Spouse / Guest Activities

Why not set aside some of your vacation time this year, and bring your family along to Conference week, which promises a once-in-a-lifetime experience for all, with its Anniversary celebrations?

Early November is usually pleasant in Washington, with an average daily high temperature of 62?F and nighttime low of 42?F ? perfect for sightseeing. While you attend sessions, your family can visit the city?s many landmarks, museums, art galleries, memorials, and historic treasures on their own. Or they can take part in a number of fun, family-oriented planned activities. These include group tours to interesting Wetlands on the Chesapeake Bay and enchanting tours such as the Candlelight Tour of Mount Vernon. Activities also include the opportunity to attend a Build-A-Thon: Building Big? in the Nation?s Capital at the National Building Museum that could introduce any budding Civil Engineers in your family to the excitement of your profession!

Washington offers an unforgettable educational opportunity for all generations that Conference week only enhances. With schools closed for Election Day on Tuesday, November 5, your family will miss one less day of class. Weigh that against their gain in first-hand educational experience!

Additional, exciting tour opportunities are open to spouses, guests, and family members among the History & Heritage Tour offerings. If you are interested in tours not offered among the Conference group tours, please consult the Concierge onsite in the Convention Center for a full complement of additional tour possibilities.

Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday

The Spouse / Guest Hospitality Suite will welcome registered spouses, guests, and family members to drop in each morning to start the day off right ? with Continental Breakfast and an opportunity to meet friends and acquaintances and plan daily activities.

Sponsored Monday & Tuesday by Wilbur Smith Associates
Sponsored Wednesday by EBA Engineering, Inc.

Saturday, November 2

12:30 PM - 4:30 PM
COPRI Family Field Trip: Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary

Sunday, November 3

11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Build-a-Thon: Building Big^TM
in the Nation?s Capital National Building Museum

1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Two major Civil War battles were fought along Bull Run near the rail center at Manassas Junction, with great losses suffered by Federal and Confederate troops. Much of the terrain within the 5,000-acre Manassas National Battlefield Park still retains its wartime character. Explore Henry Hill, focus of heavy fighting at First Manassas. While a new farmhouse marks the site of the war-time farm, the unfinished railroad, scene of much of the fighting at Second Manassas, still runs through the woods north of Warrenton Turnpike, and the Stone House ? the one-time aid station ? still stands. Travel on to picturesque Swedenburg Estate Vineyard. Tour the wine cellars and sample the Continental-style Virginia spirits produced by the Swedenburg family: Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling, and Seyval.
Cost per person: $40. (Includes transportation, guide & admission fees.) --->

6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Spouse/Guest Tour: Candlelight Tour of Mount Vernon

Tonight you will travel from the bustle of Washington along the Potomac River to the relaxed setting at the home of our nation?s first President. Enjoy a private tour of the mansion, including a tour of the rarely seen third floor and a memorable guided stroll through the estate?s lantern-lit grounds. Washington acquired Mount Vernon in 1754 and expanded it over the next 45 years to reflect his status as a Virginia gentleman. He personally oversaw every detail of design, construction, and decoration ? even while away at war. Each room has been meticulously restored based on a 1799 inventory and features original objects used by the Washington Family. Breathtaking views of the Potomac at dusk and 18th-century costumed re-enactors will add to your evening?s enchantment.
Cost per person: $75. (Includes transportation, guide & admission fees.)

Monday, November 4

10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Spouse/Guest Tour: George Washington?s Virginia

Enjoy a walking horticultural tour of the Mount Vernon Estate that is led by an historical interpreter. Learn about Washington?s green thumb and the design and planning that he put into his plantation. You will have time on your own to tour the mansion and surrounding service buildings to view examples of Washington?s brilliance as architect, surveyor, and gentleman farmer. Be sure to peruse the Washington Family museum, where incredible personal effects of George and Martha Washington are on display. Afterward, enjoy a driving tour of Alexandria, VA, where Washington as a young surveyor plotted the original lots for the city in 1749. The once bustling seaport of Alexandria was Washington?s lifeline to news from abroad. Enjoy lunch at Gadsby?s Tavern, founded in 1770. It was once the mecca for the public figures who established the nation?s capital and city of Washington.
Cost per person: $103. (Includes transportation, guide, admissions & lunch. Maximum of 100 persons. Minimum of 40.)

8:00 PM - 11:00 PM
Spouse/Guest Tour: Washington After Dark

Enjoy the sights of Washington in the most enchanting and memorable way: by evening light! Discover fascinating facts about the illuminated monuments and national landmarks. Pass such notable sights as the White House, US Capitol, Supreme Court, Library of Congress, Old Post Office Building, and Washington Monument. Stop at the Lincoln, Korean War Veterans, and Vietnam Veterans Memorials, and at the National Mall?s newest monument, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. Cross the river for a short stop at the Iwo Jima Memorial and a breathtaking view of the DC skyline. Inside your coach, you will enjoy a hot beverage and biscotti cookies en route.
Cost per person: $44 (Includes transportation, guide, food & beverage. Minimum of 40 persons.)

Tuesday, November 5

1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
COPRI Family Canoe Trip: Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC)

1:00 PM - 6:00 PM