Museums & Attractions
- Louisville’s Speed Art Museum is undergoing a $50 million renovation and expansion, encompassing 200,000 square feet of updated interior and exterior space. The renovation will be enacted in three phases and is projected for completion in 2015. It will add two new buildings and expand exhibition and research spaces. The museum is closed during construction. For more information, visit www.speedart.com.
- Construction broke ground on the new Southern Food and Beverage Museum in New Orleans this year. The new 30,000-square-foot museum will include a restaurant, children’s gallery, cultural innovation center and an exhibit for each of the 17 Southern states. It is scheduled to open in March 2013. With 11,000 square feet of function space available the museum can accommodate up to 500 for reception-style private events. For more information, call 504.569.0405 or visit www.southernfood.org.
- The multimillion-dollar Evan Williams Bourbon Experience is scheduled to open in Louisville in fall 2013. Operated by Kentucky-based Heaven Hill Distilleries, the “Whiskey Row” venue will offer guided tours, tasting rooms and an artisanal pot still. For more information, visit www.heavenhill.com.
Programs & Packages
- The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island unveiled a new series of unique group activities designed to challenge and inspire groups while building camaraderie. Options include beachfront scavenger hunts, learning the basics of beekeeping and caring for a hive, creating custom salt blends that will be featured on the restaurant’s menu, and unique hammock massage treatments. The property offers 48,000 square feet of event space and is undergoing an $85 million renovation and meeting space expansion. The “Flights for Sites” program offers qualified planners up to $400 in airfare reimbursements for site visits. For more information, call 904.277.1100 or visit www.ritzcarlton.com/ameliaisland.
Destination Dispatch
- The $300 million renovation at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport is nearing completion and planned to conclude in time for the city to host the 2013 Super Bowl. Following a concourse expansion and the addition of six new gates, the airport will increase the capacity of its rental car facility from 800 cars to approximately 1,800. Free in-terminal Wi-Fi, new display systems, upgraded restrooms and a new exterior facade are also part of the project. For more information, visit www.flymsy.com.
- North Carolina planners seeking inspiration can check out the state’s recently launched Project 543. The name comes from the number of miles between the city of Manteo on the Atlantic coast and the town of Murphy near the Tennessee border, representing the commonly-accepted width of the state. The regularly updated online project highlights the best of North Carolina venues, excursions and sites from the famous Blue Ridge parkway, to the U.S. National Whitewater Training Center, the Reed Gold Mine and the tiny Calaboose Winery set in an old jail. For more information, visit www.project543.visitnc.com.