Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/633921
B M & T ••• November/December 2015 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 26 NEW HAMPSHIRE W hether it's skiing in the White Mountains, cruising on Lake Winnipesaukee, camping in the Great North Woods or enjoying summertime fun at the beaches and resorts of the state's 18- mile-long Seacoast Region, New Hampshire offers plenty of outdoor adventure. There's also lots of history to explore. In Portsmouth, you can visit Strawbery Banke, a site that depicts four centuries of community history. The capital city, Concord, is home to the Museum of New Hampshire History and 20 minutes away from the Canterbury Shaker Village. A trip to the Dartmouth-Lake Sunapee Region offers the chance to tour a historic summer estate at The Fells in Newbury and the campus of Dartmouth University in Hanover. Art and architecture buffs might be interested in the Currier Museum of Art and Frank Lloyd Wright's Zimmerman House in Manchester. Sun Casino contain the state's largest meeting accommoda- tions. NEW JERSEY O ne of the most interesting places in New Jersey's African- American history was the town of Lawnside in Camden County. This historically Black community came to be when a Quaker purchased land and resold the plots to former slaves. Today, visitors to Lawnside (originally called Free Haven) can tour the home of freedman Peter Mott, which served as a station on the Under ground Railroad. Other Underground Railroad sites in New Jersey include the Goodwin Sisters House in Salem City, Mount Zion AME Church outside Swedesboro, Macedonia AME Church in Camden, Croft Farm in Cherry Hill, the Burlington Pharmacy in Burlington and Jacobs Chapel AME Church in Mount Laurel. The historic homes, beaches, shops and restaurants of places like Cape May and the Wildwoods make the Jersey Shore a popular recreational retreat. The shore provides the setti ng for several food and music festivals ATLANTIC CITY W ith an abundance of flexible meeting spaces ranging from 500,000 to just a few dozen sq. ft. (a total of 770,340 sq. ft. citywide), a world famous beach and Boardwalk, endless entertainment options, an outstanding array of accommodations with an inventory of over 15,000 rooms, and eight spectacular casino resorts available for high energy gaming action, Atlantic Ci ty is one of the top convention and vacation destinations in the nation.. Change is the only constant in Atlantic City. From dining to shop- ping to the hottest entertainment, Atlantic City is always creating a buzz with new attractions and developments. For instance, Tropicana Entertainment Inc. has announced a proposed series of significant reno- vations, which include the addition of a light show/en tertainment fea- ture to Tropicana's boardwalk façade, a new fitness center on Brighton Avenue and North Tower hotel room renovations, among other upgrades. Steel Pier, one of the Boardwalk's most storied landmarks, will become a year-round attraction as part of a $100 million, three phase makeover. New amusement rides, a food court and arcade area were completed in June 2012. Additionally, a new buildin g houses the new food court and arcade area. Phase II includes a new museum, retail enter- tainment space and a 200-ft.-high Ferris wheel. The third and final phase calls for a new version of the Marine Ballroom. The ballroom will have 2,000 seats and a stage. Removable seats will ultimately allow for the ball- room to serve as a dance hall, concert arena or wedding chapel. The ren- ovations are expecte d to be complete before year's end.. Caesars Entertainment has begun construction on a new meeting and conference facility at its Harrah's Atlantic City location, with an esti- mated cost of $125.8 million. The 250,000-sq. ft. facility will offer 125,000 sq. ft. of meeting space and feature two 50,000-sq. ft. pillar-less ballrooms, each divisible into as may as 27 separate breakout rooms. Additional b reakout rooms, grand promenades and dedicated banquet kitchens will also be available. A nchoring AC's meeting infrastructure is the Atlantic City Swift River Covered Bridge in Conway, New Hampshire New Jersey Performing Arts Center Photo Credit: Jon Bilous