tropical and rugged terrain. It is also home to San Antonio, which has evolved from be- ing a part of colonial Spain into the seventh- largest city in the United States. A premier meeting destination replete with art, culture, and authentic charm, San Antonio is also renowned for offering metropolitan venues and some 40,000 guest rooms. Many meeting venues are located down-
Frontier Texas!, Abilene Lubbock pays homage to native son
and rock ’n’ roll pioneer Buddy Holly at the Buddy Holly Center, and to its settlers at the American Wind Power Museum. The Silent Wings Museum details the history of the World War II military-glider program, and wine connoisseurs can visit (and sample) the city’s three wineries. Among the city’s other unique attrac-
tions, authentic early Texas ranch build- ings and a railroad depot elicit interest at the National Ranching Heritage Center. Texas Tech University is the site of the Southwest Collection, an archive of the history of the region, and the Moody Plan- etarium. The Depot District, an area of the city dedicated to music and nightlife, boasts a brewery, several theaters, upscale restaurants, and cultural attractions, as well as shops, pubs, and nightclubs. To the southeast lies Abilene, ac-
cessible via Abilene Regional Airport. Groups choosing this city can convene at the Abilene Civic Center or, for a more unusual touch, at one of several ranches. Hotels provide meeting space as well. Stepping back in time is easy in
Abilene. A piece of Texas history can be found at Fort Phantom Hill, while the multimillion-dollar Frontier Texas! inter- active attraction lets visitors experience life as an early settler on the Texas plains.
soUth texAs pLAINs Occupying the southern tip of Texas, the South Texas Plains region incorporates both
town, along the picturesque River Walk. The River Walk was recently extended from two to four miles, connecting additional meet- ing venues, hotels, restaurants, and cultural hotspots. Delegates are able to stroll or hop aboard river taxis from the River Walk’s downtown core and the 600,000-square- foot Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center to this new extension, with stops including the San Antonio Museum of Art. Along the extension, delegates will
also find one of the nation’s leading eco- friendly developments, the Pearl Brewery. This hip meeting spot offers chic venues such as an old stable-turned-events-facility and an outdoor River Walk theater, as well as authentic shops and urban live/work spaces. There’s even the Culinary Institute of America’s new campus, dedicated to the instruction of Latino-inspired cuisine. Just a short distance from the River
Walk, visitors — several million of them a year — step back in time at The Alamo. Here at the 4.2-acre complex lies the old mission, where a small band of Texans, the Alamo Defenders, held out for 13 days in 1836 against the army of Mexican General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. This his- toric place is a national treasure. Located on the north bank of the Rio
Grande is Laredo, the nation’s largest inland port. The city’s rich cultural heritage is on display at San Agustin Plaza, San Bernardo Avenue, and its historic district. Laredo is also big on entertainment, birding, sports, and shopping. Groups can be accommodat- ed in nearly 4,000 hotel rooms and at the Laredo Civic Center complex, which offers a 24,470-square-foot trade banquet and
exhibit hall, and four meeting rooms. The complex is centrally located, accessible by I-35, and minutes from historic downtown Laredo and Laredo International Airport.
BIG BeND coUNtry Big Bend Country covers almost 41,000 square miles from Midland–Odessa to the northeast and Del Rio to the southeast. The region’s primary city for meetings
is El Paso, easily reached via one of the more than 70 flights that land at and take off from El Paso International Airport daily. There’s more than enough room for meetings here: The El Paso Convention Center offers 133,000 square feet of ex- hibit space; three modern, multifunctional lobbies with more than 27,000 square feet of space; and 17 high-tech breakout rooms. A $7.2-million renovation of the Convention Center Plaza has created shady outdoor space that takes advantage of El Paso’s ideal year-round weather. Off-site venues adjacent to the center and elsewhere in the city are plentiful. They include the sombrero-shaped, 2,500-seat Abraham Chavez Theatre; the 2,000-seat, state-of-the-art Plaza Theatre, a renovated motion-picture palace from 1930; the