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GEORGIA A BEACON OF LIGHT IN THE SOUTH B Y M o r g a n K e i t h The Peach State celebrates life and culture in a myriad of ways. Its sheer beauty is breath taking. The broad selec- tion of restaurants includes international cuisine, classic American, and down home southern comfort food. With over 2,000 sights on the national historic reg- ister historic, Ray Charles Ode to "Georgia on My Mind" timelessly com- municates that Georgia is both historic and contemporary. • •ATLANTA • • Atlanta is known for its legacy of Black leadership in business, politics, music, cul- ture and civil and human rights. The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Historic Site is maintained by the National Parks Service. The National Center for Civil and Human Rights Museum was established in 2007, The Center's 42,000-sq. ft. facility is locat- ed on Pemberton Place®, adjacent to the World of Coca-Cola and the Georgia Aquarium, on land donated by the Coca- Cola Company. Anchoring Atlanta's meetings industry is the Georgia World Congress Center. Located in the heart of downtown Atlanta, the Georgia World Congress Center fea- tures 1.4+ million sq. ft. of prime exhibit space, 12 exhibit halls, 98 meeting rooms, two ballrooms and three beautifully land- scaped outdoor plazas ideal for after- hours functions. Georgia World Congress Center, Centennial Olympic Park and brand new Mercedes-Benz Stadium com- prise what many tout as the number one convention, sports and entertainment des- tination in the world. The campus is cur- rently undergoing a dynamic evolution. Key highlights that will contribute to your unforgettable meeting experience include a multi-use expansion hall that creates over 1 million gross sq. ft. of contiguous exhibit space, a new luxury headquarter hotel by Hilton opening in 2022, and $27 million re-envisioning of Centennial Olympic Park Atlanta proper boasts 185 hotels with 43,000 rooms, while the larger Atlanta Metropolitan Area has 850 hotels with over 100,000 rooms. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, just eight miles from the down- town district, is the busiest and most effi- cient airport in the world and, offering non- stop service to more than 150 domestic and nearly 70 international destinations. WHO YOU GONNA CALL? Atlanta CVB – (877) ATLANTA www.atlantameetings.com • • AUGUSTA • • Visit Augusta President/CEO Bennish Brown and his team are using the coron- avirus break to retool the branding to high- light the offerings that make Augusta such a unique des- tination. The Riverwalk in Augusta is a main artery that connects you to the best and the rest of Augusta. In the Augusta Historic Museum you will find a tribute to James Brown the Godfather of Soul. The 6,400 sq. ft. rotunda offers a 500 capacity meeting space. In addition, The Morris Museum is dedicated to the art and artists of the American South. The Morris offers over 5,000 paintings, works on paper, photographs, and sculptures B M & T ••• March/April 2020 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 42 AREA GUIDES G E O R G I A Georgia World Congress Center Photo Credit: Atlanta CVB Augusta Museum of Histor y Photo Credit: Augusta CVB