February 2, 2009

Providence Rolls Out Carpet for USCM Guests

Welcome to Providence, Friday June 12

A Seafood Extravaganza at the Bank of America City Center in Downtown Providence will be the Conference's welcome party. This outdoor downtown skating center is in the heart of the city, located directly across the street from the Westin and the Biltmore, the two hotels serving as hosts of the Conference. Our visitors will be greeted by colorful dance performances representing the many ethnic groups of Rhode Island. Guests will feast on a New England style seafood dinner with chowder, clam cakes and the works and enjoy dance music by a local band.

Dinner at the Museum and WaterFire, Saturday June 13

The brand new Chace Center at the Rhode Island School of Design Museum will provide the setting for cocktails and dinner. Guests will have an opportunity to roam the galleries of the Museum, taking in the world renowned collection of art - from Impressionism to American Art to European Master works to an exhibit of Marcel Breuer furniture. After enjoying cocktails and dinner in the Museum, guests will be invited to join tens of thousands of guests in downtown Providence who will gather to enjoy Providence's signature art installation WaterFire (www.waterfire.org), featuring 100 sparkling bonfires, the fragrant scent of aromatic wood smoke and enchanting music from around the world. WaterFire has captured the imagination of over ten million visitors and is a defining element of Providence.

A Night at the Circus, Sunday June 14

The Dunkin Donuts Center will be the setting of tonight's dinner and entertainment. Guests will be greeted at the city's newly renovated arena and treated to a circus themed event, with a carnival atmosphere. During dinner in the "Dunk," a major national circus company will provide a circus performance created specifically for the U.S. Conference of Mayors' annual meeting. It will be a family oriented evening that promises fun for all our guests.

Fireworks and Picnic in the Park, Monday June 15

Roger Williams Park Temple to Music is the setting for an old fashioned family barbecue with music by a great Rhode Island band. After sundown, guests will be treated to a fireworks display as the conference comes to a close.

Spouse and Youth Tours

Private Walking Tours of Historic Benefit Street

The centerpiece of any visit to Providence is the "mile of history," where a cobblestone sidewalk passes a row of 18th- and early-19th-century candy-color houses crammed shoulder-to-shoulder on a steep hill overlooking downtown. Romantic Benefit Street, with one of the nation-s highest concentrations of Colonial architecture, is a reminder of the wealth brought to Rhode Island through the triangular trade of slaves, rum, and molasses. This tour will include visits to historic private homes that are not commonly open to the public. It will culminate in a luncheon at John Nicholas Brown House with a talk from a resident historian.

Private Tour of RISD Museum

Rhode Island's leading museum of fine and decorative art houses a collection of 84,000 objects of international significance. It is southeastern New England's only comprehensive art museum and is accredited by the American Association of Museums. We will offer privately guided tours of the upcoming Marcel Breuer exhibit as well as the Museum's collection of fashion and textiles. The tours will include a private luncheon in one of the galleries.

Day Trip to Newport

Featuring shopping, an elegant luncheon and a private tour of one of the historic mansions, perhaps the Breakers:

The Breakers is the grandest of Newport-s summer "cottages" and a symbol of the Vanderbilt family-s social and financial preeminence in turn of the century America. In 1893, Cornelius Vanderbilt II commissioned architect Richard Morris Hunt to design a villa. An international team of craftsmen and artisans created a 70-room Italian Renaissance- style palazzo inspired by the 16th century palaces of Genoa and Turin. Gladys Vanderbilt, who married Count Laszlo Szechenyi of Hungary, inherited the house on her mother-s death in 1934. An ardent supporter of The Preservation Society of Newport County, she opened The Breakers in 1948 to raise funds for the Society. In 1972, the Preservation Society purchased the house from her heirs. Today, the house is designated a National Historic Landmark.

Family Day at the Zoo

Just for visitors of The U.S. Conference of Mayors!

Come visit this nationally accredited facility and have fun meeting its newest resident - a baby giraffe, born in December. The zoo is Rhode Island's number one outdoor family and tourist attraction. Our guests will get a special "behind-the-scenes" tour and enjoy an outdoor lunch at the zoo.

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