Northeast Tennessee
Where Attendees Can Explore Nature & History
By Alison Mitchell Nestled between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Great Smokies, the Northeast Tennessee region is home to three cities ready to welcome your next meeting. Kingsport, Bristol and Johnson City contain meeting sites, hotels and venues that serve a variety of groups, as well as opportunities to enjoy the natural beauty of the area, destination marketing officials said.
A new area attraction that’s generating a buzz in the area is the East Tennessee State University (ETSU) and General Shale Brick Natural History Museum, located in Gray, Tenn., between Kingsport and Johnson City, said Heather Jones, director of marketing at the Kingsport Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB). The “Gray Fossil Site” and its new natural history museum are attracting scholars, volunteers and visitors from across the country to study and learn about the rich paleoecology of Southern Appalachia, Jones said. “The Gray Fossil Site is the newest attraction bringing thousands of curious visitors to the area. It’s a state-of-the-art museum that’s interactive and fun for all ages. Group tours and meeting space are also available.”
Visitors to the site’s 45,000-square-foot museum can see what Southern Appalachia looked like from 4.5 to 7 million years ago and try their hand at digging up bones. Thousands of specimens have been excavated at the site, said Brenda Whitson, executive director of the Johnson City CVB. “To date, some of the findings include 20 larger mammals such as the saber tooth cat, short-faced bear, rhino, camel, shovel-tucked elephant and red panda.”
Kingsport
Exploring the Northeast Tennessee, region can mean fishing near Kingsport. |
Don’t let the quaint mountain atmosphere of Kingsport fool you. According to Heather Jones, director of marketing at the Kingsport Convention and Visitors Bureau, the city offers state-of-the-art meeting facilities for groups that blend with the surroundings.
“Bringing your group to Kingsport is as simple as ABC—affordable, beautiful and convenient,” Jones said. “You can host your event in a state-of-the-art facility while taking advantage of the peacefulness of the mountains. Work can truly feel like a vacation here,” she said. “Once your meetings are over, you can travel less than five miles and enjoy the best in antiques shopping, soak up the rich history of this land, and fish in some of the finest streams.”
MeadowView Marriott Conference Resort and Convention Center, which contains 195 guest rooms and 65,000 square feet of meeting space, has completed renovations, Jones said. A new Courtyard Lounge and Great Room concept features relaxing quiet zones with water walls, flat-screen TVs, comfortable furniture and scenic views of the mountains, she said.
In addition, the outdoor patio area has been renovated and is ready to host outdoor events. The property also features an 18-hole championship golf course, a fitness center and a heated outdoor pool.
Another option for meetings in Kingsport is the Renaissance Center, a city-owned multipurpose facility that serves as a center for the arts, senior citizens’ activities, social events, business meetings and seminars. Coordinator Martha Beverly said the center has a 350-seat theater and meeting space for groups of up to 250.
Attendees can peruse one of four art galleries in the center between meetings or have lunch in the three-story, sky-lit atrium, Beverly said.
Rental rates for rooms in the former school are economical, Beverly said, and groups are welcome to bring in their own food. “We don’t offer catering, and this is something that many groups like.”
Other event venues in Kingsport include the Civic Auditorium with more than 7,500 square feet of meeting space, the Georgian-styled Allandale Mansion, the Kingsport Inn, the Americourt Hotel Kingsport and the La Quinta Inn Kingsport.
Johnson City
Just south of Kingsport, Johnson City is a bustling city that’s home to ETSU and a variety of meeting facilities, according to destination marketing officials.
“Johnson City is composed of metropolitan and rural areas with breathtaking backdrops of the Appalachian Mountains,” said Johnson City CVB’s Whitson. “From the highest mountains in East Tennessee to the cobblestone streets of Jonesborough, we are a destination rich in history and surrounded by beautiful scenery.”
