Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/3108
Black Meetings & Tourism April/May 2009: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 82 PENSACOLA With 12 meeting rooms, more than 20,000 sq. ft. of arena floor space and four pre-function areas, the Pensacola Civic Center is the main convention facility for this Gulf Coast city. Historic Pensacola Village is a can't-miss attraction that is home to two major Black historical and cultural sites: the Kate Coulson House, headquarters for the African- American Heritage Society, which operates a small art gallery and museum in the building, and the Julee Panton Cottage, the early 19th century home of a free woman of color. Other places that preserve and honor the area's Black heritage include St. Michaels Cemetery, one of the only U.S. cemeteries where slaves and nobility are buried side-by- side; Fort Pickens, built with the help of slave labor and occupied by African-American troops during the Civil War; Johnson Beach, part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore in Perdido Key that is named for an African-American from Pensacola who died in the Korean War at age 17; Chappie James Memorial Gardens, named for the Pensacola native who was the first Black four-star general in the U.S. Air Force; and the T.T. Wentworth, Jr. Florida State Museum, which features a Black Ink exhibit chronicling the history of the local Black press. TAMPA The most extensive meeting accommodations in Florida's Tampa Bay area can be found at the Tampa Convention Center, where the amenities include 200,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space and a 36,000-sq. ft. ballroom. Tampa offers a wide range of visitor attractions, including many than would be especially appealing to meeting dele- gates traveling with kids. Options for family-friendly fun include the Museum of Science and Industry, which contains more than 300,000 sq. ft. of interactive exhibits; Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Adventure Island waterpark; The Florida Aquarium, a shell-shaped facility that houses more than 10,000 aquatic plants and animals; the Lowry Park Zoo; and in Plant City, just east of Tampa, the world's largest dinosaur attraction: Dinosaur World. The Tampa Museum of Art will move into its new home The atrium of the Naval Aviation Museum Photo Credit: Pensacola CVB