Ames Center Review

Awesome theater! We saw KillerVees and they were fabulous!

Went and saw a Queen cover band here recently. Really nice facilities with friendly staff. Would definitely return for another concert/show

It is a beautiful intimate facility for learning and entertainment.

I went here with a group to the play Church Basement Ladies, you smell Barn. It came with a prix fixe meal, turkey, mashed potatoes, salad, soup, choice of 2 desserts, coffee, lemonade and punch. Roll, corn, cranberry jelly.
The play itself was fine, a Nordic MinnEsotaH play on the Minnesota palate which had music, laughs and was cute. However, the small chairs were set upon a row of escalated tiers that were hollow underneath. There was about 15-17 inches of room for each customer, and little leg room. Many of the guests were elderly and had canes, portable chairs etc. It was difficult for everyone to get situated as when the row was narrow, and invariably most were seated, then a new guest had a seat at the end of the row and everyone had to get up and move or change seats down one.
I had been here before and had sat in another larger venue in the theatre which had stable set in seats. The meal was substandard mainly because my theatre ticket had a price of $25. including fee. But I paid $74 for the bus trip, play and meal altogether. So I was expecting good quality food. It was a rolled turkey breast, canned or jar gravy, cheap dinner roll, canned corn, soup wasn't even hot and the vegetables were too firm. Canned again. They put a powdered lemonade in a big dispenser adorned with real lemon slices to make believe that it was fresh squeezed. Hah! But No Pulp! Dead giveaway. The coffee was in a dispenser on a table, and when I put the paper cup provided under the spout, I could not retract my cup from underneath, or shut the spout off due to edge of cup not clearing room to take cup away!!! So spilled hot coffee on the dark tablecloth, and the cup was so full, it was not room for cream, which was unfrigerated dairy minicups (which means they have chemicals to keep from spoiling). When I got back to the table, after pouring out about 1 and a half inch to get my cream and sugar in, I wasn't too surprised that it was barely warm, had no taste - much like hot water. Another grievance was, you had to get to no less than 4 different areas to get all the stuff. So, salad bar, dressing at soup bar which also looked like cheap chemicalized type in generic plastic bottles!! The desserts were like kids specials- rice krispie bars with chocolate frosting or spice cake with caramel drizzle and again: fake whipped cream with stabilizers! I wouldn't be complaining so much, but I thought I was getting at least a $25 meal, because that still leaves $24 for the bus ride, which I doubt even cost that much due to the bus being filled and it was about 30 miles 2 ways. Anyway, bottom line, go for the play, and eat somewhere else. The glass of wine at intermission was ok for the price, $7 for an ok amount. Suggest Medterranean Cruz restaurant right in front. So the meal I rated about $8-9 and someone pocketed a tidy sum for the program and fees. Could not believe the bulk of the people were happy with the cheap meal for their money.

Nice venue for dancers this weekend. Food selection good and reasonably priced but service slow and mixed up orders. Space for dancer practice and warm ups were needed since they were squeezing in among the spectators in the lobby spaces. Not professional. Lighting lovely but sound system too loud.

This Theatre is a great place for shows. Seating is great. You feel so close to the action.

Went and saw Church Basement Ladies very funny and very heartfelt great way to kick off this holiday season. Merry Christmas to all.

The theater was so amazing I really recommend it for dance recitals

I like coming here for concerts. You dont have to worry about parking and the excess charges like you do at the downtown venues. Arrive relaxed! It's a small theater but not too small. Always see good shows when I'm here.

Very nice venue. Easy parking access. A variety of performances happen here at reasonable prices. It's big enough to draw some decent talent, acts, shows, etc. but it won't break the budget.

The venue was nice enough. We had decent seats. But we were in the last row by the doors, and the usher kept coming in and out during the show letting the light in from the lobby. During the intermission, the line for the ladies room was long. There were several women who felt they were entitled enough to bust into the Men's room while it was full of men, in cluding my husband. They demanded that the men hurry up and get out of the restroom, because the woman needed it. 100% unacceptable!! The head usher, or at least I think that's who she was, was made aware of what had happened, said she would take care of it. I was in line for the ladies room and watched her walk away from my husband and stop to talk and laugh with another Usher. Nothing was ever done about these women. They should of been removed from the venue! Had a man walked in to the ladies restroom, he would of been arrested! Its disappointing to know that they let it slide if women bust into a men's room, all while men are at the Open urinals. I don't think we will be attending any future events here!

Great small venue. The seats are elevated enough that even us short people can see over the guy in front!

Awesome center for grand daughters dance competition. Comfortable seating, all seats are good seats

Food is actually good in concessions and stage sound is great

Great place for a great concert! Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. Great Band!

I have only been at the Ames for meetings, not for a performance. However, it is a beautiful facility.

What a magnificent proscenium stage. The seating is laid out in such a way that there are no bad places to immerse yourself in whatever event is being performed.

Beautiful, intimate theater. Great for kids. They allow drinks and food inside the theater, so it helps keeps kids entertained. Seats are roomy. Great views.

My first time here - loved the venue! I can't wait to see something else here

A very nice place. Near a beautiful square. Inside is a small art gallery. Small hall

Not a bad seat in the place, enjoyed every time I have been there

Decent venue. Could use more than one elevator for handicap individuals to get to upper levels. Parking lot was a pain to get out of after concert.

