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Some of the larger East Point hotel properties are the Crowne Plaza Airport Hotel with 378 rooms and 18,000 sq. ft. of meeting space. The Wellesley Inn Atlanta Airport has 191 rooms and three meeting rooms totaling 2,700 sq. ft. The Hilton Garden Inn on Bobby Brown Way has 3,000 sq. ft. of meeting space and can hold up to 210 depending on con- figuration. East Point is within five miles of over 323 restaurants. Thumbs Up Diner is an Atlanta area institution. Their corporate headquarters is in the Martin Luther King, Jr., historic district, but their East Point diner location is definitely a popular choice. Breakfast is served all day. Other great places to satisfy your palate are: Q's Restaurant, E'Van's Bake Shop, Oz Pizza, East Point Corner Tavern, and This is It BBQ & Seafood. Dick Lane Velodrome was built as a training facility for the 1996 Olympics, and attracts some of the best cyclists in the country. The last Saturday in April is the Taste of East Point where visitors enjoy music, art, and array of wines and wonderful food. SAVANNAH Established in 1733, Savannah is one of Georgia's oldest cities and fea- tures one of the largest National Historic Landmark districts in the coun- try with over 1,600 buildings. The Beech Institute African-American Cultural Center was established in 1865 as the city's first school built for African-Americans. Visitors can GEORGIA This is a state of great physical and cultural diversity. From the lush mountains of northwest Georgia to the tranquility of St. Simons Island, Jekyll Islands and Sea Island along the Atlantic Ocean to the Okefenokee Swamp there's a little outdoor recreation for everybody. In Macon, visitors can sit on the dock next to a life-size bronze statue of music giant and native Otis Redding View the 63-ft. long mural centerpiece entitled "From Africa to America" at the Tubman African-American Museum. Learn more about great Georgia athletes like Hank Aaron, Evander Holyfield, Gwen Torrence and Jackie Robinson at the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, the largest state sports museum in the United States. Augusta is home to golf's best-known tournament, The Masters. It's also the childhood home of the "God Father of Soul," James Brown. The 8,500-seat James Brown Arena was named in his honor and a bronze stat- ue of Brown is located on Broad Street. ATLANTA Atlanta has maintained its spot as the top meeting destination for African-American groups. Atlanta has more than 95,000 hotel rooms, 12,000 of which are in the downtown area within walking distance of food, shopping and meeting venues like the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC). The GWCC is the nation's fourth largest convention center at over 3.9 million sq. ft. The recently opened National Center for Civil and Human Rights connects the American Civil Rights Movement to today's Global Human Rights Movement. The new College Football Hall of Fame is scheduled to open Fall 2014. EAST POINT Located just outside the Atlanta airport, East Point has established itself as the place for family reunions in the greater Atlanta area. East Point is affordable with easy access to all that makes Atlanta and the surrounding area such a hotspot for group gatherings and tourists. There are dozens of hotel properties in East Point that will take less than 10 minutes to reach once you claim your luggage at Atlanta's Hartsfield International Airport. Many of the select service, limited service and conference hotels near the airport offered tailored price-points for groups as well as flexible meeting and event space, complimentary shuttle service and ample motor coach parking. Talmadge Memorial Bridge, Savannah, Georgia Buggy Works Office Park, East Point B M & T ••• May/June 2013••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 46 Georgia International Convention Center Photo Credit: Altlanta CVB Photo Credit: Crowman Photo Credit: East Point CVB