Courtesy Virginia Beach CVBWe invite you to awaken your senses and join us for Bank Travel and the Virginia Beach Bank Travel post-conference familiarization (FAM) tour. With beckoning ocean waves, mouthwatering coastal cuisine and the experiential tour programs, this group travel tour to Virginia Beach will greatly inspire you. During the adventure, you will have unusual experiences, among them a visit to the Cape Henry Lighthouse, the oldest government-built lighthouse in America (1791). There, if you’re feeling energetic, you can climb 191 stairs to the top and see the spot where America’s first permanent English settlers touched shore in 1607 before heading to Jamestown. Through tales of shipwrecks and rescues, you will learn about the Surfman Chronicles at the Old Coast Guard Station, built in 1903. Listen for the Sounds of Freedom as you visit the flight line at Naval Air Station Oceana, the only naval master base on the East Coast. Come nose to nose with Komodo dragons, hedgehogs and more as you visit the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center, whose aquariums contain over 800,000 gallons of water. Get your sea legs ready, and be on the lookout for humpback whales and other sea creatures as you embark on a Winter Wildlife Seafari in the majestic Atlantic Ocean. Save room and experience the diversity and range of coastal Virginia’s cuisine as you tour, toast and savor the moments along the famous Virginia Beach boardwalk. You will also visit our neighbor, Norfolk. In Norfolk you will visit the Hermitage House. Built in 1937, the 42-room mansion houses a significant art and materials collection and 12 acres of gardens. Visit the MacArthur Memorial, the final resting place of five-star Gen. Douglas MacArthur. You will also be treated to a glass-blowing demonstration from the Chrysler Museum of Art. Dinner in Norfolk will be at Freemason Abby, a 129-year-old restored church. To register for the FAM, visit www.visitvirginiabeach.com/banktravelfam. The FAM is only for bank directors who are registered to attend the Bank Travel Conference. The FAM will begin after the conference ends on Thursday, February 7, 2013, at 2:30 p.m. Return travel should be planned after 2 p.m. on Saturday, February 9. For additional questions, contact Jim Coggin at jcoggin@ visitvirginiabeach.com or 757-385-6642.
