Newport News is just 30 minutes south of America's Historic Triangle, comprised of Colonial Williamsburg, The Jamestowne Colony, and Historic Yorktown.

Enjoy the scenic drive along the waterfront on the 24-mile long Colonial Parkway from the Yorktown Battlefields under the historic district of Williamsburg to the Jamestown Settlement. All three historic towns are connected by the Colonial National Historic Park. You can stroll on the beach before dinner at the Yorktown Waterfront, visit both the original Jamestowne Colony with its accompanying museum and the Jamestown Settlement Reenactment including the three transatlantic vessels, or experience life in an English colony in Colonial Williamsburg.

There are also several historic buildings which offer tours, including Virginia's famous string of James River Plantations and the Williamsburg Winery.

Historic Jamestowne is the site of the first permanent English settlement in America, established in 1607, 13 years before the Pilgrims landed in Massachusetts. Visitors can see archaeology in action as researchers uncover more of the original fort and visit the accompanying museum of recently unearthed artifacts. The nearby Jamestown Settlement re-creates the 17th century with four outdoor living history areas, including full-size replicas of the three English ships which brought the settlers, and a large indoor gallery.

Williamsburg was Britain's Colonial Capitol city for most of the 18th century. The historic district stretches from America's most romantic college campus, The College of William and Mary (chartered 1693), to the Colonial Capitol. Today it is frozen in the year 1770 as the world's largest outdoor museum and one of America's most popular tourist destinations.

The Revolutionary War was ended by the 1781 Siege at Yorktown, resulting in the British surrender to combined American and French forces. Visitors can explore the Yorktown Battlefield, view the Victory Monument to the French forces under LaFayette, and visit the Yorktown Victory Center, a living-history museum with a re-created Continental Army encampment, a 1780's Tidewater farm, and an indoor gallery. The modern Riverwalk Landing provides a beachfront string of shops, restaurants, and other attractions connecting the Yorktown Victory Center to the Yorktown Battlefield.

For a historic evening in Colonial Williamsburg, stroll down Duke of Gloucester Street from America's oldest academic building, the Sir Christopher Wren Building, past Merchant's Square, beautiful Bruton Parish, the Governor's Palace and gardens, numerous historic trade shops, and actors in colonial garb to the Colonial Capitol. Dine in a traditional colonial tavern and end the evening with a candlelit ghost tour.

* Thank you to Lynn Di Vito of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation for contributions to this site.

Busch Gardens Europe is located about 30 minutes north of the conference location, in Williamsburg, Virginia. In addition to roller coasters and other rides, Busch Gardens boasts numerous restaurants, theatres, and a wildlife preserve.

For a European-themed evening, dine in Busch Gardens and catch a high-energy production show afterwards.

• Creedence Clearwater Revisited, Alexick Retrospective, Sax Group Concert, Guitar Orchestra Concert, and Virginia Symphony Orchestra - Dvorak Cello Concerto are playing at the Ferguson Center for the Arts.
• Solo Duo, Schub, Lin, Hoffman, Coffee Concert II, Kathleen Battle, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre are playing at the Virginia Arts Festival.
• Movie theatre: AMC Hampton Towne Centre 24

• The Virginia Air and Space Center is the official visitor center for NASA Langley Research Center. This museum boasts more than 30 historic aircraft, exhibits on air, space, and sea, flight simulators, and an IMAX theatre.
• The Mariner's Museum is probably the largest and most extensive museum in the Hampton Roads area, with over 60,000 square feet of gallery space, and a must-see for anyone interested in international maritime history. This museum boasts the new USS Monitor Center, which displays key fragments recovered from the Civil War Ironclad. Surrounding the museum is a 550-acre woodland park containing the five-mile Noland Trail around Lake Maury.
• The Virginia Living Museum offers visitors a chance to explore Virginia through living exhibits covering the state's diverse geographic regions from the mountains to the sea. The museum boasts a planetarium, an outdoor boardwalk, and a butterfly garden.
• Nauticus is on the "south-side" in downtown Norfolk and features a number of military and naval sub-museums including the Hampton Roads Naval Museum, the Tugboat Museum, and cruises. Visitors can walk aboard the retired Iowa-class battleship USS Wisconsin.
• Also on the "south-side" in Norfolk is the Chrysler Museum of Art. Exhibits on 19th century American and European art and Masterpieces of Cameo Glass are opening in April.