Ever thought about adding a day or more to a boring business travel trip being held in a major North American convention city to create an exciting, relaxing, cultural and even green getaway?
According to Cvnet, the top 20 convention cities of 2016 are Orlando, Vegas, Chicago, San Diego, Atlanta, Washington D.C., New York City, Dallas, Nashville, Phoenix, Miami, New Orleans, Denver, San Francisco, San Antonio, Boston, Austin, Scottsdale, Houston and Los Angeles. Plus, Canada’s main meeting metropolises are Toronto, London and Vancouver BC.
The Culver Hotel is a historic landmark next to Sony Studios amid west LA enclave Culver City, which has had a green Renaissance in the past decade.
Los Angeles, California, has several hot “green” neighborhoods, including Culver City, Silver Lake, Santa Monica, West Hollywood (90069) and The Hollywood Hills (90046).
Culver City is one of LA’s top vegan enclaves. This tiny bedroom-meets-studio town has matured into a full-fledged healthy paradise. The city’s revitalized downtown is now chock full of Michelin-starred restaurants, vegan eateries and juiceries, artisanal coffee joints and eclectic shops.
King Rooms at The Culver Hotel combine retro elegance with modern sensibilities to create a pampering paradise in the midst of Culver City’s revitalized downtown district.
Stay at The Culver Hotel to experience this historic national landmark from 1924. The six-story “flatiron” hotel has 46 charming and luxurious rooms and was once owned by Charlie Chaplin. During Hollywood’s golden years of the 20s-40s, the hotel’s grand lobby and crystal dining room were the playground of the Hollywood elite such as Greta Garbo, Judy Garland and Clark Gable. Duck down to enter the hotel’s speakeasy-themed bar and nightclub, Velvet Lounge.
San Francisco is one of the nation’s top convention towns, especially for tech conferences. But less than a two-hour drive north is some of North America’s top-rated wineries situated in two competing valleys, Sonoma and Napa.
Hotel Healdsburg is a landmark in this winery town, complete with village square.
(Photo credit: charliepalmer. com)
When going green in Sonoma, choose the tiny town of Healdsburg for its charm, walkability, coffee houses, restaurants, tasting rooms and boutiques. Don’t miss staying at eco-friendly Hotel Healdsburg. Located right on downtown’s park square, Hotel Healdsburg is a relaxing respite with modern décor and amenities, a soothing spa and a healthy buffet breakfast daily. Mega-chef Charlie Palmer’s delectable Dry Creek Kitchen occupies a corner of the hotel’s green-meets-modern ground floor spaces.
Don’t miss visiting Calistoga when touring Napa Valley. This tourist-filled town is also full of boutique hotels that specialize in bringing Calistoga’s naturally healing hot mineral waters just steps from your comfortable room.
Calistoga, which is located at the very northern tip of Napa Valley, is a spa town. Be sure to book a property, such as Calistoga Spa Hot Springs, that combines both accommodations and a variety of heated mineral water pools.
When visiting Bowling Green, be sure to take a tour of the area’s fascinating cave network.
At No. 8 on the Cvnet list, Nashville has more than enough to do inside this music-filled tourist town and convention center. However, just an hour’s drive north is Bowling Green, Kentucky. The road trip to this college town itself is unforgettable. The rolling green hills of south central Kentucky’s cave country looks like a picture postcard. Once there, enjoy the vibrant downtown as well as Lost River Cave and Beech Bend Park.
Just a ferry ride away from New Jersey lies the breathtakingly beautiful beaches of Delaware.
The Tri-State Area (where New York, New Jersey and Connecticut meet) hosts millions upon millions of conventioneers annually and has plenty of eco-friendly destinations. But did you ever consider running away to Delaware? Take the 17-mile ferry crossing from Cape May, New Jersey, to the tiny beachside town of Lewes, Delaware. Romantic inns dot the DelMarVa peninsula in Lewes, Rehoboth Beach, Dewey Beach, Bethany Beach, South Bethany and Fenwick Island for a nature-filled getaway like none other.
Victoria’s Inner Harbour, backed by the iconic and recently renovated Fairmont Empress Hotel, is transport central. This hub buzzes daily with yachts, float planes, water taxis, kayaks and foot traffic.
(Photo credit: Tourism British Columbia)
Canada has some of the most sustainable cities on the planet. When conventioning on Canada’s jewel of a West Coast city–eco-friendly Vancouver–consider taking a short flight or ferry ride to nearby Vancouver Island. The 300-mile-long island sits just off the coast and is filled with organic farms, wineries and charming towns. The regal city of Victoria sits on the southernmost edge of Vancouver Island. This highly urban slice of British Columbia paradise holds enough culture, food and shopping experiences to please just about anyone, while the island’s interior boasts verdant valleys and almost unbelievably scenic coastline views.
Full Bloom is a “gourmet vegan cuisine” restaurant that serves delicious plant-based meals in a surprisingly elegant yet down-to-earth setting.
Orlando is No. 1 on Cvnet’s list. Orlando’s not very green, however, a 235-mile road trip will bring you to Miami. This vibrant metropolis with its suburban sprawl has some of the nation’s top vegan and vegetarian restaurants, along with a thriving community of planet-loving people who are way into living the green lifestyle in everything from eating to shopping to yoga to beach activities.
Ready to relax and rejuvenate on an “eco” side trip before or after a business trip? You can go green, have fun and it can be affordable, too.
Featured image: The rolling green hills of Bowling Green, Kentucky, rise up to meet you just an hour’s drive north of Nashville.
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