Step back in time with our exciting Mystery Dinners! Play detective as you savor a 6-Course gourmet dinner and attempt to solve the mystery as your waiter, Rex Butler, serves a series of intriguing clues along with the meal.

Each of the Mystery Events the Rittenhouse Inn offers are loosely based on historical events of the area, our historic properties, and the residents who founded and lived in Bayfield. The Mysteries are written for 14 characters, generally 7 ladies and 7 men. An additional member of our staff plays the role of host throughout the evening.

“The Traveling Impresario”
This story is set at the Island View Hotel (aka Le Chateau Boutin) in the 1890s. The hotel’s new manager is throwing a grand re-opening party which also serves to welcome a traveling entertainer and her entourage to Bayfield. The party includes a gathering of local odd-balls and prominent citizens. There’s a mystery to be solved when one of the cast suddenly goes missing. Note: there is a sequel to this mystery which takes place in 1910.

“A Rotten Bunch of Apples”
This exciting 1920’s era story is filled with gangsters, bootleggers, flappers, and…assassins! The story is set at the private home of Bayfield’s biggest gangster, where he and his ex-wife are throwing a party to celebrate the anniversary of their divorce. One can only imagine the lies and deceit of such a gathering! Everyone is out for himself and a big pay-off. It’s difficult to determine who is friend and who is foe.

“The Great Sea Port Debate”
This story takes place in the late 1870s. President Rutherford B. Hayes has appointed a committee to investigate the viability of a sea port on Lake Superior. The committee has done extensive research and the options have been narrowed to Duluth MN or Bayfield WI. Politicians and business people from both sides have gathered at a gala party in anticipation of the outcome. The final decision is about to be announced when the chairman of the committee goes missing!