Sightseeing Tours
Friday, Jan. 6
Noon - 4 p.m.
SIGHTSEEING SIGN UP IS NOW CLOSED
DELEGATES CAN CHECK IN AT THE SIGHTSEEINHG DESK ON FRIDAY, JAN. 6 TO REQUEST ANY TOURS OR CHANGES.
Tour Descriptions
Tour 1: Wine a Little, You'll Feel Better
Sponsored by the Grapevine CVB
Named for the wild Mustang grapes that once covered the land, today Grapevine flourishes as one of the best wine trails in Texas. With nine winery tasting rooms, each with their own unique personality, a trip on the Grapevine Wine Trail is an enjoyable and educational experience whether you consider yourself a novice or a connoisseur. This tour will give you a “taste” of the Grapevine Wine Trail and all it has to offer from an assortment of wineries and tasting rooms to the charm of Grapevine’s Historic District.
Tour 2: Bricks, Aquariums & Mills
Sponsored by the Grapevine CVB
Grapevine is pleased to welcome LEGOLAND® Discovery Center and SEA LIFE™ aquarium, both slated to open in 2011, just in time for the 2012 ABA Marketplace! Come check out these two new and exciting attractions. Based on the ever-popular LEGO® brick, LEGOLAND® Discovery Center provides a range of interactive play areas including 4D cinema; master classes from the LEGO® Master Model Builder; exciting LEGO® rides; and the popular MINILAND exhibit designed to reflect the North Texas region. SEA LIFE, the 45,000 square-foot aquarium, features more than 30 spectacular displays of diverse marine life for visitors to enjoy — everything from shrimp and starfish to seahorses, sharks and rays. Top off your tour of these two new, fantastic attractions with shopping at Grapevine Mills, 1.6 million square-feet of shopping, dining and entertainment.
Tour 3: Steel, Glass & Bronze...Experience Vintage Texas
Sponsored by the Grapevine CVB
Grapevine truly is “Aged to perfection®!” Historic Downtown Grapevine brings new respect to the word “vintage.” Hop aboard the Grapevine Vintage Railroad, Grapevine’s very own vintage train, where
you will have the opportunity to taste a few of the vintages offered by one of our local winery tasting
rooms. You will also experience the vintage art of glassblowing at Vetro Glassblowing Studio and Gallery. Next, your tour guide will introduce you to beautiful Historic Downtown Grapevine, providing you with the details that make this vintage town unique. The 9/11 Flight Crew Memorial is a must-stop during your tour. This memorial not only recognizes those who lost their lives on that tragic day, but also those who continue to dedicate their lives to making air travel possible today. Of course, no visit to “Vintage Texas” would be complete without picking up your very own vintage and unique gifts while shopping in Historic Downtown Grapevine.
Tour 4: Welcome to the Christmas Capital of Texas!
Sponsored by the Grapevine CVB
Everything is bigger in Texas… including Christmas! Discover why Grapevine is the Christmas Capital of Texas, and why Grapevine’s Christmas festivities have received multiple recognition as an ABA Top 100 Event. Grapevine is the essence of holiday décor as the city becomes blanketed with millions of lights, a multitude of decorations, animated characters, a myriad of holiday events and a whole lot more! With all of this plus great shopping for everyone on your list, Grapevine truly is the Christmas Capital of Texas. With over 1400 events in 40-plus days, this tour will highlight just a few of these special holiday activities!
Tour 5: Consistently Cool & Classically Dallas
Sponsored by the Dallas CVB
*Tour Will Return at 5:00 p.m.*
You’ve heard about the “new Dallas.” Now, see it for yourself: the new 42-story Santiago Calatrava bridge; The Park linking downtown, Uptown and the Arts District; and the new AT&T Performing Arts Center and Meyerson Symphony Center in the nation’s largest urban arts district showcasing Pritzker award-winning architecture. Dallas has become the performing arts entertainment capital of the southwest with Broadway, independent theater, opera, symphony and pop culture. Adult and student music groups come by the thousands to be entertained or to participate as the entertainment each year. They also crave our cuisine. Whether it’s Tex-Mex and traditional southwestern recipes to four and five star/diamond restaurants with celebrity chefs, Dallas shines. Meet some of our culinary stars as they prepare samplings, offer tips and discuss the foodie scene. Before and after, tour through our urban neighborhoods such as West Village and Victory Park, home of the spectacular new Perot Museum of Nature and Science opening in 2013!
