Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1313980
B M & T ••• November/December 2020 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 45 VERMONT The Rokeby Museum in Ferrisburg, near Burlington, hous- es exhibits on the history of the Underground Railroad in Vermont. Vermont's number one tourist attraction is the Ben and Jerry's Factory in Waterbury Center. Other top historical, cul- tural and recreational sites include the Vermont State House in Montpelier, the Vermont Ski Museum in Stowe, Green Mountain National Forest and Lake Champlain. Agritourism is booming in the Green Mountain State, at places like the Billings Farm & Museum in Woodstock, the Cabot Creamery Factory in Cabot and Shelburne Farms in Shelburne, where another favorite attraction is the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory. Visitors might consider planning a meeting or leisure trip to coincide with a special event like January's Winter Festival in Bennington, the Vermont Maple Open House Weekend held at sugarhouses throughout the state in March, the statewide Vermont Open Studio, with nearly 300 artists and artisans participating, or the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival in June. WASHINGTON, DC DC's most talked about tourism attraction these days is the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, the first monument on the National Mall to honor a non-president and first to honor a person of color. The centerpiece is 30-ft. statue of King carved into a block of granite called the Stone of Hope, positioned as if emerging from a split boulder called the Mountain of Despair. A 450-ft. curved granite wall is inscribed with 14 quotes from King. The Marriott Marquis Washington, DC, is the capital's largest hotel and Marriott International's 4,000th property. Spanning an entire block adjacent to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, this dynamic hotel is designed to make event planning nearly effortless by offering fully outfitted function facilities, awe-inspiring accommoda- tions and easy access to out-on-the-town activities, all in one place. The dazzling property, majority owned by African- American developer Norman Jenkins, features 1,175 rooms and 49 suites, and more than 100,000 sq. ft. of meeting and event space, including a 30,000-sq. ft. Grand Ballroom, two 10,800-sq. ft. ballrooms, more than 53,000 sq. ft. of meeting rooms, and a 2,500-sq. ft. rooftop terrace. The 2.3 million-sq. ft. Walter E. Washington Convention Center is the city's largest meeting venue, containing more than 700,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space. There are nearly 28,000 hotel rooms citywide. Visitors with an interest in African-American history and culture will discover plenty of possibilities in DC beyond the King Memorial. A good starting point would be Howard University, a historically Black private university that was founded in 1867 in Washington, DC, and is the home to 13 schools and colleges offering undergraduate, graduate, doctor- al and professional degrees in a number of disciplines. The Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, preserving the last residence of Frederick Douglass (1818 -1895), one of the most prominent African-American leaders of the 19th cen- tury, is another possibility. Be sure to include the Emancipation Statue, built almost entirely with funds donated by former slaves, the Mary McLeod Bethune Statue in Lincoln Ski Group, Killington, Vermont Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial