Williamsburg for Meetings Newsletter

September 24, 2010 - This issue contains:

• In the Spotlight: Embassy Suites Williamsburg
• Busch Gardens Expands Christmas Town and Announces More Exciting News for 2011
• Kingsmill Resort Welcomes New Owner Xanterra Parks & Resorts
• Colonial Williamsburg Offers Revolutionary Setting for Memorable Dining
• Get into the Holiday Spirit

In the Spotlight: Embassy Suites Williamsburg

Traveling to Williamsburg for a meeting or event? Embassy Suites Williamsburg combines superb hotel accommodations, outstanding services and exquisite amenities designed to cater specially to business, meeting and event guests. An in-house staff of friendly and professional meeting planners makes it simple to plan a successful Williamsburg hotel meeting or business trip.

Whether visiting on business or for pleasure, guests at the Embassy Suites Williamsburg can enjoy the comfort and space they appreciate at home, enhanced by great design and services. The hotel’s suites are beautifully decorated, providing guests with a private bedroom and spacious living room. Moreover, all suites are fully equipped with two 32" HDTVs, a refrigerator, microwave oven, coffee maker, two telephones with data ports and a well lit dining/work table.

The Embassy Suites Williamsburg hotel also features an array of hotel-wide amenities and services, available to the hotel’s meeting and event guests during their stay in Williamsburg. These include a well-equipped, state-of-the-art Precor fitness center, 24/7 Business Center, complimentary cooked-to-order buffet breakfast, and nightly hotel Manager's Reception, perfect for end-of-workday relaxation and socializing.

All meeting planners and special event coordinators can manage their events easily with The Embassy Suites Williamsburg online event resources; www.embassysuites1.hilton.com. This centralized site enables planners to

Coordinate guest room information online with the Guest List Manager. You can set up your group events, book multiple rooms, and download and print your reservations guest list.

Create a personalized group web page where your attendees can book their own hotel rooms and obtain information about the group online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The hotel's 1,000 square feet of meeting space are ideal for any small meeting to the Williamsburg, VA area. The facility features state-of-the-art meeting technology with onsite technicians, high-speed Internet access and complimentary parking. The hotel's professional event staff will help in every aspect of planning and arranging expert catering from the hotel's culinary team.

Adventure awaits you in Williamsburg, Virginia - also a great place to stay, play and shop. Experience Virginia hospitality at its best a at the Embassy Suites Williamsburg hotel.

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Busch Gardens Expands Christmas Town and Announces More Exciting News for 2011!

More festive entertainment, charm and enchantment are at hand as the world's most beautiful theme park expands its acclaimed holiday spectacular, Christmas Town: A Busch Gardens Celebration, this year! Beginning Nov. 26, guests will also experience the flair of an Italian Christmas, featuring a golden color scheme, traditional Italian holiday fare and graceful angels as far as the eye can see. Busch Gardens' Italy village will leave guests with a feeling of peace on earth as the park completes the transformation into a Christmas wonderland - and adds another million lights for a total of two million twinkling lights parkwide!

All-new attractions, dazzling shows and one-of-a-kind gift ideas will have everyone saying, "Now this is Christmas." A complete Christmas Town experience includes a visit to Santa's workshop and the park's nearly 50-foot tall, light-animated Christmas tree. This iconic tree takes center stage during a spectacular lightshow, blazing with brilliant colors choreographed to everyone's favorite classic holiday music.

Last year's Christmas Town debut met with so much applause that the park is also adding additional days to its operating calendar. This year, Christmas Town continues select days and evenings through Dec. 31 after opening Nov. 26 - the day after Thanksgiving. For more details, visit www.ChristmasTown.com.

Coming in Spring 2011

Christmas Town's is just one of the exciting developments at Busch Gardens, which in 2011 will go to new heights with a towering ride that offers a spectacular view of the James River. As guests enter Busch Gardens' Oktoberfest next spring, they will see the massive spire known as Mäch Tower™. The tallest ride in the park, Mäch Tower lifts up to 30 riders 246 feet above Oktoberfest. After rotating at the top of the tower and getting a few seconds to take in the view, riders drop at breath-taking speed. State-of-the-art special effects including enhanced audio and other surprises will elevate Mäch Tower to a new level of ride design and engineering. This psychological thrill ride opens in spring of 2011.

Mäch Tower is part of a complete rejuvenation of the park's Oktoberfest village. After more than 30 years, the park is updating the look and atmosphere of this iconic area. Restaurants, games and performance areas that follow a traditional German Oktoberfest celebration await visitors next year. Guests can enjoy fresh-baked pretzels and a new beer garden set amid canopies of colored maypoles and festive banners that depict the rich heritage of Bavaria.

Stay tuned for more details and more news for 2011 and 2012! Construction is scheduled to begin soon can be followed at www.buschgardens.com/bignews.

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Kingsmill Resort Welcomes New Owner Xanterra Parks & Resorts

One of Williamsburg's premier conference properties, Kingsmill Resort, is now owned by Colorado-based Xanterra Parks & Resorts. Xanterra is a leader in the hospitality industry, managing resorts, lodges, restaurants, gift shops, tours and activities in national parks, state parks and destination resorts. It is also the largest concessioner with the National Park Service, operating concessions in the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Zion, Crater Lake, Death Valley, Rocky Mountain and Petrified Forest National Parks and Mount Rushmore National Memorial, plus eight Ohio State Park Lodges, as well as the Geneva Marina at Ohio's Geneva State Park.

One of the many factors making this new ownership an ideal match is both organizations' shared commitment to the environment. Xanterra is a leader in environmental stewardship and its programs and accomplishments have resulted in numerous prestigious awards from the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, American Hotel & Motel Association, governmental agencies, tourism entities and environmental organizations

Kingsmill has a strong tradition of environmentally friendly practices and conservation efforts. Certified in the Virginia Green Lodging and Conference Center program and listed with Preferred Hotels and Resorts as an eco-friendly hotel/resort, Kingsmill is a major recycler and also closely monitors and manages its use of natural resources such as gas, electricity and water, among other green practices. Kingsmill's three championship golf courses - The River Course, The Plantation Course and The Woods Course - have been Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuaries since 1998. More than a third of the Kingsmill property's 2,900 acres is dedicated to green space, and natural habitats of bald eagles, hawks, and other endangered birds are protected and not disturbed on the grounds.

"Kingsmill is one of the country's premier resorts and we are very excited to acquire such a high-caliber resort that complements our existing portfolio of properties and is consistent with the expansion of our company," said Andrew Todd, Xanterra president and CEO.

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Colonial Williamsburg Taverns Offer Revolutionary Setting for Memorable Dining

Meetings have been integral to America's heritage since Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Patrick Henry and other ousted members of the House of Burgesses debated independence in the Apollo Room of Williamsburg's Raleigh Tavern. As the world's largest living history museum, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation offers meeting planners not only the conference facilities of its resort properties, but also historic taverns, meticulously restored colonial buildings, and programming for off-site activities and events.

Especially popular are the tantalizing aromas and exquisite tastes of 18th-century cuisine at one of Colonial Williamsburg's four historic dining taverns located right inside the Historic Area. Meeting planners can tap a variety of special services, from lantern-carrying escorts to special historical vignettes; the strains of 18th-century music or the pageantry of Colonial Williamsburg's famed Fifes and Drums, to create a memorable event. In such a revolutionary setting, costumed wait staff will bid you welcome, and wandering balladeers will likely serenade you!

Once catering to Virginia's colonial elite and most politically influential people, the genteel and elegantly simple King's Arms Tavern serves menu items inspired by 18th-century recipes, with adaptations for 21st-century tastes and methods. Favorites include peanut soup, corn chowder, lamb, pork tenderloin, generous cuts of prime rib of beef and colonial game "pye," with desserts that range from pecan pie to 18th-century syllabub. Guests enjoy hospitable service by costumed staff amidst Queen Anne-style tables set with yard-square linen napkins, brass candlesticks and china stamped with the king's coat of arms. Original and reproduction colonial prints and paintings adorn the walls, and windows are hung with hand-woven English linens.

A more informal ambiance awaits at Christiana Campbell's. Being so close to the coast and tidewaters, the colony of Williamsburg just had to have a tavern featuring seafood - and Christiana Campbell's was a favorite. George Washington and other leading gentlemen of the colony who came to town for business, politics, or pleasure often met with local residents here. Mrs. Campbell's authentic coastal fare and traditional tavern offerings continue to be served here, amidst the lyrics of strolling balladeers. Groups can choose family-style seating and service, join in a song or two, succumb to the temptation of rum cream pie, custard apple pie, or other sumptuous favorites, and leave with some treasured colonial recipes to try back home.

Comfort food with revolutionary Southern flair is served at Shields Tavern, where strolling balladeers and character interpreters welcome guests. Seasonal menu selections take advantage of foodstuffs available from the local marketplace and are inspired by fare served to the lesser gentry and upper middling ranks of locals and travelers in the 1740s by proprietor James Shields. Southern favorites such as seafood gumbo and cornmeal-battered fried oysters join comfort food that includes barbecued ribs and Welsh rarebit and sandwiches ranging from Virginia ham and cheddar to pulled pork or hot turkey. Peanut butter pie and wild berry crumble pie are among the tempting desserts. Shields' lower level tavern room is available for banquets for up to 100, and the covered garden area behind the tavern offers an ideal outdoor space for group functions with 18th-century entertainment, weather permitting.

For more information and to book arrangements, call 800.822.9127/757.220.7600. www.ColonialWilliamsburgResort.com/dining

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Get into the Holiday Spirit!