Tour 6: See Why The Crowd Goes Wild in Arlington, Texas!
Sponsored by the Arlington CVB
Stepping into the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, home of Major League Baseball’s 2010 ALCS Champion Texas Rangers, is a trip back in time. At this stop you’ll tour the best of the ballpark and visit the Rangers Clubhouse, the batting cages and sit in the same dugout that the Boys of Summer sit in during home games! You may also have heard about the $1.3 billion Cowboys Stadium, too. The Stadium is host to the annual Cotton Bowl Classic on January 6th, 2012, and hosted Super Bowl XLV in 2011. Get an exterior tour of one of the most spectacular architectural buildings ever built, home of the largest HDTV on the planet, and explore the 18,000 sq. ft. two-story Pro Shop of “America’s Team!” The International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame brings to life the colorful, 5,000-year history of an international pastime. Located in the middle of Arlington’s Entertainment District, this collection of historical artifacts and interactive presentations is an experience designed for people of all ages. Explore a rich past that takes you through the time of ancient Egypt until the very present.
Tour 7: Simply Riveting in Fort Worth, TX
Sponsored by Fort Worth CVB
See how money is made and experience the second largest speedway in the U.S. Did you know that over 60 percent of the paper money in the U.S. is made in Fort Worth? In this tour, you will be able to see how millions of dollars are made at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing – Western Currency facility, one of only two facilities in the USA. Tour highlights: interactive exhibits and the Moneyfactory Gift Shop. For the second part of the tour, take the green flag for a high-speed visit to one of the world’s largest and most modern sports and entertainment facilities, Texas Motor Speedway, home to NASCAR and Indy races. Tour highlights: track laps (subject to availability); Pit Road, gift shop, luxury suites, Victory Lane and concourse.
Tour 8: The Ultimate Cowboys & Culture Experience: Part 1
Sponsored by the Fort Worth CVB
*Tour Will Return at 5:00 p.m.*
Fort Worth was the last stop on the Chisholm Trail before cowboys drove their cattle north to Kansas. On
this tour, you will visit the state-of-the-art Cattle Raisers Museum, located within the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History and see their interactive exhibits. Learn to lead a herd of cattle or ride a bronco at the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame. You will discover how the Cowgirls’ pioneer spirit helped shape the American West. This tour will continue with a stop at one of Texas’ most visited attractions, the Stockyards National Historic District. Enjoy a “Stockyards Western Experience” where you will meet the Drovers of the Fort Worth herd, shop for unique Western keepsakes, take a historic tour or visit the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame and the Sterquel Wagon Collection. The tour will end celebrating Fort Worth’s true Western heritage by watching the world’s only twice-daily cattle drive.
Tour 9: The Ultimate Cowboys & Culture Experience: Part 2
Sponsored by the Fort Worth CVB
This tour will start at Thistle Hill, a beautiful mansion from the 1900s that was built for the daughter of one of Fort Worth’s wealthiest cattle barons. As wealth increased in Fort Worth, the appreciation for the art and the construction of beautiful museums followed. You will see this during the tour of Fort Worth’s Cultural District, home to five renowned museums including the Kimbell Art Museum, housing the only Michelangelo painting in the Americas, the Amon Carter Museum and the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. This tour will finish in Sundance Square, a 35-block pedestrian-friendly entertainment district in the heart of downtown. Sundance Square is the home to the Chisholm trail mural, the Heritage trails, the Sid Richardson Museum and the Bass Performance Hall, considered to be one of the top ten opera houses in the world.
Tour 10: Live and Shop Like the Ewings
Sponsored by the Plano CVB and Allen CVB
Visit the world famous Southfork Ranch, home of the television family the “Ewings.” See what made this
family the most loved and hated family in the history of television. Walk and sit in the same places J.R., Miss Ellie, Bobby, Jock, Sue Ellen and the rest of the clan once did. Then, set off to shop like the
Ewings at the Allen Premium Outlets where you will find impressive savings at 100 outlet stores including Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, Brooks Brothers, Coach, Guess, Neiman Marcus Last Call, Polo Ralph Lauren and more.
