a picnic in First Landing State Park. The Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge and False Cape offer more rec- reation and sig- htseeing oppor- tunities. Town Center
Aerial view of Hotels along Virginia Beach Blvd Among the best places to enjoy the WEST VIRGINIA
views of West Virginia's picturesque landscape are the Bluestone National Scenic River in the southern part of the state, the Gauley River National Recreation Area in the south-central area and the Midland Trail National Scenic Highway near Charleston. The Mountain State is world-
famous for its crafts, and one of the state's top art events is Charleston's Capitol City Arts & Crafts Show in November.The FentonArt Glass fac- tory near Charleston is open for tours. For a closer view of the area's
African-American culture and history, you can visit theMattieV. Lee Home, the residence of the first Black female physician in the state; the Samuel Starks House, home of the nation's first Black state librarian; the Black Culture and AfricanHeritage Center atHeritageTowers; and the Booker T.WashingtonMemorial in nearbyMalden. For entertainment, consider heading over to the Mardi
• • • • GETTING IN TOUCH • • • •
Alabama Bureau of Tourism and Travel (800) ALABAMA www.800alabama.com Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism(800) NATURAL www.arkansas.com Visit Florida/Florida Tourism and Marketing Corp.(888) 7-FLAUSA www.visitflorida.com Georgia Department of Economic Development (800) 847-4842 www.exploregeorgia.org Kentucky Department of Tourism (800) 225-8747 www.kentuckytourism.com Louisiana Office of Tourism (800) 677-4082 www.louisianatravel.com
62 West Virginia State Capitol Building in Charleston
Gras Casino & Resort in Crosslanes. If this sampling of Southern destinations makes you hun-
gry to learnmore, the state tourismoffices listedwith this arti- cle have lots of information to help get your meeting, incen- tive trip or reunion plans started.
Mississippi Division of Tourism Development (866) SEE MISS www.visitmississippi.org North Carolina Division of Tourism (800) VISIT NC www.visitnc.com South Carolina Department of parks, Recreation & Tourism (888) SC SMILE www.discoversouthcarolina.com Tennessee Department of Tourism Development (800) GO2TENN www.tnvacation.com Virginia Tourism Corp. (800) VISITVA www.virginia.org West Virginia Division of Tourism (800) CALL-WVA www.wvtourism.com
Black Meetings & Tourism May/June 2012: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com
is a favorite haunt for shop- ping and dining, and many local restaurants are proud partici- pants in the Virginia Green program.