The holiday spirit is easy to catch in the Williamsburg area. What's more, that spirit can take you almost everywhere - back through 400 years of history or propel you into 21st-century technology, even take you to other countries and customs - all within an easy drive!

There are literally hundreds of holiday programs, events and festivities to enjoy here -- concerts and chorales, special walking tours and exhibits, delectable dining opportunities, and amazing shopping ranging from outlet bargains to great gift bazaars. And with so many holiday happenings, please take advantage of our central online resource - www.ChristmasinWilliamsburg.com - that helps ensure you won't miss a single, memory-making experience!

Here's an overview of just a few of the special holiday programs and events your clients and attendees can enjoy:

A Colonial Williamsburg Holiday Season

The holiday season in Colonial Williamsburg begins Nov. 26 and extends through Jan. 2, highlighted by special programs, dining, entertainment, and festive events as well as world-famous decorations. The entire Historic Area will be decked out in holiday finery. Boughs, wreaths and other decorations are creatively made from all-natural materials, including pine, boxwood, holly, magnolia leaves, and cartloads of assorted fruits, berries and nuts. "The Christmas Decorations Walking Tour" throughout December is a great way to enjoy them. At the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum and Rockefeller Folk Art Museum, 18th- and 19th-century holiday traditions will be the subject of special focus tours. Make an ornament for the collection of homemade decorations adorning the 16-foot Abby Aldrich Folk Art Tree, which you can admire in the museum central court that is surrounded by glittering silver and gold stars.

A signature event of Colonial Williamsburg's holiday season is Grand Illumination, a spectacular evening when candles twinkle in the windows, wood crackles in street-side cressets, music fills the area from multiple outdoor stages, and the heavens explode in a magnificent spectacle of low-altitude fireworks. This year's Grand Illumination takes place on Dec. 5, but the festivities, concerts, holiday dining and public decorations continue through to the New Year.

Explore 17th-Century Traditions

At Jamestown Settlement, special holiday programs give insight into how the early English settlers weathered the holiday season in early 17th-century Virginia, and how the cultures of Virginia Indians and Africans contributed to build a new society on our shores. Jamestown Settlement's "Colonial Christmas" program, from Dec. 1 to Jan. 3, includes a special holiday film and guided tours to compare and contrast English Christmas customs of the 1600s with how the season may have been observed in the difficult early years of America's first permanent English colony. Learn about the English colonists' first Christmas at sea in 1606, and the Powhatan Indian hospitality shown to Captain John Smith's trading party during a 1608 winter storm. In the re-created colonial fort, you may encounter the English tradition of the Lord of Misrule, "grand captain of all mischief," who with his followers progressed through town during the Christmas holiday! The museum gift shop also features great holiday shopping ideas.

Holidays on the Historic York River

The Yorktown Victory Center, a museum of the American Revolution, with indoor exhibits and outdoor living history also celebrates "A Colonial Christmas" throughout December. Hear accounts of Christmas and winter camp life during the war, as well as assist a Continental Army quartermaster in preparing military supplies in the outdoor encampment. At the museum's 1780s farm, historical interpreters will demonstrate a variety of holiday activities, including setting a farmhouse table for a holiday feast, decorating with greenery and demonstrating fancy cooking in the farm kitchen. The museum gift shop also features great holiday shopping ideas.

Historic Yorktown kicks off the holiday season with special events that are free and open to the public. The annual Illumination and Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony starts at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 3 at the Yorktown Victory Monument, including seasonal music and a performance of The Fifes & Drums of York Town. The Procession of Lights, led by the Town Crier and the fifes & drums, then proceeds down historic streets to Riverwalk Landing for the official tree lighting.

The excitement continues Dec. 4, with the 5th Annual Christmas Market on Main Street. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., guests can enjoy musical entertainment, demonstrations, arts & crafts vendors, living history exhibits, antique classic cars, roasted chestnuts, hot cider, food and more. Then the waterfront will light up with the 14th Annual Yorktown Lighted Boat Parade. Decorated in holiday spirit, area boaters will parade the York River in competition for "Best of Show." A roaring beach bonfire will warm spirits as everyone sips hot cider and listens to festive music while awaiting this marine parade.

The morning of Dec. 11 brings the Holiday Yorktown Market Day to Riverwalk Landing, featuring everything from local produce and seafood to holiday baked goods and candies, plus holiday wreaths, plants and quality art items for gifts. The Historic Yorktown Freight Shed, a great venue for group functions, will feature a fun "Breakfast with Santa" event, followed by an afternoon of fun at the "Toyland Parade at Riverwalk Landing."

Christmas Town: A Busch Gardens Celebration

Experience the world's most beautiful theme park in an entirely different light with Christmas Town: A Busch Gardens Celebration. All-new attractions, dazzling shows and one-of-a-kind gift ideas will have everyone saying, "Now this is Christmas." For special, updated information on Christmas Town, read this newsletter's article Busch Gardens Expands Christmas Town and Announces More Exciting News for 2011.

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