TOURS
When registering, you will have an opportunity to purchase Dallas and Fort Worth tours to enjoy during your stay in the area.
Two specially priced tours are being offered for only $25 or $35 per person, each tour.
Both tours will be offered twice:
Tuesday, October 29, from 12:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Thursday, October 31, from 8:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Dallas City Tour - $25
Relax and enjoy a driving tour as you learn about Dallas’ remarkable history including how Dallas was named and why it was founded on the banks of the Trinity River. Starting off the tour, guests visit Victory Park, a 75-acre neighborhood filled with restaurants, retail stores, luxury residences, entertainment venues and more. A predominant landmark in this neighborhood is Victory Plaza, an area that features two office buildings and American Airlines Center, home to the Dallas Mavericks basketball team and the Dallas Stars hockey team.
The driving tour continues in the West End Historic District, Dallas’ oldest entertainment center, ending at Dealey Plaza. Here, guests enjoy an opportunity to walk and explore the famous Grassy Knoll at Dealey Plaza, the site of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Guests may take pictures and view the area where the President was assassinated and the famous stockade fence that has underlined so much controversy over the years of the possibilities of a second gunman.
Next, guests will discover famous sites like Pioneer Plaza, the larger than life bronze sculpture that commemorates the Shawnee Trail (a cattle trail that passed through Dallas) and landmarks on Main Street such as the legendary flagship Neiman Marcus. As guests participate in a driving tour through the Arts District, the guide will point out stunning buildings and museums such as the Dallas Museum of Art, Nasher Sculpture Center, Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House and the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre.
The tour continues through two of Dallas’ trendiest neighborhoods: Uptown and West Village. These upscale neighborhoods are filled with unique mix of residences, shops, office buildings, restaurants, nightclubs, pubs and more. Guests may even have a chance to view the McKinney Avenue Trolley, a vintage trolley that runs everyday of the year providing transit service to Uptown’s vibrant community.
Dallas Arboretum Tour - $35
Discover Dallas' greatest natural resource - The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden. Set beside White Rock Lake in sight of downtown's gleaming spires, the Arboretum features sixty-six superbly landscaped acres with towering trees, fragrant gardens, and lush lawns beckoning visitors into a serene and beautiful world.
Built on the forty-four acre former estate of petroleum geologist and oilman Everett Lee DeGolyer, the historic 21,000-square-foot DeGolyer House is the focal point of the Arboretum. This elegant Spanish Colonial-style revival mansion is now a museum offering guided tours of Mr. DeGoyler's study and other rooms filled with art and furniture.
Visiting in the fall gives guests the chance to explore the Arboretum during one of its finest exhibits. The enormous suburban garden is abundant this time of year with 'gourd-eous' pumpkins, and 'cornucopia' fall displays. Fall is one of the peak times to visit and an afternoon at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens is sure to offer guests a chance to relax and replenish without leaving the city.
Wednesday, October 30
5:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Fort Worth Tour + Dinner at Joe T. Garcia's
Tonight, guests experience Fort Worth the way it was meant to be! Guests step back into the Old West in Fort Worth’s magnificent Sundance Square, where a quick driving tour exposes them to spectacular turn-of-the-century buildings nestled among towering skyscrapers as they learn the fascinating and colorful history of Cowtown. Founded as an army outpost in 1849 to protect settlers from Indians, Fort Worth was once home to legendary figures, cattle barons, and rough and rugged cowboys. In Sundance Square, known today for its unique shops, specialty restaurants, theaters, and museums; guests hear about legends from yesteryear when Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid and other notorious bandits of the Wild West lived, played and even died here.
Next guests travel back in time to the Fort Worth Stockyards, once the second largest livestock market in the U.S. and now a major entertainment center. For dinner, the group enjoys the Tex-Mex offerings at Joe T. Garcia's, a popular family-owned and operated restaurant, located just minutes from the Stockyards Historical District. Take pleasure in the ambiance and flavor of this colorful Fort Worth treasure! The group dines in a lovely indoor setting amid traditional decor (or possibly on the award-winning patio if weather permits). Joe T's sensational Mexican dishes will be served on big family-style platters.
After that, the group will be able to enjoy some free time at Billy Bob's Texas, the world’s largest honky-tonk! Here the group can take part in dancing, games, or even checking out some live music. Billy Bob’s welcomes visitors from all over the world and from all walks of life on a daily basis. Your group will love their honky-tonk attitude, friendly Fort Worth hospitality, and truly unique atmosphere. Spend a day getting to know “Where the West Begins”!
OTHER TOURS
Other tours will be offered on site for purchase at various prices on an individual basis for you and/or your guest to enjoy during the conference:
Tuesday, October 29
Fort Worth Botanical + Japanese Gardens
The Fort Worth Botanical Gardens is just one of the many treasure that lies with the Fort Worth city limits. With 12 individual gardens, ranging from the Japanese Garden to the Water Conservation Garden, the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens is a mecca of agriculture information. Crews of scientists, gardeners, and volunteers keep the grounds of the Botanic Gardens pristine year round. With a conservation program dedicated to sustainable gardening initiatives, and committed to educating people from all walks of life, the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens is sure to teach your guests a thing or two about flora.
VIP Tour of AT&T Stadium
AT&T Stadium welcomes visitors to enjoy a truly unique experience at a world-class facility. Paying homage to the Dallas Cowboys team, the stadium is built on the qualities of strength, integrity and a determination to be the best. Hosting architecture incorporating the most admired features of other leading edge stadiums, museums and monumental buildings around the world, the design for this stadium is innovative, while also honoring the team history – particularly the retractable roof.
Today, our most knowledgeable and experienced tour guides meet you in the Pro Shop to lead your VIP Guided Tour. Beginning at the Main Club, your tour stops include a private suite, the radio and print media press boxes, the Cotton Bowl offices, the Dr. Pepper Star Bar and the Ford Motor Company Fountain. After you've seen these areas, your guide will take you down to the event level where you'll see all of the stops on the Self-Guided Tours, including the field, the Miller Lite Club, the post-game interview room, and both the Cowboys locker room and the Cheerleaders locker room. Guests can pull up a chair next to the private locker room space of one of Dallas' heroes of the gridiron.
George W. Bush Library + Wildflower Garden
The new facility serves as a resource for the study of the life and career of George W. Bush, while also promoting a better understanding of the Presidency, American history, and important issues of public policy. The Library and Museum accomplishes its mission by preserving and providing access to Presidential records and other donated collections, hosting public programs, creating educational initiatives, preserving artifacts, and producing innovative museum exhibits.
Platinum Sponsor
Gold Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
TINGLEAF & ASSOCIATES