Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/4253
Black Meetings & Tourism October/November 2009: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 35 CONNECTICUT The Old State House in Connecticut's capital city held the trial of Joseph Cinque, leader of the revolt aboard the slave ship Amistad. It's just one of several state sites related to that historic event. Hartford's Wadsworth Atheneum, the nation's oldest art museum, houses the 6,000- piece African American Collection of the Amistad Foundation. Visitors to New Haven can view the 14-ft. bronze Amistad Memorial, sculpted by Ed Hamilton and located at the for- mer site of the New Haven Jail. The New Haven Museum and Historical Society houses the world's largest collection of Amistad artwork. In the region known as Mystic Country, Ledyard boasts the world's largest gaming facility, the Foxwoods Resort and Casino. In Norwalk, part of Connecticut's Coastal Fairfield area, you can take an excursion to Sheffield Island to explore a nature preserve and a historic lighthouse. Another area des- tination is Stamford, where the Whitney Museum of American Art is one of the most renowned cultural attrac- tions. UNCASVILLE Situated on 240 acres fronting the Thames River, the main draw in this southeastern Connecticut Mystic Country desti- nation is the Mohegan Sun Resort Casino. Consisting of three themed sections — the Casino of the Earth, the Casino of the Sky and the Casino of the Wind — the facility contains more than 300,000 sq. ft. of gaming, a 1,200-room luxury hotel, a 20,000-sq. ft. spa and 100,000 sq. ft. of meeting space. The WNBA's Connecticut Sun have home court at the resort's 10,000-seat Mohegan Sun Arena, which also can accommodate meetings and other events. Other local attractions include whale watching cruises, golfing, outlet shopping and winery tours. E veryone can find a different reason to get excited about a trip to one of the great destinations in the Northeast. For some, it might be the chance to soak in some of the atmosphere in America's most storied Black cultural center. Others might appreciate the religious heritage of the nation's oldest African-American church or its oldest operat- ing synagogue. The lively nightlife and world-class museums of the region's big cities might thrill some, while others prefer the setting of a quiet seaside town or hillside village. America's oldest art museum and its largest free city arts festival are both found in the Northeast. The region also is home to the world's first boardwalk and a boundless list of other recreational and sightseeing attractions, from beach and mountain resorts to bustling downtown riverfronts. Meeting groups will find a wide choice of venues that includes major convention centers, large convention hotels, small inns, campus conference centers and casino resorts. Here's a state-by-state sampling of what the region has to offer. BY SONYA STINSON One of Mohegan Sun Double Rooms A F R I C A N -A M E R I C A N G U I D E T O M E E T I N G, I N C E N T I V E S A N D T R AV E L I N G I N T H E N O R T H E A S T Hyatt Regency, Newport, R. I. Photo Credit: Newport, R. I. CVB