The Freedom Hall Civic Center, which offers more than 13,000 square feet of exhibit space, is preparing for some renovations, thanks to an appropriation of city funds, said Director Lisa Chamness, adding that the nearly 34-year-old center will replace spotlights, get new telescopic seating with chairs and receive a new portable basketball floor. Photoluminescent, non-slip surfaces will be added to all steps in the auditorium as well.
The Millennium Center is an option in Johnson City for meeting planners who need a conference center format, said General Manager Ken Misterly. Composed of 16 meeting rooms, including a divisible ballroom, the center contains 25,000 square feet of meeting space. “We do a lot of regional conferences, symposiums and workshops,” Misterly said. “Our customer base is within a two- to three-hour drive.” He added that the legal, insurance, medical and financial industries hold continuing education meetings at the center, and he is looking forward to a good year for bookings in the upcoming year.
The Best Western Hotel and Conference Center Johnson City has welcomed Lois Campbell as its new director of sales, said General Manager Steven Bales. “She has lots of experience and is doing a wonderful job,” he said, adding that Campbell has already secured several new corporate accounts. The 180-room hotel, which features a complimentary business center, is refurbishing its interior corridor rooms, and Bales said, “We are updating and refurbishing the restaurant and lounge with new hardwood floors and amenities. We’ve also refurbished the ballroom and meeting space areas. We are looking to upgrade our ballroom to capture more special event business by adding chandeliers.”
Renovations to guest room bathrooms have just been completed at the 184-room Doubletree Johnson City, said Director of Sales Cornelia Dobbins. “We installed a new granite spa look on the vanities, new tile and all new curved shower rods that give you extra space,” Dobbins said, “and bathrooms in guest rooms on the executive level feature a large shower area instead of a tub-shower combination.” Renovations to the hallways will begin in 2008. The hotel offers more than 2,800 square feet of meeting space.
Other meeting facilities in the Johnson City area include the 205-room Holiday Inn Johnson City with 10,000 square feet of meeting space, the 139-room, historic Carnegie Hotel with 16,600 square feet of meeting space, and the 250,000-square-foot D.P. Culp University Center at ETSU.
Bristol
Key Info · Taxes: Expect to pay between 14.25 and 18 percent total sales and occupancy tax in the area.
· Climate: The annual average temperature in mountainous Northeast Tennessee is 67 degrees, with an average summer temperature of 76 and winter temperature of 41. Average annual snowfall is about 16 inches. |
Literally split in half on Main Street by the state line, the twin cities of Bristol, Tenn., and Bristol, Va., have international fame as the site of “the world’s fastest half mile” at Bristol Motor Speedway and as the birthplace of country music. The area is also a popular spot for association, SMERF (social, military, educational, religious and fraternal) and community service group meetings, said Kimberly Leonard, marketing and sales coordinator for the Bristol CVB.
“One thing that makes the area unique is that it is within one day’s drive of 70 percent of the U.S. population,” she said. “There are a lot of different things to do in the area, and it is cost-efficient, more so than in larger cities.”
Attendees who enjoy the outdoors will find Bristol to be an ideal location, Leonard said. The cities are near the Cherokee National Forest and Park, the Appalachian Trail and the Virginia Creeper Trail, a 35-mile hiking and biking trail along an abandoned railroad bed.
Lisa Sproles, acting director of sales at the Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites Conference and Convention Center in Bristol, Va., said her hotel is looking forward to hosting the 2008 Lions Club Convention. “This is for the whole state of Virginia,” she said, adding that her hotel, which contains 224 guest rooms and 20,000 square feet of exhibit space, is scheduled to get a full-scale renovation within the next year.
Special event space is available at Bristol Motor Speedway as well as at the Viking Hall Civic Center, the Paramount Center for the Arts, Theatre Bristol, the Country Club of Bristol, and The Centre, which has more than 7,000 square feet of event space. Area hotels with meeting space include the Bristol Hampton Inn, Bristol Lodging, and the Courtyard by Marriott.
