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B M & T ••• May/June 2019 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 44 this heritage is kept alive in several historical landmarks, like the St. Philips African Moravian Church, North Carolina's oldest standing African- American church, and the Log Church, which serves as a mixed media orientation point for the St. Philip Heritage Center in Old Salem Musems & Gardens. • • • SOUTH CAROLINA From relaxing at the beach to taking a wild ride on an alligator swamp tour, South Carolina's waterways and coastal setting offer all kinds out- door recreation. The coastal area is also home to one of America's most interesting cultural communities, the African-American Gullah and Geechee people who make their home in the Low Country. Myrtle Beach, at the northern end of the Atlantic Coast, is the center of a 60-mile stretch known as the Grand Strand. Visitors can hit the links at one of many area golf courses, enjoy a walk along the Oceanfront Boardwalk and Promenade or head to Broadway at the Beach for shop- ping, dining and entertainment. A horse-drawn carriage tour is a charming way to see the sights of his- toric downtown Charleston. You can buy sweet grass baskets from Gullah artisans at Charleston's City Market and enter the sanctuary where the slave rebel Denmark Vesey preached at Emanuel AME Church. COLUMBIA Whether you're traveling to the Columbia region for business or leisure there is plenty to choose from to satisfy your needs, for this city is known to accommodate a diverse array of groups. Here in the heart of South Carolina, visitors experience the excitement of a thriving metrop- olis with a proud past rich in history and tradition. With over 537,449 sq. ft. of meeting space available in the region (including a 142,500-sq. ft. Convention Center), there are several conventional & unconventional facilities to choose from for your next event. Centrally located in South Carolina's historic state capital, Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center is in the middle of an exciting urban scene that includes open-air cafes, deluxe accommoda- tions, live music, exciting sports venues and concert tours. With the temperate seasons, Columbia offers your guests a perfect year-round business and social climate with a wide variety of world-class cultural and natural attractions. This venue is a dazzling 142,500-sq. ft. facility that was designed with you in mind! From abundant pre-function space to beautifully equipped breakout rooms; a 24,700-sq. ft., column free exhibit hall to an exquisite 17,135-sq. ft. ballroom – your next meeting or event is sure to be an over- whelming success! • • • TENNESSEE Between Memphis' famous Graceland mansion in western Tennessee and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the east- ern side are a wide range of visitor attractions in the Volunteer State. In Chattanooga, you can view Lookout Mountain and Ruby Falls from the world's steepest passenger railway, as well as tour the Chattanooga African-American Museum. Visitors to Knoxville can browse Black history exhibits at the Beck Cultural Exchange Center and view a 13-ft. bronze statue of Roots author Alex Haley in Morningside Park. The Beale Street Music Festival is part of the month-long Memphis in May International Festival, but you should make a point to visit the historic entertainment district no matter when you go. Top Nashville attractions include the Opry Mills shopping center, the American Negro Playwright Theatre, Belle Meade Plantation, Fisk University, and the Civil Rights Room, inspired by the sit-ins of the 1960s and located in the Downtown Public Library. VV • • • VIRGINIA Virginia's oldest museum is found on the campus of the historically Black Hampton University. Hampton's Virginia Air & Space Center includes an exhibit on Tuskegee Airmen, and there is more history to explore at the Hampton History Museum, the Mariners' Museum and the Casemate Museum at Fort Monroe. In the capital city of Richmond, some of the most significant Black heritage sites are in Jackson Ward. Visitors to this historic neighbor- hood can tour the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia and view a statue of Richmond native Bill "Bojangles" Robinson that stands next to city's first traffic light, a gift from the enter- tainer. A Gallery Walk at the Virginia Historical Society features exhibits on the Civil Rights Movement and the role of African- Americans in the Civil War. Norfolk celebrates the rich ethnic diversity of its population with sights, sounds, attractions and special events that pay tribute to the city's long mul- ticultural heritage. Fun-filled festivals on the downtown waterfront offer up the music, art and culinary delights of the city's diverse Asian-American, African-American, Pacific Island, and Latin American communities, while the traditions of the region's first citizens – Virginia's Native American Columbia Cityscape National Civil Rights Museum photo credit: CM.C