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B M & T ••• May/June 2026 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 46 Hotel & Convention Center keeping attendees connected. Smaller executive groups can anchor downtown at The Charleston Place and step directly into walking tours, jazz nights, and waterfront air. COLUMBIA You feel Columbia in the way its stories sit right alongside your day-to-day movement—between meetings, meals, and moments of pause. Start at the Mann-Simons Site or the African American History Monument, where the city's narra- tive of resilience and leadership takes center stage, then carry that perspective into a gathering at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, where conferences, reunions, and execu- tive meetings flow easily into the surrounding Vista district. Here, your agenda doesn't end when sessions close. You step outside to restaurants, galleries, and live music within walking distance, or settle into nearby stays like Hilton Columbia Center or Hampton Inn Columbia-Downtown Historic District, where convenience meets a sense of place. Columbia's HBCU presence—Benedict College and Allen University— adds another layer, shaping experiences that can include cam- pus visits, cultural programming, or community-centered events that feel rooted and intentional. When it's time to unwind, dinner at Ki Ki's Chicken and Waffles or Peace of Soul Vegan Kitchen bring flavor and famil- iarity, while an evening at Chayz Lounge offers a smooth, social close to the day. For balance, you can move toward the river- front, paddle quiet waters, or stretch out along shaded trails. In Columbia, your gathering becomes a shared experience shaped by history, community, and the space to connect. GREENVILLE You experience Greenville through movement: along the Swamp Rabbit Trail; across Liberty Bridge at Falls Park on the Reedy; and into neighborhoods where the city's stories live. Start with a Black History in Greenville tour, where civil rights landmarks, historic Black churches, and the legacy of Sterling High School provide a deeper understanding of place. Then, bring that understanding into your gathering at the Greenville Convention Center or a smaller meeting at Hyatt Regency Greenville or The Westin Poinsett, Greenville, where every- thing feels connected and within reach. Keep your itinerary fluid for excursions into Downtown and the West End. You'll move from gallery time at the Greenville County Museum of Art—where works tied to Southern and African American history anchor the experience—into dinner at CRAVE Greenville or Jamaica Mi Irie, where global flavors meet Southern roots. Evenings settle into live music at Blues Boulevard Jazz or The Foundry, offering a social rhythm that feels relaxed but intentional. Between sessions and celebrations, Greenville comes alive. Unity Park and the riverfront invite pause, while festivals like Greenville Jazz Fest and Fall for Greenville bring the city into the streets. Here, your meeting becomes grounded in history, shaped by culture, and balanced with space to breathe. MYRTLE BEACH You feel Myrtle Beach in the waves of the ocean, the hum of the Boardwalk, and the stories that stretch just beyond the shoreline. But start where the history lives. Charlie's Place, once a vital stop on the Chitlin' Circuit, is being transformed into a museum and business incubation center and holds Juneteenth celebrations. Follow the feeling into the Historic Myrtle Beach Colored School Museum and Education Center or out to Freewoods Farm, where the land preserves African American agricultural traditions. Nearby, Atlantic Beach, long known as "The Black Pearl," adds another dimension: it's a historic African American seaside community, and a living monument to the legacy of African American travel. From there, meetings at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center flow easily into oceanfront downtime, with the Sheraton Myrtle Beach Convention Center Hotel keeping your group connected and on schedule. Whether you're plan- ning a conference, sports tournament, reunion, or incentive trip, the setup allows business to transition seamlessly into leisure. And leisure here is expansive. Walk the Myrtle Beach Myrtle Beach Convention Center Greenville Convention Center Downtown Columbia, South Carolina