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B M & T ••• November/December 2015 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 30 RHODE ISLAND The Providence Black Repertory Company and a small museum at the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society turn the spotlight on the African-American history and Culture of the Ocean State. Providence also is home to the Meeting House of the First Baptist Church in America and the Culinary Archives & Museum at Johnson & Wales University. One of the city's favorite family attractions is the 430-acre Roger Williams Park, which encompasses the Carousel Village, the Museum of Natural History and Roger Williams Park Zoo. Rhode Island's more than 400 miles of shoreline includes sev- eral prime resorts ideal for a family reunion or incentive trip. One such retreat is Block Island, located 10 miles off the southern coast. Newport's Gilded Age mansions are among the state's top sightseeing attractions. The International Tennis Hall of Fame and the White Horse Tavern — the nation's oldest operating saloon in the United States — are also found in Newport. VERMONT The Rokeby Museum in Ferrisburg, near Burlington, houses exhibits on the history of the Underground Railroad in Vermont. Vermont's number one tourist attraction is the Ben and Jerry's Factory in Waterbury Center. Other top historical, cultural and recre- ational sites include the Vermont State House in Montpelier, the Vermont Ski Museum in Stowe, Green Mountain National Forest and Lake Champlain. Agritourism is booming in the Green Mountain State, at places like the Billings Farm & Museum in Woodstock, the Cabot Creamery Factory in Cabot and Shelburne Farms in Shelburne, where another favorite attraction is the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory. Visitors might consider planning a meeting or leisure trip to coincide with a special event like January's Winter Festival in Benningto n, the Vermont Maple Open House Weekend held at sugarhouses through- out the state in March, the statewide Vermont Open Studio, with nearly 300 artists and artisans participating, or the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival in June. WASHINGTON, DC DC's most talked about tourism attraction these days is the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, the first monument on the National Mall to honor a non-president and first to honor a person of color. The center- piece is 30-ft. statue of King carved into a block of granite called the Stone of Hope, positioned as if emerging from a split boulder called the Mountain of Despair. A 450-ft. curved granite wall is inscribed with 14 quotes from King. Another recent tourism development worth noting is the opening in June of 2014 of Marriott Marquis Washington, DC, the capital's largest hotel and Marriott International's 4,000th property. Spanning an entire block adjacent to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, this dynamic new hotel is designed to make event planning Providence downtown skyline Group of Skiers Killington, Vermont Walter E. Washington C.C