BotCon 2007 Pre-Convention Tours!

We will start our week with two tours of the New England area the whole family will enjoy.
If you sign up for either tour or the Transformers classes, you will pick up your registration materials
on Wednesday night from 9:30 pm-10: 30 pm.
This means that you can be first in line for the souvenir figures offered on Thursday night!

Wednesday June 27, 7:30 am - 6:00 pm
Woods Hole & Whale Watching, Cape Cod, MA

Woods Hole is a salty, sea spray village that brings the Nobel Laureate and the local
fisherman together in harmony. It is a village of the past, with many seafaring tales, and it is a village
of the future. Home of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (www.whoi.edu), their shore-based
facilities encompass 219 acres of land and waterfront and 58 buildings and laboratories.
The premier feature of the Institution is its research vessels -- truly, floating laboratories --
which define the oceanographic endeavor, allowing scientists access to the seas.
WHOI’s ships carry investigators across the globe for diverse studies that range from tracking large
and small currents and investigating coastal pollution to studying Earth’s crust beneath
the seafloor and examining marine animals from whales to microbes.
Woods Hole Institute was the discoverer of the wreck of the Titanic. The Institute will provide
us with a walking tour of their docks and vessels that are in port. Want to see real robots?
Then the submersibles at Woods Hole are just what you are looking for.

After our 90-minute tour of WHOI, we will depart for Hyannis MA
for a whale watcher cruise (www.whales.net).
Past guests describe the cruises as "breathtaking, awe-inspiring, magical...".
While every whale watch cruise is different, each experience is sure to be memorable.
Don't miss this rare opportunity to observe some of the largest creatures on Earth!
A boxed lunch will be provided upon arrival at the Hyannis Whale Watcher Cruise.

Cost: SOLD OUT!

Thursday, September 28, 8:45 am - 4:15 pm
Fabulous Newport!

Join us this day as we visit the fabulous town of Newport. Long known as the playground
of the rich, our day starts with a sailboat cruise from the Newport Harbor. This trip will hold
some unforgettable sites as we will be in Newport during the "Tall Ship Festival"
(www.tallshipsrhodeisland.org).

We will depart for a 90 minute cruise sailing through Newport Harbor and Narragansett Bay
aboard the 72-foot two-mast schooner Madeleine (www.cruisenewport.com).
Specifically designed and built to carry passengers easily and safely through local waters,
Madeleine maintains 19th century style with 21st century comfort and convenience.
After this fabulous cruise, we will break for lunch (on your own) and then proceed to one of the
most famous mansions in America, The Breakers, for a 90-minute tour. The Breakers is the grandest of
Newport's summer "cottages" and a symbol of the Vanderbilt family's social and financial preeminence
in turn of the century America. Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794-1877) established the family
fortune in steamships and later in the New York Central Railroad during the late 19th century.
The Commodore's grandson, Cornelius Vanderbilt II, became Chairman and President of the
New York Central Railroad system in 1885, and purchased a wooden house called The Breakers in
Newport during that same year. In 1893, he commissioned a villa to replace the earlier wood-framed house,
which was destroyed by fire the previous year. The architect directed an international team of craftsmen and
artisans to create a 70 room Italian Renaissance-style palazzo inspired by the 16th century palaces
of Genoa and Turin. These mansions are unbelievable and you won't want to miss this opportunity
to tour this American masterpiece!

Cost: SOLD OUT!