues you can choose from. Renting a banquet hall is an excellent choice. Here are some of the reasons you may want to opt for renting a banquet hall:

Food catering available
Minimal set-up and clean-up – you would only need to worry about setting up and cleaning up the decorations, such as what you would need for a photo backdrop
Invite as many guests as you want!

Although these are great reasons to rent out a banquet hall for a baby shower, there are usually minimum spends at banquet halls, and these go into the thousands of dollars, so the cost may be something to consider.

9. Club house

Next on the list of our best baby shower venues to choose from is: a clubhouse! Some condos and townhouses usually have a clubhouse available for unit owners, and these rooms can be rented out for a small price. If you, or someone you know live in a condo or townhouse unit that has a clubhouse, you can definitely hold your baby shower at one of these rooms. It’s affordable and you won’t have to do the baby shower in someone’s home.

Often times, clubhouses are also much larger than a living room or kitchen (if your first option was to conduct the baby shower at home), so these are great if you are planning to hold games at your baby shower!

10. Restaurant Private Room

Or why not find a restaurant that rents out private rooms and rent it out for the night for your baby shower venue? Some people mistakenly assume that restaurant private rooms are reserved for bridal shower events only, but it can also be used for baby showers. This works great if you are planning an intimate baby shower, with about 10 to 20 people in attendance. The plus side? You can choose the restaurant based on the cuisine that the guest of honour likes.

If you do decide to go this route, you may have to put in a deposit to secure the date of the baby shower, so make sure everyone knows the plan before you book your private room!

11. Book The Whole Restaurant!

Another option for baby showers is booking the whole restaurant! If budget permits and you have a larger guest list, renting out the whole restaurant is a great way to celebrate mom and baby!

12. Farm/Barn

If you live close to farms, you can inquire whether they rent out the space for events. You might be surprised with what you find, as the are beautiful farms out there that do have a dedicated spaces, such as a barn that they rent out for weddings and special occasions. As you can see in the picture above, some of these barns are breathtaking and beyond beautiful!

13. Apartment Rooftop

Some apartments have gorgeous rooftop patios. If you, or someone you know, lives in an apartment with a rooftop patio, and it’s available to be booked for a party such as a baby shower, why not go for it? Rooftop patios can be great, unique baby shower venues, and it would be such a neat place to throw a party celebrating the arrival of a new baby!

14. Community Hall

If you do your research well, you might be pleasantly surprised that there are many community halls available for rent to the public at a great price. If you do even more digging, you may find a community hall with character! What do I mean by that? Well, just an example, where I live, there’s a community hall available for rent in an area that used to be an industrial area. So the hall itself has an inherent industrial feel, complete with these beautiful brick walls! Such a fun place to host a baby shower!

15. Airbnb

If borrowing someone’s home for the day is not an option, renting out an airbnb is definitely a great alternative. You can rent it for the day or overnight, and the great thing is that your guests can stay the night if the party lasts way into the night.

Another reason why having your party at an airbnb is a great option is that you can bring your party anywhere! if you want a baby shower thats two hours out of town, you can rent out a whole house and have the party there!

16. Lakeside

Everybody loves a good lakeside party, most especially after a long cold winter!

Do yourself and your guests a favour by hosting an epic lakeside party, aka the best lakeside baby shower your guests will ever attend!

Bring all the decor, the floaties, kites, as well as the beach volleyball, and make sure you have plenty of food for everyone! The baby shower is sure to be a hit if you decide to do it by the lake and by providing all the items needed for entertainment. Being able to swim on the lake is just an added bonus!

However, one thing you should do and not forget is to get to the lake early to secure the best spot, as it fills up really quickly, especially in the summer time.

17. Beachside

Don’t have a lake near you? How about open waters? If so, hosting your baby shower beachside is another great way to celebrate. The busyness of the place varies depending on the season and the weather that day. The water on the beach is usually colder than a lake, so you may find that more of your guests won’t go in for a swim.

The beach also gets very hot, depending on the time of year, so make sure to bring plenty of sunscreen!

18. Ski Resort

If beachside or lakeside isn’t your vibe, ski resorts are a great alternative, and it doesn’t have to only be reserved for a winter baby shower either! Many ski resorts are still open in the summer for tourists looking to stay in the area. If you’re having an intimate baby shower, make a trip out of it and take your nearest and dearest to the nearest ski resort!

If it’s a winter baby, however, taking your family and friends to a ski resort will be an exciting out of town trip in the cold winter! Those that enjoy winter sports can indulge and ski to snowboard their hearts out, and those that don’t can keep your company and relax with hot cocoa by the fireplace!

19. Golf Course

Yet another great venue location if you have a larger budget. Imagine having your baby shower at a venue with a beautiful view of manicured, rolling green hills! Such a beautiful backdrop for celebrating new life!

You can rent out a room at a golf course for the baby shower for a truly elevated experience! Golf courses usually won’t allow outside food to be served other than desserts such as cupcakes or cakes. So if you would like to use a different catering company, it’s best to coordinate with the admin staff or coordinator at the golf course so that you can work something out. If they really won’t budge on the food, make sure you choose a golf course that has food that you know your guests will like, and can cater to any dietary restrictions your guests may have.

20. Botanical Gardens

For a truly unique experience, why not have your baby shower at a botanical garden? I know what you’re thinking: can you really hold an event at botanical gardens? Well, the answer might just surprise you: there are many botanical gardens that open up their doors to events—you just have to book the venue in advance. Just be sure to call the gardens and inquire about the possibility of holding a baby shower at the gardens, and they will let you know if that’s something they normally do. If so, there’s usually quite a bit of restrictions to ensure that the botanical gardens isn’t damaged by having events. But if that’s something you can live with, then this option will be the most beautiful baby shower venue and will truly give your guests a unique experience that they will talk about for a long time!

21. Hotel Conference Room

Another great option if you want an elevated experience for your baby shower! We’ve seen quite a few baby showers held at hotels, and we’re here for it! Rent out decor services and someone to create a stunning dessert table, and you will have a baby shower that’s truly memorable for you and your guests!

However, similar to the golf course and banquet hall options, there’s usually very little leniency on serving food from other catering services in hotels, so you will have to serve what the hotel provides.

Bonus tip: if you don’t want to use a hotel conference room and want a more intimate baby shower party, you can ask the hotel if they have a tea room where you can host your baby shower instead.

22. Backyard

If all else fails, why not hold your baby shower at your backyard? This is another great option for a baby shower venue if you are planning on holding your baby shower in the summer months. You will be subjected to the elements, but can more easily prepare for it by having a portable gazebo or tent on hand in case it rains on your party. Plus, if it turns really ugly, or if you decide to party until late in the evening, then you can always bring the party inside.

This post was all about unique baby shower venues near you.

We hope this list helped you decide on where to hold the baby shower you are planning, and at the very least have helped get your creative juices running to create the most memorable baby shower!

Where did you hold your baby shower, and what’s the most unique baby shower venue you’ve attended in? Let us know in the comments below!

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