Warm breezes, sunshine, education and adventure await you at ACG 2008 in Orlando

The ACG Annual Scientific Meeting and Postgraduate Course returns to Orlando, October 3-8, 2008, at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center.  While we can’t guarantee perfect weather, there is a great possibility that you’ll find warm breezes, sunshine, and a great adventure in Orlando.  You’ll spend less time traveling to the meeting area from your hotel because the meeting is all under one roof. 

When you plan your days away from the office to attend the ACG 2008 meeting, make sure you include in your plans the opportunity to get out and explore Orlando. Regardless of which direction you head, you’ll find adventure along the way.

Disneyworld is just a few miles away from the Gaylord Palms Resort.  Bring the kids (regardless of their age) or act like a kid and enjoy the many amusement rides at Disneyworld.  Whether you are a Disney movie fan or not, you can’t help but smile seeing the many movie characters that have made millions of people laugh for decades. 

Bonjour! Buon Giorno! Hello! That’s you visiting Epcot and greeting the many international citizens at the various country pavilions.  You won’t need your passport when you visit the 11 country pavilions (including the U.S.A.) plus a variety of other pavilions like Imagination Pavillion, Mission: SPACE Pavillion, The Seas with Nemo & Friends Pavillion and more.  Other Disney parks include Animal Kingdom, MGM Studios, and two water parks, Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon.

Ever want to experience all the action you see in your favorite movies or TV show?  Make a trip to Universal Studios Florida, the #1 movie and TV based theme park in the world.  Some highlights include the Revenge of the Mummy thrill ride, MEN IN BLACK™ Alien Attack™ interactive ride, and OgreVision in Shrek 4-D™.  For the truly adventurous, be one of the audience participants in Fear Factor Live. 

Orlando is located in central Florida far from ocean waters, but you can still explore the greatest creatures of the sea with a visit to Seaworld.   Shamu is always a major attraction, but there is so much more to see.  Wild Artic features polar bears, walruses, beluga whales, harbor seals, and trout.  The Manatee Reserve gives you the opportunity to see these gentle giants up close.  You’ll also see dolphins at the Dolphin Cove and the Dolphin Nursery.  During your visit to Seaworld, you’ll also encounter sharks, penguins, stingrays, turtles and more.  In between the undersea education, have a scream on one of the various rides at the park.

We’ve highlighted several of the theme parks in Orlando, but if the recreation that is calling you involves a club, a ball, some skill and a little patience, you’ll have more than 170 golf courses within an hour distance from Orlando to choose from. Located in Recreation Park at the Gaylord Palms Resort is the Coquina Dunes, presented by Falcon’s Fire Golf Club.  Coquina Dunes is a 9-hole executive putting course providing all the challenges of a full-size golf course, complete with sand traps, roughs and dogleg bends.  If you want to improve your golf game, you can also have some fun at one of the many golf academies in the area.

Ever dream of going into space?  Visit Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex for “Launch Shuttle Experience.”  Developed by NASA and its astronauts, feel the rush that the astronauts do every time they take off. 

After your many theme park experiences, you can partake in a common recreational activity: shopping!  Orlando offers a variety of shopping malls that offer high-end retailers like Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstroms and more. 

When all of this activity leaves you with tired feet or a sore back, you’ll find some wonderful spas to help you unwind.  One of the finest spas around is the Canyon Ranch Spa Club, located inside the Gaylord Palms Resort.   Other highlights of the Gaylord Palm Resort that will help you relax and have fun include a volleyball court, a croquet lawn, bocce court, South Beach pool (for adults), and Marine Activities Pool (for the family).  For parents wanting to have some free time from their kids, or vice versa, the Gaylord Palms also offers La Petite Academy Kids Stations where kids can stay and play for one to four hours while you visit one of the other Gaylord Palms Resort activities.

We hope you join your colleagues for ACG 2008 in sunny Orlando, Florida.  Information about the ACG 2008 educational program will be available in early 2008.  Make your vacation plans now by visiting www.orlandoinfo.com.