Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/105245
ICI•pg_53-63__BMT_pg3-58 1/22/13 4:31 AM Page 62 The picking season starts in early summer with berry season and in fall it's Apple season. Follow Route 2 into the Lake Champlain Islands to Hackett's Orchard where you can wander around trees weighed-down by 45 varieties of apples. Vermont is also known for its maple syrup, cheese and of course chocolate. There are several chocolatiers in Burlington, Stowe, Montpelier, Arlington and Brattleboro to choose from. In addition to its pristine lakes and wilderness, there is a full menu of winter sports activities from skiing to snowboarding. History buffs will enjoy a tour of the Rokeby House a National Historic Landmark and Underground Railroad stop. WASHINGTON DC RHODE ISLAND There are myriad ways to explore this state's rich cultural and architectural heritage. One of the more popular is through Rhode Island Heritage Trail tours such as the Providence Arts and Cultural Trail. On this tour you can stop at the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society "Creative Survival," a permanent walk-through museum of 19th century Black life in Providence. Another part of this tour is a visit to the Providence Black Repertory Company, a creative environment that celebrates the artistic contributions of Black artists throughout American history. Rhode Island is known for its architectural beauty. Numerous walking tours will take you to such places as Newport's world famous Cliff Walk where you'll see extravagant Gilded-Age mansions perched upon the rocky cliffs just above the Atlantic Ocean. The Newport Gilded Age Trail will take you to opulent Victorian mansions, palatial summer residences and the International Tennis Hall of Fame. 62 Rhode Island Convention Center Group of Skiers, Killington, Vermont VERMONT What's a vacation without ice cream? Vermont's top tourist attraction is Ben & Jerry's Factory Tours in the town of Waterbury. Visitors view the manufacturing process and a little sampling is in order. Vermont is an agriculturalparadise known for its abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables. The farmers here make it easy to pick your own for the journey home. B M & T ••• November/December 2012 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com The contributions of African Americans to the landscape and culture of our nation's capital runs deep. From Benjamin Bannaker, a free African-American scientist and surveyor who was part of the team that surveyed the original borders of the District of Columbia to President Barack Obama, this city is the embodiment of the AfricanAmerican experience. The monuments and memorials that pay homage to the AfricanAmerican experience are many – the African American Civil War Memorial and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial are two of the better known. But many of the other memorials and monuments also pay tribute to the African-American achievement starting with the most hallowed of burial grounds, Arlington National Cemetery where Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshal and boxer Joe Louis are buried. The Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum documents African-American history from the local and community perspective. The Frederick Douglass National Historic Site is administered by the National Park Service