Michigan Murder Mystery March 3

A new Murder Mystery Weekend has just been added to the schedule for March 2-3 at Munro House Bed and Breakfast in Jonesville Michigan. It can be a one or two night stay. Those who arrive on Friday night can also get a great dinner for 2 at Olivia's Chop House. Saturday night is when we host the interactive murder mystery dinner party. Everyone participates as the mystery unfolds and we all try to figure out who-done-it. Come as you are. We will assign your character, dress you up for your role, teach you how the game is played, and prepare a 5 course dinner for you to enjoy while you play the game.

Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

Annual New Years Eve Murder Mystery Dinner Party

Seven couples came to Jonesville to participate in the annual New Years Eve Murder Mystery at the Munro House B&B in Michigan. Strangers became friends as they gathered to enjoy some old fashioned face-to-face social networking. The pairs joined forces to try to figure out who was telling the truth,who was lying through their teeth, and who was guilty of murder. All this was done while consuming a five course meal. It was an interactive evening of adult fun where the best part was that no one had to drive home--they all got to have as much fun as they wanted, then spend the night in a comfortable room and awaken to a big breakfast before heading back home. The murder mystery is traditionally done on New Years Eve, along with another 5-10 dates per year including multiple weekends in November--Murder Mystery Month at the Munro House.

Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

New Years Eve Party in Michigan

It is New Years Eve. We are hosting a Murder Mystery Dinner Party at the Munro House in Jonesville, and it's 41 degrees outside. That is just too nice a day to not be able to enjoy because of work, so I took 30 minutes and rode my motorcycle around town. I got a snapshot of me in front of the time and temperature at the bank, in front of the Jonesville Water Tower, at the local gas station, and in the Wal-Mart parking lot. So this is my time capsule of what it was like on this day. The price of gas was reasonable, my town was progressive, the parking lots were full, and the weather was outstanding (for December). Now I've got a house full of nice people and everyone is having a good time. Lady Gaga will be on the countdown from Times Square. We'll pour champagne at midnight and I will have to work on day 1 of 2012. It is all good.  Life is good in Jonesville.

Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"

Munro House Bed and Breakfast

Interactive Murder Mystery Dinner in Michigan

Six  couples joined us for a murder mystery dinner at the Munro House B&B in Jonesville Michigan. November is traditionally murder mystery month at the Munro House where several weekends are reserved for murder mysteries each year. Each person was an active participant in this interactive event.  A role was assigned to each guest by our hostess who tried to match characters with personalities.

These parties are designed to be more of a fun event than a problem solving task. Adults dressing up and acting silly is what these parties are all about. Each guest has a role to play and a script to follow. Each script has 4-8 clues in each of three acts. These clues must be shared during dinner. Additional ad-libbing is encouraged. 

A five course meal was served while the game was played. The mystery was solved over dessert. New friendships were made during the course of the evening and judging from the laughter coming from the dining room, everyone had a good time..



Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

MI B&B Murder Mystery Dinner Party

The first Murder Mystery Dinner of the fall at the Munro House B&B in Jonesville is history. But there are 3 more murder mysteries scheduled in November plus the traditional New Years Eve Murder Mystery at the Munro House.

The event starts with the assignment of characters and dressing for the role. The costume consists of a funky hat and an accessory from our costume closet to define each person's identity. Our hostess assigns roles based on personality and extrovertedness. The game is played while a 5 course meal is served. The guilty party is divulged over dessert. The event generally takes about 3 hours.

A selection of Michigan wines is served with dinner. Our favorites are from the St Julian Winery.

Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

Girls NIght Out Part 1-The Naughty Murder Mystery Dinner

Sylvia plans a mystery trip for a girls getaway every year. She is the senior member of the troupe and makes all the arrangements. The rest of the women arrive without a clue of what is in store for them. When Sylvia makes a plan, people are drawn to her because with her vivacious attitude, there will be fun! Her style is contagious. We were infected when they first stepped foot into the Munro House, and we may never be the same.

