Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/3108
Black Meetings & Tourism April/May 2009: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com touring the Virginia Museum of Transportation, which includes an exhibit on African-American contributions to the development of the railroad. Booker T. Washington National Monument is located southeast of Roanoke in Hardy, Washington's birthplace. One of Roanoke's top shopping and dining spots is the Historic Farmers' Market, which also is the site of Center on the Square, a cultural district that includes the Science Museum of Western Virginia, the History Museum of Western Virginia and the Mill Mountain Theatre. Art lovers can browse Art Museum of Western Virginia or the Taubman Museum of Art. Other places to see include Mill Mountain Zoo, Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia's Explore Park and Elmwood Park, which holds the Taste of Blue Ridge Blues and Jazz Festival each September. VIRGINIA BEACH The Virginia Beach Convention Center is implementing a number of sustainability initiatives focused on recycling, waste reduction and water and energy conservation. The 516,000-sq. ft. facility has more than 150,000 sq. ft. of column-free exhibit space, nearly 29,000 sq. ft. of meeting space and a ballroom measuring more than 31,000 sq. ft. There are more than 12,000 hotel rooms citywide, including over 3,500 committable hotel rooms within 2.5 miles of the convention center. A notable African-American heritage site in Virginia Beach is Morning Star Baptist Church, one of the city's oldest remain- ing Black churches. For a further taste of area history, visitors can tour the historic Lynnhaven House, explore the Cape Henry Lighthouse and Memorial Park and take a stroll down the Virginia Legends Walk, lined with markers paying tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, Arthur Ashe, Booker T. Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Edgar Allen Poe and other famous Virginians. A favorite spot along the city's 14 miles of public beach is the three-mile Boardwalk, where the action includes biking, rollerblading and nightly summer entertainment. The Atlantic Wildfowl Heritage Museum is housed in the last remaining cottage on the Virginia Boardwalk. Other major attractions include the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, Ocean Natal Air Station, the Military Aviation Museum, the Contemporary Art Center of Virginia, 104 Roanoke Golf Couse Photo Credit: Roanoke CVB