2010 Rhode Island ETC Educational: Newport to Providence Jan. 30 - Feb. 2, 2010(Limit 25)
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Make the most of your time at ETC 2010 by arriving a few days early and participating in a domestic educational exclusively designed for the Educational Travel Community.
Rhode Island, despite its small size, is extremely diverse and offers great educational opportunities for lifelong learning, experiential travel, and innovative domestic program offerings. This Domestic Educational is designed to give you an overview of what is available for specialty touring, time to brainstorm and share ideas on domestic program development, operations and marketing, and an invitation to provide feedback to the Rhode Island Tourism Division on what new or existing tour programs should be marketed to the educational travel niche.
 
With expert guides, explore the new Inner Space Center at the University of Rhode Island, built and designed with the guidance of Dr. Robert Ballard with a grant from the National Geographic Society; tour the architectural masterpieces that are the Gilded Age Mansions of Newport; taste Rhode Island foods and sip local wines. Highlights include:
• URI Inner Space Center
• Newport Redwood Library
• Newport Art Museum
• Newport Mansions with an architectural focus
• Rhode Island’s slave trade and African American heritage
• Brown University behind-the-scenes
• National Museum of American Illustration owner-led tour
• Touro Synagogue, discussion of religious freedoms in colonial America and current parallels
• Understanding Rhode Island’s role in constitutional freedoms
• Guest speakers such as Dr. Michael Bell, official RI Folklorist
• Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art curator-led tour
Please plan to arrive at Providence’s T.F. Green Airport (PVD) by 5 p.m. on Saturday, January 30th. Transportation will be provided to the Hotel Viking in Newport, a Historic Hotel of America, which will be our host hotel for the nights of January 30th and 31st and February 1st. The program begins with dinner Saturday evening and finishes in Providence on Tuesday, February 2, in the late afternoon. Accommodations for the night of February 2nd will be at the Westin Providence, the host hotel for the Educational Travel Conference. This arrival time will also allow you to participate in one of the February 3rd pre-conference programs.  
Designed as an ETC “Educational,” the expectation is that the learning on tour is a two-way exchange. Participants contribute to facilitated daily debriefings on sites visited, provide a post-tour impression summary, post-trip survey, complete their ETC organizational profile, provide a bio and personal photo, and share up to 25 photos taken on the Educational. These materials will form the nexus of a post-trip report, for the RI Tourism Division, which will be accessible online through the ETC member-only site. Depending on interest, some participants may be asked to provide informal feedback during the ETC 2010 February 5th SIG seminar on domestic programming.
 Four nights of accommodation (Jan. 30, 31, Feb. 1, 2), ground transportation from the airport or train station, all meals, and ground transportation to scheduled attractions and events will be provided. There is no cost for travel planners or U.S. tour operators to attend. Space is limited to 25 people on a first-come first-served basis. Destinations, foreign operators and suppliers are welcome to attend at a cost of $300 per person, if space is available.
2010 Rhode Island ETC Educational:
Newport to Providence
Itinerary for Jan. 30 - Feb. 2, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Arrivals by 5 p.m.
• Volunteers will be at the airport to assist you in connecting with the complimentary transfer to Newport.
Mixer and Dinner:
• Mingle with your hosts and colleagues at a brief reception; then enjoy a hearty dinner at one of Newport’s excellent restaurants.
• After the dinner briefing for the upcoming programs, distribution of materials as needed.
Overnight at Hotel Viking:
• Our host hotel for the next three nights is the Hotel Viking, a Historic Hotel of America. The hotel was built in 1926 as additional housing for guests attending events at the Bellevue Avenue mansion. It recently completed a $6.2 million renovation and restoration.
• Hotel contact information: One Bellevue Avenue, Newport, RI 02840, 401.847.3300
Sunday January 31, 2010
Newport, Important Colonial Port and America’s First Resort
Breakfast at the hotel:
• Full Breakfast provided in the hotel dining room
Redwood Library:
• The Redwood is America’s first lending library. Named for one of its founders, Abraham Redwood, the building was completed and opened in 1750 for the benefit of the colony. Many of its original collection of books were “how to’s” to help with efforts in agriculture and other industries needed for the prosperity of the town, as well as tomes for cultural education. The Library houses a magnificent special collection, including the original books, paintings and other works of art, and rare books. We’ll get to see some of these as we hear the fascinating story of this building.
Newport Mansion, architectural focus tour:
• Newport has been dubbed “America’s First Resort”—since the 1700s people have been spending their summer vacations here, but when the Mrs. Astor brought New York Society with her, Newport became the summer playground of the robber barons, who built their “cottages” along the sea. Many were designed by the big houses in New York—Mc Kim Mead and White and Richard Morris Hunt, among others, created the castles fit for their multi-millionaire residents.
Lunch: venue to be announced.
National Museum of American Illustration - owner led tour:
• The NMAI was established in 1998 by Judy Goffman Cutler and Laurence Cutler to house their art collection from the Golden Age of American Illustration, which now includes works from Maxfield Parrish, NC Wyeth and arguably America’s favorite, Norman Rockwell.
