Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/34521
VIRGINIA Well known for its outstanding historical attractions like ColonialWilliamsburg and the BookerT.Washington NationalMonument in Hardy, in 2011Virginia is celebrating its natural attractions in a special way as it marks the 75th anniversary of Shenandoah National Park and the state park system. Shenandoah National Park is one of the state’s largest recreational sites, extending more than 197,000 acres over eight counties and featuring the 105-mile scenic Skyline Drive, hiking trails, waterfalls and other attractions. Travelers to Virginia can pursue a variety of outdoor adventure throughout the state, from whitewater rafting on the James River and skiing in one of four mountain resorts to horseback riding, hiking and biking along the 343-mile Virginia Creeper Trail. Another major sightseeing destination is home to one of Virginia’s newest visitor attractions: the Luray Valley Museum, a recreated 19th century farming community at Luray Caverns, where 3.5 acres of stalactites form the pipes that make music for the massive Stalacpipe Organ. HAMPTON In May Hampton celebrates its Black heritage during the annual Afrikan American Festival at Mill Point Park. Year-round African-American cultural and historical attractions include Hampton University — whose campus includes the state’s oldest museum as well as the Booker T.WashingtonMemorial Garden & Statue and other land- marks — and the Tuskegee Airmen exhibit at the Virginia Air & Space Center. The Hampton HistoryMuseum, theMariners’Museum, the Casemate Museum at Fort Monroe and the new Boo Williams Sportsplex and Peninsula Town Center help round out the list of places to see. The city’s largest meeting facility is the 344,000-sq. ft. Hampton Roads Convention Center. NORFOLK Norfolk’s new light rail system, called The Tide, links visitors to Harbor Park, the shops at MacArthur Center, the Norfolk Scope arena and area hotels, shops and restaurants. The Scope, which contains 85,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, is Hampton University Museum, which is the state’s oldest museum. one of several participants in the city’s Waterside Convention Connection, a local hospitality industry alliance that facilitates access to more than 1,200 hotel rooms, 55 meeting rooms and 216,000 sq. ft. of conven- tion space. Other members include the Waterside Convention Center, the Norfolk Waterside Marriott, the Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel, the Radisson Hotel Norfolk and the Waterside Festival Marketplace. The city has a total of about 5,200 guestrooms. One of Norfolk’s most interesting offsite venues is the Attucks Theatre, whose name- sake was the African-American Revolutio- naryWar hero CrispusAttucks.The Chrysler Museum of Art, which contains one of America’s largest collections of Tiffany- blown glass as well as a major collection of photography chronicling the Civil Rights Movement, also offers event space. A view of Norfolk Harbor Park and Waterside Convention Center. 52 Black Meetings & Tourism May/June 2011: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com Photo Credit: Hampton CVB Photo Credit: Norfolk CVB