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TRANSFERS AND TOURS
Africa First, LLC’s local agents, will provide the following transportation services for the International Symposium on Indigenous Healing: · Deluxe motor coaches with air conditioning and lower luggage bays dedicated to the conference · Post Road holding lot secured for vehicles during the stated window of time · Africa First, LLC’s local agents to staff private hospitality desk within the baggage claim area · Africa First, LLC’s local agents to be positioned throughout the baggage claim area to direct attendees to motor coaches · Radio communication between staff and drivers provided · All transfers to Radisson Hotel University of Minnesota. Upon return to airport following convention: · Departures from Radisson Hotel and Middlebrook Hall, University of Minnesota every 30 minutes · Africa First, LLC’s local agent's staff at hotels · All airport tolls and driver gratuities Note: Attendees must be registered in advance Flight manifests will be provided to Africa First, LLC’s local agents Shuttle passes will be distributed to those attendees that purchase service.
Minnesota History Center and Mall of America Fantastic is a word that’s often misused and frequently abused, but there’s really no other term that even comes close to describing the Greater Twin Cities Metro Area. Our fantastic diversity catches first-time visitors by surprise. We’re a comfortable blend of old and new -- magnificent Art Deco and Victorian reminders of the past nestled next to gleaming skyscrapers. We’re urban and rural -- contemporary skylines just minutes from pastoral settings and scenic river-ways. We’re major league sports co-existing comfortably with world-class performing arts. And we’re cleaner, closer, safer, more affordable, friendlier and less crowded than most other metropolitan settings! Today we’ll experience a sampling of just what it is that makes the Twin Cities so “fantastic.” Our 3-hour tour of the area includes campus of the University of Minnesota, both downtowns of St. Paul and Minneapolis. While in Minneapolis, we’ll experience the famous Nicollet Mall, skyway network of downtown Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. We’ll continue our journey and make our way through the Kenwood residential area to see the television home of Mary Tyler Moore, and around sparkling lakes and lagoons on our way to the legendary Minnehaha Falls, where we’ll make a short stop. We’ll follow the Mississippi River past Fort Snelling. While in St. Paul, our guide will provide commentary on Rice Park, the Ordway Music Hall, the State Capitol and Landmark Center. We’ll drive along stately Summit Avenue (the longest stretch of restored Victorian homes in the country!) to see the Governor’s Mansion and the home and haunts of F. Scott Fitzgerald and many mansions once owned by wealthy lumber and railroad barons.
Next, we’ll visit the Minnesota History Center, which showcases and preserves the state’s historical resources. Museum exhibitions, demonstrations, workshops, etc., provide diverse and changing educational and cultural offerings that tell the story of Minnesota’s people from earliest times to present. The History Center houses an innovative museum with lively exhibits. Hear vintage Betty Crocker radio broadcasts, see Prince’s costume from “Purple Rain”, or watch a movie about Vietnam veterans returning home. The History Center’s comprehensive research center allows you to research your house history and family genealogy and to access artifacts, books, maps, newspapers and photographs from the Society’s extensive collection. The education wing includes lecture spaces, classrooms and hands-on activities for children. Two museum stores offer gifts, jewelry and other Minnesota-made specialties. Special focus this day will be on Twin Cities hospitals and historical landmarks. Then it’s on to the Mall of America. Anyone who thinks Mall of America is just a big mall probably thinks that the Grand Canyon is just a big hole in the ground. Mall of America is the largest fully-enclosed mall in the nation hosting more visitors annually than Disney World and the Grand Canyon combined. Designed as a city within a city, our final stop is the nation’s premier shopping and entertainment destination. It has over 4.2 million square feet of space and 4.3 miles of storefront footage, making Mall of America a must-see attraction. There are restaurants, bistros and cafes galore, with food to suit every palate and budget. The entertainment district features nightclubs, sports bars and a cinema complex with fourteen screens. And of course there are over 400 retail outlets, including many of the most prestigious stores in the world and some of the most unique specialty shops. In one day you can ride on a roller coaster (Knott’s Camp Snoopy), explore the bottom of the ocean (Underwater Adventures), drive 200 mph without getting a speeding ticket (NASCAR Silicon Motor Speedway), get married (Chapel of Love) and still have time to shop. Price includes: Deluxe motor coach, driver and tour guide with commentary, lunch at Café Minnesota, visit to History Center, Mall of America visit, all applicable taxes and meal gratuities. MONDAY, JULY 17, 2006 - ROCHESTER: MAYO CLINIC/MAYOWOOD (9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.) The Mayo Clinic is the world’s largest association of physicians in the private practice of medicine. During the one-hour tour, we will see a short film about the Mayo Foundation, which will introduce us to the clinic and its people. Then, a knowledgeable guide will escort our group through the clinic complex including medical research area as well as a visit to one of the patient floors. This tour is a wonderful overview of the tremendous history of the Mayo Clinic. We will then stop for lunch at the Kahler Hotel. The Kahler is a gracious hotel uncompromising in taste and comfort and distinguished by more than 70 years of service. Our group will have a privately reserved room and a pre-determined lunch menu. Following lunch, our tour continues at Mayowood. This was once the center of the 3,000-acre estate of Doctors C.H. and C.W. Mayo. Built in 1911, the 55-room house is furnished with European and Oriental antiques and works of art. This fabulous estate has been declared a National Historic Site. Price includes: Deluxe motor coach, driver and tour guide, Mayo Clinic Tour, lunch at the Kahler, Mayowood Tour, all applicable taxes and meal gratuities.
