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favorite pastimes. Covering close to 1.5 million acres, Everglades National Park makes a nice day trip for meeting groups and other travelers to Fort Lauderdale. The area also is home to the largest butterfly aviary in North America. To explore Fort Lauderdale’s Black heritage, you can tour such attractions as the African American Research Library and Cultural Center, the Old Dillard Museum and the Ashanti Cultural Arts Center. The all-Black Massachusetts 54th regiment fought for the Union in a key CivilWar battle at the site of Jacksonville’s Olustee Battlefield Monument. Florida’s largest city also is home to the historically Black Edward Waters College, where you can browse the African art collection at Centennial Hall on a campus tour. DAYTONA BEACH Getting around to some of the best attractions in Daytona Beach is easy now that the city’s trol- ley service has extended to link the historic down- town area to the beach. The city is home to Bethune-Cookman University, founded by the acclaimed educational and political leader Mary McCloud Bethune, whose historic home on the campus is open to tours. Other local points of interest include the Ponce de Leon Lighthouse and the Daytona 500 Experience IMAX Theater, located at one of America’s most famous auto racing venues. Daytona’s Ocean Center convention, enter- Family reviewing the racing history at Daytona sports complex. tainment and sports complex offers 205,536 sq. ft. of meeting and exhibit space. GREATER MIAMI While Greater Miami is well known for its upscale lodging,dining and entertainment spots, some of the area’s most interesting attractions cost little or nothing to experi- ence.For 25 cents,you can take a shuttle tour of South Beach, including the Art Deco Historic District, the Holocaust Memorial and City Hall.Tours of the historic Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables are free. Outdoor adventurers can enjoy snorkel- Aerial View of the Greater Miami ing, fishing and exploring the mangrove for- est atBiscayneNational Park.Another great place to get outdoors and experience nature is Jungle Island, where the Lemur Nursery offers small groups an opportunity for close- up encounters with the rare primate species. Those planning a February trip to the area might want to catch the SoBay Festival of theArts or take advantage of the seasonal three-hour Black history tour operated byMiami-DadeTransit. NotableAfrican-American cultural and historical attractions include the Lyric Theater, the Chapman House and theD.A.DorseyHouse—home of the city’s firstBlackmillionaire—inOvertown and theAfricanHeritageCultural Arts Center in Liberty City. Among the area’s newest attractions are the Frank Gehry-designed performance hall for the New World Symphony and the Coral GablesMuseum, where exhibits focus on architecture, urban design, planning and historic and environmental preservation. A new car rental center completes the first phase of the $1.7 billion Miami Intermodal Center is now com- 36 Black Meetings & Tourism May/June 2011: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com Photo Credit: Daytona Beach CVB Photo Credit: Greater Miami CVB