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July of 2010 is a $3.2 million investment, which will host 80 rooms, all suites. The Holiday Inn Express Beaumont opened in mid-April. This 81-room hotel is a new prototype property from the Inter-Continental Hotels Group. Beaumont is billed as the museum capital of Texas with 19 museums. Included are The Fire Museum of Texas where a 24-ft. Dalmatian-spotted fire hydrant welcomes visitors into Beaumont’s charming downtown cul- tural and historic district, and the Spindletop/Gladys City Boomtown Museum to see how the Lucas Gusher, the largest gusher in the world, blew in January 1901. Visitors can watch the world’s only working repli- ca gusher blow water hundreds of feet into the sky. For more Information: www.beau-montcvb.com or (800) 392-4401. FORT WORTH The 17th-largest city in the United States and still growing rapidly, Fort Worth continues to be one of the premier meeting destinations in the nation. Known as the “City of Cowboys and Culture,” Fort Worth is an exciting meetings, convention and tourism destination. One of the biggest reasons is the transformation of the city’s accom- modations in its pedestrian-friendly and safe downtown. The number of guest rooms has doubled thanks to new and renovated hotels, which will allow the city to host larger meetings than ever before. The recently-opened Omni Fort Worth Hotel is the new convention center headquarters facility. This luxury property features 614 rooms and nearly 68,000 sq. ft. of meeting space. The 294-room Hilton Fort Worth and 504-room Renaissance Worthington Hotel have both completed extensive renovations. The Embassy Suites Hotel Fort Worth-Downtown offers 156 two-room suites along with meeting spaces that are ideal for smaller events. Now open less than a block from the convention center, the Sheraton Fort Worth Hotel and Spa offers 430 guest rooms and 22,000 sq. ft. of meeting space. In addition to new hotel rooms, Fort Worth has added 1,500 new restau- rant seats downtown. Recently opened restaurants include Shula’s 347 Grill (Sheraton); Ruth’s Chris Steak House (Hilton); The Vault (The Tower); Bob’s Steak & Chop House (Omni) and Grace (Carter & Burgess building). The Fort Worth Convention Center recently completed a $75 mil- lion expansion and renovation. The Center features a total of 253,226 sq. ft. of exhibit space; 41 breakout rooms; a 28,160-sq. ft. ballroom, 13,500-seat arena and expanded dock facilities. In addition, the Center’s public events plaza for out- door gatherings links the Fort Worth Water Gardens to the Convention Center’s new grand entrance. While in Fort Worth, visitors can experience Sundance Square, with its exciting Western heritage in the Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District and art in Fort Worth’s Cultural District. Heritage Trails consists of 22 bronze sidewalk markers, concen- trated on Main Street from Heritage Park to the Water Gardens. These markers tell the story of Fort Worth’s history, people, places and events. A joint project of the Fort Worth Chamber Foundation, Fort Worth Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Downtown Fort Worth, Inc., Heritage Trails plaques bear a signa- ture cubistic longhorn design from 1936 by Fort Worth artist Evaline Sellors, a sepia-toned screened illus- tration, and a brief historical narra- tive. Each four-foot-tall, freestanding marker is sponsored by a local busi- ness. For more information: www.fort- worth.comor (800) 433-5747. PLANO According to CNN Money Cowboys of Color 28 Photo Credit: Fort Worth CVB Magazine, There’s no place like Plano for meetings. Known as the “Star in Texas,” Plano hails as the safest city in North Texas, based on a recent survey by CQ Press, and a good place to visit and do business. Modern state-of-the-art facilities of every size, description and budget are located throughout the city. Whether it’s a convention, confer- ence, trade show or board meeting, there is a variety of options from which to choose, including many that offer free parking and free wireless connectivity, as well as on-site tradeshow support. Centrally locat- Black Meetings & Tourism May/June 2010: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com