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Square is a part of Morningside Park in east Knoxville. The park is renowned across the United States for having the only 13-ft. bronze statue of author and Pulitzer prize winner Alex Haley. Visitors to Knoxville should also be sure to visit the Beck Cultural Exchange Center featuring the history of African-Americans in Knoxville and East Tennessee from the late 1800s to the present through photo- graphs, newspapers, biographies, audio and video recordings, books and art- work. The Knoxville Convention Center is a technologically advanced facility which captures the essence of this beau- tiful region. The Center, with a half mil- lion sq. ft. of space, reflects the alluring environment of the area. The facility offers 500,000 sq. ft. of space, including 120,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space, a 461-seat Lecture Hall, three boardrooms and a 27,000-sq. ft. Ballroom, the largest in East Tennessee. Visitors can select from more than 1,500 hotel rooms downtown and more than 7,500 throughout Knox County. Amongst the hotels in Knoxville is the Knoxville Marriott which has 354 rooms, 24 suites and 20,875 sq. ft. of total meeting space. Just 25 steps from the Knoxville Convention Center is the 286-room Holiday Inn Knoxville Hotel boasting 5,802 sq. ft. of meeting space. Knoxville is home to McGhee Tyson Airport with more than 120 daily arrivals and departures. WHO YOU GONNA CALL? Knoxville TSC – (800) 727-8045 www.knoxville.org MeMPHIs They say that Memphis isn't so much a place as it is a feeling, a sound, a taste. It's the taste of barbecue, corn- bread, and black-eye peas; the sound of blues, soul and rock 'n' roll. The city of Memphis is pure energy and pure soul. Its music scene unleashes an irre- sistible vibe of musical prowess from street corner live music performances to downtown Memphis blues clubs. Memphis, perched above the Mississippi two hundred miles west of Nashville and three hundred south of St Louis, is one of the great destina- tions of the South. The world-famous Peabody Hotel in Memphis, just off of Beale Street nightlife, offers upscale, five star amenities and, of course, the marching ducks. The largest hotel in Memphis is Memphis Marriott Downtown Hotel with 600 rooms and 12,434 sq. ft. of meeting space. The hotel adjoins the Memphis Cook Convention Center, which offers 350,000 sq. ft. of meeting space including a 125,000-sq. ft. col- umn-free exhibit hall. WHO YOU GONNA CALL? Memphis CVB – (901) 543-5304 www.memphistravel.com nAsHVILLe From its very beginnings, Nashville grew from a foundation built on music. Today Music City is still making history. Nashville's connection to music is unequalled, and its reputation as Music City has been consistently proven for over 200 years. Nashville has become a hub for pop, rock, bluegrass, jazz, classi- cal, contemporary Christian, blues and soul music. The newly constructed Schermerhorn Symphony Center anchors the downtown end of the recently designated Music Mile. Nashville has 24,305 hotel rooms in the city. Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center is now the largest non-gaming hotel property in the United States with 2,881 rooms and 288,999 sq. ft. of exhibit space. The Nashville Convention Center features 118,675 sq. ft. of exhibit space. For assis- Black Meetings & Tourism October/November 2009: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 92 AREA GUIDES A Beale Street Musician entertains passersby Photo Credit: Memphis CVB