Meeting in Texas Overview and Hill Country

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and chuckwagon meals take visitors back to a different era. Special-event venues in Bandera County, including a working ranch, can handle groups of up to 500.

PINEY WOODS Located primarily in East Texas, the Piney Woods region is a standout in that it boasts the state’s four national forests and five state forests. True to its name, it contains thousands of acres of pine and pine-hard- wood forests. Visitors will find a variety of loblolly, shortleaf, and some pockets of longleaf pine, as well as magnolia, elm, oak, ash, cypress, and other trees. Flora is especially abundant in Tyler.

Aside from its colorful spring flowers, this city is known globally for its roses: The Ty- ler Rose Garden is the nation’s largest mu-

For a taste of Texas history during the tyler municipal Rose Garden and museum

nicipal rose garden. After stopping to smell the roses, there’s plenty more that delegates will find to explore in Tyler, including the unique brick-street Azalea District, area sporting lakes, championship golf courses, antique shops, and a nationally famous zoo. Meeting space includes the Harvey Convention and Rose Garden Centers.

San Marcos A Texas Natural

time of its struggle for independence, Nacogdoches is the place. One of Texas’ oldest communities, it was established as a Spanish fort in the mid-1700s and later was the site of three short-lived republics. In 1832, the opening shots of the Texas Revo- lution were fired here, as citizens fought a Mexican garrison in the town center and were successful in forcing Mexican troops out of East Texas. Signs of East Texas’ oil history can be

seen throughout the region. Several towns such as Kilgore, Marshall, Joinerville, and Longview celebrate their ties to Texas’ oil- boom days with museums, attractions, and other historical markers that commemo- rate the Lone Star State’s impact on the oil industry at the turn of the 20th century.

Hotel rooms: 1,641 citywide

Flexible facilities: The San Marcos Confer- ence Center has approximately 78,800 square feet of meeting and exhibit space, including an impressive 28,800-square-foot Grand Ballroom and a majestic 4,000-square-foot Veranda.

Attractions: Aquarena Center, Wonder World Cave, LBJ Museum of San Marcos, Dick’s Clas- sic Garage, The Wittliff Collection

For more information: Rebecca Ybarra- Ramirez, Executive Director, San Marcos CVB; phone: (512) 393-5930; e-mail: cvb@sanmarcos texas.com; website: www.toursanmarcos.com

san maRKs the spot: The San Marcos Conference Center easily accommodates a wide range of groups with 78,800 square feet of conference space, including an impressive 28,800-square-foot Grand Ballroom.

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