DAY ONE - SUNDAY, JULY 16, 2006
Upon arrival in Duluth, free time and lunch (on own) will be enjoyed in the Canal Park area. This fantastically renovated area is complete with shops, restaurants, a museum, and more. The Marine Museum, operated by the Army Corps of Engineers Detroit District, features information on the history of Lake Superior and Twin Ports commercial shipping. An array of exhibits, full-size cabin replicas, scale ship models, audio and visual media and live commentary give every visitor a chance to experience the romance and excitement of one of the world’s busiest ports. Next we’ll board the North Shore Scenic Railroad for an enjoyable train ride on the 26 miles of track that stretches along the waterfront and woodland of Lake Superior in Duluth and Two Harbors. Late afternoon we’ll check in at Superior Shores, a stunning year-round resort in the heart of the North Shore with breathtaking views and the majestic sounds of Lake Superior crashing on the shore. The resort is tucked away on a marvelous peninsula on the lake with miles of shoreline on each side. It offers guests the peace and solitude that is unique to the North Shore. Dinner and an evening tour will be provided within Glensheen Mansion. Some mansion tours can really be quite sterile and uninformative. Not so at Glensheen. The tour begins with a slide show introduction to the grounds and the Jacobean-style mansion. Throughout the tour we’ll also get ample history and a glimpse into the lives of Glensheen’s heart and soul, iron mogul Chester Congdon and his family. Completed in 1908, this 22-acre country estate on the shore of Lake Superior is a tribute to both wealth and ingenuity. DAY TWO - MONDAY, JULY 17, 2006 A breakfast buffet on own will be available in the dining room before we start off for the day. Today we continue our journey along the North Shore Drive of Lake Superior, one of the most spectacular roadways in the U.S. The highway hugs the rugged shore of Lake Superior, skirting glacier-worn shoulders and peaks of the Sawtooth Mountain Range on its way from Duluth northward. As we travel, we’ll stop along the lake at points of interest such as:
Splitrock Lighthouse: Perched on a cliff 168 feet above Lake Superior, this 370,000 candle-power light has helped captains navigate their boats safely through an area of magnetic interference, which rendered their compasses useless. The view from the lighthouse is one of the best along the lake, and the climb up the spiral staircase to the tower’s top is worth the effort. Moose Mountain: Moose Mountain is located at Lutsen Resort. Lunch today will be a treat as (weather permitting) we ride the gondola to the top of Moose Mountain for a picnic and a breathtaking view of the area. Gooseberry Falls State Park: The Gooseberry River drops 100 feet to the lake in series of breathtaking waterfalls and cascades at one of the most popular parks in the state. Time will be allowed to hike some of the trails of this beautiful park. Dinner tonight will be within the resort. A short presentation by Warren Johnson on “Bear Grease” will follow. “Bear Grease” is the annual dog sled race that finishes in Duluth. The balance of the evening is on own to enjoy Duluth’s many amenities. DAY THREE - TUESDAY, JULY 18, 2005 While we make our way back to the Twin Cities, we’ll take the day at a nice slow pace. We will depart from Superior Shores at 8:30 am to stop for breakfast at Bennett’s on the Lake at Fitger’s Inn. Fitger’s Inn is part of the Fitger’s Brewery Complex. This renovated 1885 brewery houses unique shops, restaurants and lodging. Following breakfast we are off on a 1¾-hour fully narrated sightseeing cruise on the Vista King. This cruise provides for breathtaking scenery as we see lake freighters and salt water ships from around the world, the famous Aerial Lift Bridge into Lake Superior, Barker’s Island, a close view of busy grain elevators, and the panoramic St. Louis River. We will enter the giant Mesabi Ore Docks and watch ore and taconite being loaded. The Vista King is radar equipped, heated and enclosed so no matter what the weather, we’ll be comfortable in the midst of the exciting harbor activity. Day free on your own following the harbor cruise. Overnight on your hotel in Northshore. DAY FOUR - WEDNESDAY, JULY 19, 2006 Return to Minneapolis by 3:00 pm for overnight. You are on your own. DAY FIVE - THURSDAY, JULY 20, 2006 Departure. You will be transferred to the airport. Includes: Deluxe motor coach transportation, tour guide, two nights hotel accommodations, rolls and coffee at Tobies, North Shore Scenic Railroad train ride, dinner and tour of Glensheen Mansion, breakfast on day two, Split Rock Lighthouse tour, gondola ride with lunch on day two, dinner and dog sled presentation on day two, brunch and harbor cruise on day three, all applicable taxes and meal gratuities.
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