A pair of tours has been finalized on June 30 and July 1 for attendees of the 2019 SMART Transportation Division Regional Meeting in San Diego.
Day 1 (June 30): High Spirits Hornblower yacht luncheon/tour: Attendees will be picked up at the hotel dock at 9:45 a.m. to enjoy sightseeing on San Diego Bay with a professionally narrated harbor tour. More than 50 historic landmarks are covered by the 13-mile Big Bay cruise. Attendees will enjoy lunch on board and see marine animals and majestic sea birds on High Spirits, which was originally constructed as a sister ship to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidential yacht, the Sequoia. Attendees will arrive back at the dock at 1 p.m., giving them time to spare to visit Seaport Village, which is within walking distance, before the Regional Meeting’s opening reception Sunday evening.
Day 2 (July 1): Old Time Trolley ride and visit to the San Diego Zoo: Attendees will take a trolley from the Hilton Bayfront Hotel at 8:45 a.m. and travel to the world-renowned San Diego Zoo, home to thousands of exotic animals. Guided bus tours of the 100-acre zoo will allow visitors the chance to encounter the zoo’s more than 3,500 rare and endangered animals representing more than 650 species and subspecies and its prominent botanical collection with more than 700,000 exotic plants. A slate of wildlife shows and an airborne shortcut over the treetops will give visitors an unforgettable experience as they encounter the zoo’s animal and plant collection and surrounding Balboa Park. Lunch vouchers provided on the tour will allow attendees to customize their visit to their interests, and the tour group will return to the hotel at about 3:30 p.m.
Tour costs are $35 per person for registered guests of the regional meeting and $75 per person for guests who are not registered for the regional meeting. Follow this link to register online or you can download a fillable PDF version of the regional meeting registration form and mail in your registration.
Additional information and tickets to the tours will be distributed during on-site registration at the Hilton Bayfront Hotel, noon to 4 p.m., Saturday, June 29, or 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday, June 30.

A pair of tours on August 5 and 6 for attendees of the 2018 SMART Transportation Division Regional Meeting in Hollywood, Fla. has been finalized.
Day 1 (August 5): Florida Everglades excursion
Attendees will be picked up from the Hilton Diplomat at 9 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 5, and taken into the legendary Florida swamp, where they will experience an hour-long airboat ride, an alligator/wildlife nature show and have a chance to explore the natural beauty of the Everglades via a walking trail. The guided tour includes a buffet BBQ lunch and attendees will arrive back at the hotel at approximately 2:45 p.m. Guests are advised to wear comfortable clothes and shoes with non-slip soles. Sunglasses, sunscreen and a hat are recommended for protection from the sun as is a camera to capture pictures of the wild beauty. Earplugs will be provided for the airboat ride.
Day 2 (August 6): Water tour of the ‘Venice of America’ on the Intracoastal Waterway
A leisurely three-hour cruise held Monday, August 6, will provide our group with the opportunity to see the waterways, beautiful homes of the rich and famous, as well as some of their amazing yachts! Attendees will simply walk outside the Diplomat Resort and cross the walkway that takes you over the road to the Intracoastal Waterway, where a private chartered water taxi will be docked and waiting.
Attendees will be picked up at 10 a.m. at the Intracoastal Waterway, and the water taxi will return to the hotel by 1:30 p.m. A catered lunch will be provided aboard the ship, which has a restroom and numerous covered observation areas.
Tour costs are $35 per person for registered guests of the regional meeting and $75 per person for guests who are not registered for the regional meeting. Follow this link to register online or you can download a fillable PDF version of the regional meeting registration form.

A pair of tours has been finalized on July 1 and 2 for attendees of the 2018 SMART Transportation Division Regional Meeting in Seattle.
Day 1 (July 1): Puget Sound whale watching tour
Attendees will be picked up from the Westin Hotel downtown at 8:15 a.m. Sunday, July 1, and taken to Edmunds, where they will board a ship onto Puget Sound.
On the sound, there are three resident orca pods and there will a chance of seeing humpback whales, gray and minke whales, porpoises, seals and sea lions. The tour includes a boxed lunch and attendees will be back at the hotel by 3:30 p.m. Guests are advised to bring a light jacket in case it’s chilly on the sound.
Day 2 (July 2): Seattle city tour
Board a luxury motor coach to see the Emerald City’s highlights! Guests will enjoy an informative tour of the city from a Seattle perspective, hearing history and interesting stories about this unique metropolis. The tour begins at 9 a.m. in the downtown core, including the chance to explore Chihuly Gardens and Glass in Seattle Center, the Pike Place Market and the Olympic Sculpture Park before the tour ends at the Ballard Locks.
Guests will then have the opportunity to have lunch on their own and to do some shopping in the city’s Ballard neighborhood. Overlooking Salmon Bay in the city’s northwest, the neighborhood once was home to lumber and shingle mills but now has a thriving commercial district with locally owned restaurants and boutiques.
Tour costs are $35 per person for registered guests of the regional meeting and $75 per person for guests who are not registered for the regional meeting. Follow this link to register online or you can download a fillable PDF version of the regional meeting registration form.