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The Group Travel Leader Going on Faith Select Traveler

Rally the Troops for These Military Meeting Destinations

Clarksville, Tennessee

Near Fort Campbell, home of the 101st Airborne Division, Clarksville, Tennessee, caters to local and visiting veterans alike with a host of military-focused experiences. Though the fort allows only restricted access, groups can visit the Don F. Pratt Memorial Military Museum to learn more about the history of the 101st division. The fort also contains an outdoor park that showcases historic aircraft such as a fully restored C-47 Brass Hat, the same model of aircraft that flew Maj. Gen. Maxwell Taylor into Normandy during World War II.

“We have a lot of veterans that choose to stay in the area after serving here,” said Michelle Dickerson, media and marketing director at Visit Clarksville. “So many of our locally owned restaurants are veteran-owned businesses, which gives visitors a great way to support their military service.”

The Customs House Museum and Cultural Center is one of Clarksville’s most iconic attractions and offers a great location for receptions, luncheons or seminars within an ornate Gothic-style building. At the Fort Defiance Civil War Park and Interpretive Center, groups can explore the fort’s outer earthworks and gun platforms and learn about its remarkable history inside the Interpretive Center. There are also many creative ways for groups to explore some of the city’s beautiful antebellum homes.

“We’ve done things like Civil War balls or cotillions inside Smith-Trahern Mansion,” said Dickerson, referring to a Greek Revival mansion overlooking the Cumberland River. “We try to give groups the real Southern experience, like a biscuit-making competition at the Tanglewood House or cocktail-making competition at Old Glory Distillery.”

Each September, the city hosts the Welcome Home Veterans Celebration, a five-day event that honors veterans throughout the community with a Field of Honor tribute flag display as well as the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall, a 300-foot replica of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C. Many of the festivities are held at Beachhaven Vineyards and Winery.

www.visitclarksvilletn.com

Virginia Beach, Virginia

Nestled on the southeastern tip of Virginia where the Chesapeake Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean, Virginia Beach is part of a region known as Hampton Roads, an area with a storied history of military presence. Langley Air Force Base, Fort Eustis, Fort Monroe, Naval Station Norfolk and Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek are just a few of the military outfits in the area.

Travelers will discover many activities in this vibrant community, from live music, cafes and shops along the oceanfront to hands-on art experiences in the Vibe Creative District. In the Town Center, planners can arrange brewery tours, chocolate tours, progressive dinners and much more.

One of the city’s most noteworthy military attractions is the Military Aviation Museum, which houses one of the largest private collections of military aircraft in the world. Many of the historic aircraft in the fleet are still airworthy and participate in air shows across the country. Visitors can even take a ride on a 1941 biplane. The museum’s two 15,000-square-foot hangars can be rented for private receptions and events, giving groups the chance to dine among giant World War II or Navy aircraft.

Although the Naval Air Station Oceana is not open to the public, groups can stop by the POW/MIA Flame of Hope Memorial Park to watch aircraft take off and land on the naval runway. At the end of September each year, the naval base hosts the Annual Oceana Air Show, a free event with food vendors, static displays and a choreographed flight performance from the Blue Angels.

www.visitvirginiabeach.com