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B M & T ••• May/June 2026 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 36 can take it all in along Tampa's Soulwalk, a pathway with more than 100 locations celebrating Tampa's African American pres- ence. For a change of pace, try Ybor City, named for a legendary cigar maker. You'll discover the aroma of Cuban coffee, the attractions of unique shops and boutiques, and the roots of Tampa's Latino community. For meetings, Tampa places you next to the water. At the Tampa Convention Center, your agenda proceeds along the Hillsborough River, with the Tampa Marriott Water Street and JW Marriott Tampa Water Street creating a connected district that keeps your group within steps of dining, public spaces, and waterfront views. The surrounding Water Street Tampa devel- opment, with numerous dining and shopping options, allows you to move easily between sessions and shared experiences without losing pace or place. Beyond the meeting floor, the city offers various creative, walkable experiences. Along the Tampa Riverwalk, museums, parks, and performance spaces connect in a continuous line, creating opportunity for both structured outings and sponta- neous exploration. Ybor City evenings shift into live music, late-night conversation, and a social vitality that feels both his- toric and immediate. The annual Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival brings a similar energy, with music, art, and community gatherings at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park. Between sessions, experience Tampa outside. Waterfront parks, nearby beaches, and open-air gathering spaces offer room to reset and connect. No matter what type of trip you're planning, there's no shortage of options in Tampa. GEORGIA Georgia moves to a rhythm simultaneously rooted and alive, where heritage and contemporary culture move in step. In Atlanta, the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement flows through the Sweet Auburn Historic District and the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, while the pulse of HBCU life and African American-owned dining shapes a distinctly modern experience. Along the coast, Savannah invites slower explo- ration through Gullah Geechee traditions, historic African American churches, and waterfront evenings of art, music, and storytelling. Beyond these anchors, places like Augusta and Columbus reveal riverfront scenes, neighborhood heritage, and cultural trails that connect past to present, while East Point and LaGrange offer accessible, community-centered experiences. Across the state, summer brings festivals, family gatherings, outdoor recreation, and a sense of return—whether that's through music, food, or shared history. For groups, Georgia balances meaningful connection with ease, offering spaces where meetings, reunions, and celebra- tions naturally extend into something deeper, setting the stage for each destination to tell its own story. ATLANTA Step onto Auburn Avenue and you're walking through liv- ing history. Ebenezer Baptist Church, the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, and the surrounding Sweet Auburn Historic District anchor Atlanta's sense of purpose and place. That legacy carries forward into present-day experi- ences, whether your group is exploring the National Center for Civil and Human Rights or gathering nearby for conversation. Downtown keeps everything within reach. Meetings at the Georgia World Congress Center flow easily into evenings at Signia by Hilton Atlanta, where skyline views and shared meals extend the day's momentum. You can move between history, hospitality, and connection without breaking stride. AUGUSTA Start along the Savannah River, where Augusta's story unfolds between the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History and the quiet strength of Springfield Baptist Church. You move through neighborhoods like Laney-Walker feeling that history's presence in the streets, carried in the music, and echoed in tributes to "Soul Brother #1" James Brown, perhaps Augusta's most famous homegrown star. Meetings settle easily into this feeling. At the Augusta Convention Center, river views frame your day, with the Augusta Marriott at the Convention Center just steps away Tampa Cityscape Geogia World Congress Center Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History