What we know is that these ladies immediately became family, and we want to party with them. Their ages spanned several decades, but from their interaction, we knew they were all kindred spirits.

Day one was a private Murder Mystery Dinner. Eight ladies were suspects but only one of them was the murderess. They chose our naughty murder mystery for women only and transformed themselves from regular fun-loving gals to pole dancers, biker babes, and phone sex operators. All of this was done while being served a 5 course meal.

We can tell a quality murder mystery dinner by the amount of laughter coming out of the dining room. One of the ladies told us her ribs still hurt the next day from all of the laughing during dinner the night before--yeah, we were a very good fit for this group of women.

Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

New Years Eve/New Years Day

There's always something to do in Jonesville.  Any bed and breakfast can give you a nice place to stay, but the Munro House in Jonesville takes it a step further and gets people to interact. Breakfast is always a fun time with people sharing stories and making new acquaintances.  New Years Eve went a step further by getting a dozen strangers to interact while participating in a Murder Mystery Dinner.

Hosts, Mike and Lori Venturini, are a two man crew who plan, host, and serve the murder mystery dinner. A five course meal was prepared and consumed while the guests tried to figure out who-done-it. The game at the Munro House is played without actors. Everyone involved in the dinner is a suspect and potential killer. The way their game is played, even the killer doesn't know they did it until the end of the game when all of the clues are enumerated for suspects to be found innocent and one found guilty. The sleuths celebrated with a champagne toast at midnight while watching Dick Clark on the big screen.

Then came New Years Day where college football isn't the only thing to do. 12 people entered the kitchen and 12 chefs walked out using their new found skills to prepare their share of a portion of an 8 course meal including 4 appetizers, plus soup, salad, entree, and dessert.  A 6 hour cooking and consuming event known as Chef Night, was littered with conversation and camaraderie between friends who were strangers just hours before.

No cooking event is complete at the Munro House until the writing is on the wall--literally!  Cooks are encouraged to put some words of wisdom on the walls of our kitchen.  Thanks Kurt & Christie +1 for joining us on your 1st anniversary and the celebration of your 1st pregnancy! They wrote "May you know great love & share it with others. Love is life's most precious gift. Thank you for a wonderful time!"

Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

Murder Mystery Dinner at Munro House

November is our Michigan Murder Mystery Month and another successful Murder Mystery night occurred over the weekend. 11 guests, mostly from the Detroit area, took the 100 mile drive to the Munro House in Jonesville to spend an evening of adult activity in this small Southern Michigan town. Fun, frivolity, and a feast were provided to like-minded people for an in-house getaway weekend.

Our guests were age 24 and up. The younger crowd was a little leery of what to expect. They had never been to a bed and breakfast before and had never taken part in a murder mystery. Upon meeting the older crowd, they all melded and spent the evening enjoying each others' company while laughing, eating, and trying to figure out who-done-it.

It quickly became evident that our games are not too serious. We bring people together and put them in a setting where they can have fun with other adults without the pressure of actually having to figure out the crime.  We started out with an appetizer of shrimp cocktail accompanied by a nice variety of Michigan wines. This night's selection were from St. Julian's and Leelanau Cellars. The beauty of hosting a murder mystery at a bed and breakfast is that everyone can have as good a time as they want to have and no one has to worry about driving home--because everyone is spending the night.

Our award winning harvest soup was followed by our house salad--the secret ingredient is caramelized blanched almonds.  A beef tenderloin was accompanied by roasted potatoes, and our peppers and beans vegetable mix. The interactive game was played while dinner was served and consumed.

Lori's butter cream frosting coated the devil's food cake. Dessert was served while the guests discussed clues that accused just about everyone at the table for having done the deed. In the end, it was not about figuring it out, it was about acting silly, wearing funny hats, and spending time with new friends.

Mike Venturini

Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper

"Life is good in Jonesville"

Munro House Bed and Breakfast

New Years Eve Ideas in Michigan

New Years Day becomes a getaway night when it falls on a weekend.  In 2010, New Years Eve falls on a Friday, so New Years Day is a Saturday, making it a great weekend for 2 nights of winter festivities. 

At the Munro House Bed and Breakfast in Jonesville, we are celebrating with our 12th annual Murder Mystery Dinner on New Years Eve and the original Chef Night Cooking Party on New Years Day. 

We have hosted hundreds of Murder Mysteries since the 90's. We have thrown away the boxed games and have found a variety of scripted games for various sized groups. After taking the games for a test run, we only play the ones that are fun. There must be interesting characters, amusing dialogue, and solvable puzzles to be a murder mystery worthy of playing at our house. Our murder mystery dinner party lasts about 3 hours. 

Chef Night is a cooking party that we have developed that incorporates interesting recipes, a mixture of flavors, a bit of instruction, and serious interaction between amateur chefs.  Several two person teams prepare portions of an atypical meal of diverse flavors using recipes from around the world which are consumed by all participants in a fun and cooperative atmosphere. There is about 6 hours of preparation and consumption in this interactive cooking party.

This two night New Years Eve package is a great way to say "goodbye" to 2010 and "hello" to 2011.

Mike Venturini

Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"

Munro House Bed and Breakfast

Murder Mysteries in Michigan

We have hosted hundreds of Murder Mystery Dinners in Michigan. Since we purchased the Munro House Bed and Breakfast in Jonesville back in 1999, we discovered that many people want to participate in a Murder Mystery, but few people want to host the party. So we developed a style and a menu that people from around the midwest have enjoyed.

Every weekend in November is usually a Murder Mystery Weekend in Jonesville.  People leave all of the detail in our hands as we advertise to fill the table with like-minded guests. The Munro House is one of the few B&Bs in Michigan that do not require a group to book the entire party in order to do a Murder Mystery. We have it open to the public so that couples can come and enjoy the company of other guests at our house while having fun playing the game and enjoying a five course meal.

Although November is Murder Mystery Month in Jonesville, we also offer the event on various dates throughout the year. We try to have at least one during every season. For people that want us to open a new date for a Murder Mystery, all we ask is that 2 couples get it started with at least 6 weeks notice on any available date, and we will fill the table.

Our first course is ususally shrimp cocktail. It is served with wine in our parlor while our hostess explains how the game is played. Characters are assigned based on guest interaction and personality--we want to give the most important parts to the most outgoing people. There is no pressure to bring a costume to get into character. We supply everything.  The game then moves into the dining room for soup, salad, entree, and dessert.  We feed our guests very well while they play the game.

A typical game begins around 6:30 and ends after 9:00.  The goal is not necessarily to figure out who-done-it. The goal is for adults to have a good time playing a game while enjoying a big meal and the company of friends. We judge the success of a party based on how much laughter is coming out of the dining room.  That is why we have chosen games that are light-hearted, not too hard to figure out, and fun to play.  We ususally hear a lot of laughter on Murder Mystery night.

Mike Venturini - Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

Private Murder Mystery Dinner in Michigan

A group of 7 couples wanted us to host a private Murder Mystery Dinner at our place, the Munro House B&B in downtown Jonesville, Michigan. They picked an available date, rented all 7 of our rooms and proceeded to have a big party while we prepared all of the food, organized the game, served the meal, and helped them have a good time.

We started off with appetizers of shrimp cocktail and caramel apples along with an assortment of wines from our local favorite winery, St. Julian's of Michigan.  We taught them how the game is played, assigned each of them a character, dressed them for their roles, and served up a 5 course home-made meal, featuring a beef tenderloin steak as the main entree, while they interacted and tried to solve the murder mystery.

We can tell how the game is going by how much laughter is coming out of the dining room.  This group of extroverts were enjoying each other's company, consuming a fine meal, and laughing a lot. Whether they figured out who-done-it or not was not important, the point of the game is to have some good clean fun--and they did.