African-American heritage in Newport:
• Rhode Island was the largest slave trading state in the colonies, and some continued in the trafficking of slaves after it was deemed illegal by the state government. Theresa Guzman Stokes will share the story of her ancestors, Newport slaves, as she guides us to various sites in the city related to their history.
Free time - enjoy some shopping and the views of downtown Newport
Dinner and lecture:
• “Religious Freedoms in Colonial Rhode Island and current parallels—what are the lessons?” will be the topic with speaker John Langeloth Loeb, retired Ambassador of the United States. The dinner and speaking program will take place at the Loeb Visitors Center adjacent to Touro Synagogue, the oldest Jewish house of worship in the country. Please note: all food and beverages served this evening will be kosher and in keeping with rabbinical laws.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Rhode Island, the Ocean State - our economic relationship with the sea
Breakfast at the hotel.
URI Inner Space Center:
• Tour the new Inner Space Center at the University of Rhode Island with director Dr. Dwight Coleman. The center was built under the direction of Dr. Robert Ballard with a grant from the National Geographic Society, among others. The center allows for live streaming from the ocean floor during expeditions, and you will see a demonstration of this amazing technology.
Point Judith - Rhode Island’s fishing port:
• Point Judith, located in the village of Galilee, is the fourth largest fishing port in the U.S., by sales volume. All types of fin fish and shellfish are brought through here, and it is also a large squid processing area. Today we will meet a fisherman and learn about this dangerous way to make a living.
Lunch - Matunuck Oyster with speaker Perry Raso, Ocean State Aqua Farm:
• Like many states, Rhode Island has begun aquaculture farms for fin fish as well as shellfish. Perry Raso, owner of Ocean State Aqua Farm, will share his story of creating an oyster farm in a neighboring salt pond and will share some of the fruits of his labor with fresh-from-the-pond-20-minutes-ago Potters Pond oysters and clams.
Afternoon - Rhode Island’s Role in the American Revolution
General Nathanael Greene Homestead:
• Nathanael Greene was second in command to George Washington during the American Revolution and served as quartermaster for all of the Colonial troops. A dedicated friend and officer, he nearly bankrupted himself purchasing much needed supplies. We’ll hear his amazing story at the place of his birth in Coventry.
Afternoon Tea in Pawtuxet Village:
• On June 9, 1772, about a year and a half before the Boston Tea Party, angry colonists dealt the first blow for American freedom when they burnt the HMS Gaspee to her waterline while she was stuck in a sandbar off of Pawtuxet Village. Ltc John Currier with the Pawtuxet Rangers will tell the story of the build up, the burning and the aftermath of this little known chapter in the Colonial fight for freedom.
Downtown Bristol tour with Joan Roth:
• You wouldn’t know it to see Bristol today, but in the 18th and early 19th century this quaint seaside village was a hotbed of nefarious activities. The site of burnings during the Revolution, shipbuilding, merchant shipping, scandals and the slave trade, Bristol has a rich and colorful history that will be told by Joan Roth, a lifelong Bristolian.
Dinner at the Hotel Viking:
• Chef Kevin Thiele is one of the best in Rhode Island—tonight we’ll enjoy some delicious food prepared by Chef Kevin and his staff, and we’ll sample some local wines and brews.
“Food for the Dead,” the story of Mercy Brown, Rhode Island Vampire, will be told by Michael Bell, Ph.D., state folklorist. Vampire legends exist all over New England and the little village of Exeter, Rhode Island, has its own in poor Mercy. Learn the roots of the legend and understand how societal influences allowed for the belief of vampires, as Consumption raced through communities taking loved ones along the way.
Overnight at the Hotel Viking.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
The Birth of the Industrial Revolution, Providence as an Industrial Powerhouse, Providence Today
Breakfast at the hotel.
John Brown House:
• John Brown, and the Brown family, was one of the wealthiest in the Colonies. John made his money as a merchant trading for goods in the Far East and for slaves in Africa. His brother Moses, a converted Quaker, chose to invest in a small enterprise in Pawtucket on the Blackstone River: Slater Mill. This dynamic family was extremely influential in shaping Providence and Rhode Island and were honored by having Rhode Island College renamed for them as Brown University.
Brown University:
• Beth Galer, from Brown University’s Alumni Travel, has set up a special tour for us to enjoy.
Lunch at Modern Diner:
• One of the spin-off businesses of the Industrial Revolution was the creation of diners. We’ll enjoy lunch today at Modern Diner in Pawtucket, the first diner in the country to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Slater Mill:
• Slater was the first successful mill operation in the country and gave birth to the Industrial Revolution in America. Powered by the mighty Blackstone River, Slater Mill spun cotton thread and had a role in perpetuating slavery. The further creation of Mill Villages and the Rhode Island System changed landscapes and lives in Providence and the Blackstone Valley for years to come.
Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art:
• RISD, as we locals call it, was established as an industrial design and arts school to support the mill economy of Rhode Island. Today it’s a world-class art school with an incredible museum. We’ll enjoy a curator led tour of the new Chase Center, which also houses RISD Works, a unique shop that carries the work of students and alumni.
Check in at The Westin Providence Hotel.
Program concludes.
Itinerary subject to change.
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