It was AWESOME,hearing the performers impressions of Jerry Lee Lewis,Johnny Cash,Elvis,and Carl Perkins...they sounded great..just the original performers!!Loved every bit of this concert!!

Really nice people that work there and we enjoyed a very fun play.

Their agreement with Ticketmaster means I have to pay $45 to see a dance recital for my 10 year old niece. Beautiful theater but the Ticketmaster fees make me dread shows here.

Great time at the dance performance here! Great time

Small venue and quite cramped but suitable for the protection "church basement ladies"

We saw the Nutcracker. Very nice, smaller facility. Parking was a bit challenging as there wasn't good vehicular circulation, but we found a spot.

Very easy to get to and free parking
Site lines seemed nice and easy ticket scanning.

We have been there during Miss Minnesota 2013 and 2014. Enjoyed every moment! We will come again...

First experience at the Ames Center was a Queen tribute act. Seats were balcony, center, row 2. Getting to seat was weird - up stairs to balcony level. Up stairs to balcony. Up stairs to top of balcony. down to seat. Was inconvenient.
I wasn't very happy with the sight lines. If the guests in the front of us (one row/row one) leaned forward even 6", we couldn't see the front 1/3 of stage. That's hard to believe, because I'm already 6'3" tall, and I can usually see over everything. My companion, who is 5' at best, had a hard time seeing the stage even when people in front of here weren't leaned forward.
Ordered the same drink at two different bars and was charged two different prices. Not a fan of that, because I don't like arguing about being overcharged for drink while others are waiting in line behind me.

Went there for a seminar. Sound system was mediocre at best.

Nicely done area for families. Love the atmosphere.

Great theater with good seating and lighting. Parking was easy too. I'd recommend it if you're looking foe a place to hold your venue.

Comfortable seating with good views. No problems with audio quality.

Very nice theater. I just didn't like that there wasn't really anything here.

This place is great me and my family have been to two plays here and they where done well. Beautiful place.

Smaller venue, a bit more laid back. Saw a comedy skit based on Men are from Mars...fun night.

First time visit. Will come again. Easy to get to and easy parking.

It was a great experience. We had buffet lunch at the Mediterranean Cafe and then the Looney Lutheran church ladies. Very entertaining!!

Nice venue for the Burnsville International Festival and really well-equipped for art and musical events.

A crown jewel in the City of Burnsville. This venue is well tended to, the staff is well trained and we are fortunate to have such a beautiful center for the arts in our city.

Small but overall very nice. Needs more seating in the waiting area. There were many of us seniors standing in pain while the youngsters sat and stared at us.

The play that we attended was very humorous and I enjoyed very much.
The seating there leaves alot to be desired. The seats need to be risen more as most people could not see over the person's head that was seated below them. Blocked our vision of not only the stage but the performers.
The railing leading down the steps need to either be reinforced or replaced.
Bolts that hold the railing down were coming loose making the railing wobbly.

Nice place for conferences, nice theatre and comfy seats. I enjoy watching the bodybuilding competitions that are hosted here. Open space outside the theatre for vendors to post up their booths

Ames Center is very nice, I attended the Johnnie Brown Experience there, he was AWESOME!

We saw the nutcracker and it was beautiful and fun. The venue was lovely but a little too crowded. Even our lower priced seats were good. Staff was friendly and helpful. Parking was easy, close by and free!

Great complex in an easily accessible location. Free parking was plentiful. Very charming with the exterior lighting. Felt almost European with a post show meal at the adjacent Mediterranean restaurant. A nice evening out!

Noel...The Musical. Unfortunately, if searching for meaning and the true definition of hope, one will not find it in this play. I struggled with the flow, the disconnect between actors and the complete denial of Jesus as the only reason behind this glorious season. I am sure positive ratings will derive from families and friend's of the actors. Im sticking to musicals.

Its was very clean and all seats had great views of the stage

Since I work here I love it people are friendly the staff is friendly the time here is spent well I mean sometimes it is slow the food I would give it 41/2 star but this place is amazing

Seats and legroom aren't as big as Mystic Lake Showroom (I am spoiled by Mystic Lake) but OK. Free parking in ramp is very close by right next to Ames Center. Nice place built by the city.

Had a fun time with friends at the Lorie Line concert tonight.

Beautiful facility, accoustics were excellent, plenty of good seating.....Great experience..

Very impressive venue. We attended a Fabulous Armadillos concert and the show and auditorium were exceptional.

Triple Expresso at Ames Center!
I went ahead of time to aim Center just to make sure I could figure out how to get there and so that we would be able to get there on time. For someone who's not from Burnsville, it's not the easiest place to find. It is easy to see because of its large size, but it's a little bit more difficult to figure out how to actually get to the building. We chose to park on the street as opposed to the parking garage, because I wasn't sure where the entrance was.

The show triple expresso was fantastic, but unfortunately we had to leave early.

I'm not sure if Ames Center offers food or not, because I only saw a bar there. I'm not sure if this is because it's late at night or if they just don't offer food.

The building is nice, and I would like to see what else they offer there.

Went there for Masquerade dance competition. Great venue

The performance was great, however seating was terrible. They crowded as many chairs as possible in a row. My leg was up against a metal rail for two hours. Very painful. I will not be back.

Great place to see a show! They have an art Exhibit room. We were short on time so we did not take a look at that. The theater itself was really clean and up-to-date. It was nice to have free parking on the location. Would definitely go see a show there again.