A private game can be arranged on any available date for groups of 8-14 people. Groups of 6 or less can start a game on any available date and we will offer the game to the general public until we get at least the mandatory 8 players. For couples who just want to meet new people, we offer public murder mysteries 5-10 times a year. The Munro House hosts them every weekend in November along with New Years Eve and other periodic dates throughout the year. We have hosted hundreds of murder mystery dinners and try very hard to make every event a good one.

Mike Venturini - Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"

Murder Mysteries in Jonesville Michigan

We have hosted hundreds of murder mystery dinners at the Munro House Bed and Breakfast in Jonesville, Michigan. Most of our events are open for couples to join. We need at least 4 couples to play and have always been able to meet the minimum. Some of our events are private for groups of friends. We have hosted families, clubs, and many diverse groups of people.

We have the setup down to a science. We generally use a festive tablecloth with our antique china and adorn the table with candles. We have developed a menu that includes appetizer, soup, salad, entree, and dessert. A typical meal includes shrimp cocktail for the appetizer. We make our favorite seasonal soup. In the Fall, we serve our Harvest Soup for the second course. Our new house salad is spectacular. It includes our home-made dressing, dried cherries, glazed almonds, and Parmesan cheese. The main course is a beef tenderloin steak served with potatoes and vegetables. Lately we have been finishing the evening with our chocolate caramel brownies served with ice cream.

We spend a good part of the afternoon preparing the meal, so a prompt arrival time is imperative. Many of our guests purchase the two night package, so they are already in town. For those guests who buy the one night package, an arrival before 5:00 p.m. is required. The event starts at around 6:30, so we need our guests to have been checked in so that we can finish the prep work, uninterrupted.

The evening starts in the parlor with an introduction of participants and an explanation of how the game is played while the appetizer and beverages are served. We try to get a feeling for the personalities of the guests so that they all will get an appropriate role. Those people with the biggest personalities will get the biggest parts. Additionally, each player gets a hat from our costume closet. We have collected a variety of funky head ware that helps to lighten the mood and transform our peeps into their new roles. That means that there is no pressure for guests to find their own costume for an event at our house. We take care of it, and keep it simple.

The guests then move into the dining room and play the game while the meal is served. Each person has a 3 page script with 4-8 clues on each sheet that they must get into the conversation over dinner. The clues are very interactive and include topics that many participants have comments to insert. In the first act, each person learns a little bit more about their character. In the second act, there is a lot of finger pointing and innuendo. The third act is where everyone has an alibi--some are good, some are not so good.

When all three acts are complete, there is discussion over dessert about who-done-it. One by one the participants are asked who they think did it, and why. Then, one-by-one we tell you who didn't do it, and why. At the end, the clues that incriminate the guilty party are divulged and it becomes obvious who was guilty.

We always host a murder mystery that is open to individual couples on every Saturday night in November and on New Years Eve. Additionally, we hold events on the first weekend in January and on random dates throughout the year. We will host a murder mystery dinner on any available date with at least a group of four and six weeks notice. We will then fill up the table to play with a minimum of 8 total players.

We have even offered murder mystery luncheons for private groups only. It is a lower cost event and is generally done on a Sunday afternoon for private groups only. We need 8 to play with a maximum of 14 players. 12 is the ideal size, but all even numbers between 8 and 14 make for a good game.

We enjoy hosting parties at our house. We have developed our own style and have chosen games that are fun to play. Our goal is to have our guests have a good time whether they figure out the mystery or not. At our house it is more about laughing and having a good time than it is about studying your part and taking notes. The games we play can be figured out if the players pay a reasonalbe amount of attention to the conversation over dinner. On nights when no one does, it doesn't matter. Because this is a game, not a contest, so there is no pressure to win.

If you're looking for some good adult-themed fun with other like-minded couples, a murder mystery may be just the ticket. Check out our website or call 1-800-320-3792 to find out more about an upcoming murder mystery.

Mike Venturini - Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"