Important Tour Information: Please read the following information completely. It will answer many of your tour-related questions and will help you have a more enjoyable tour experience.
- All tours depart from the lobby. Times listed in the program are bus departure and approximate return times back to the hotel. Please be at the bus departure area and ready to board the bus 15 minutes prior to the listed departure times.
- The first two rows of seats on both sides of the bus are reserved for the tour coordinators, volunteers and people with mobility difficulties. If you sit in those seats, you will be asked to move.
- All buses are fully ADA-equipped. If you have mobility difficulties, or use a wheelchair and require the lift to access the bus, you MUST check the appropriate boxes on the pre-registration form in order for us to plan for necessary accommodations. If you are able to transfer from a wheelchair into a regular bus seat, your chair will be placed under the bus for the duration of the ride.
- Indoor facilities are air-conditioned unless indicated, but many tours include significant outdoor time. Dress appropriately and bring sunscreen, insect repellent, hat, and water bottle for your comfort and safety.
- Space is limited on all tours. ACB reserves the right to cancel a tour should ticket sales fall below required minimums. Tickets will be collected at the bus. Buses will not be delayed while forgotten tickets are retrieved.
- All return times are approximate. If you have dietary scheduling concerns, bring a light snack in case we are unavoidably delayed.
- We ask that you board the bus quietly, quickly and safely to avoid any delays. We plan 15 minutes to load and unload the bus.
- Please do not schedule back-to-back events based upon the return time of the tour, as we cannot plan for traffic and road condition delays.
- A limited number of volunteers will accompany each tour. While they will help as much as possible, ACB volunteers are not personal guides or personal care attendants. If you need individual help, plan to attend the tour with a friend who can act as your guide or PCA, push your wheelchair, etc.
- Most tour destinations are ADA-accessible. Some tours that are NOT ADA-accessible may include long walks, steps, and steep grades. If you have any concerns, please let them be known ahead of time.
- Some activities may involve strenuous activities. If you have a medical condition that may limit your involvement or participation, please let it be known ahead of time and use common sense when making your selections.
- Some tour activities will require liability waivers to be signed in order to participate. The waivers will be distributed either on the bus or once we arrive at the site.
- The tour leader will have a list of all paid attendees and the waiting list for each tour. The leader will be stationed at the door of the bus and will take your ticket at that time and mark you present on the checklist. Please do not board the bus until the tour leader has completed this task.
- If registration for a tour event exceeds its capacity, a waiting list is created based on the date and time your registration was processed. If you are on a waiting list, you will be asked to stand in a designated area until called. Prior to the bus departure, any vacant seats will be given out based on the order of the names on the waiting list. If you are not present when your name is called, the next person on the waiting list will be called. You may not give your place on the waiting list to another person.
- If you arrive late and have a ticket, or your name has already been called from the waiting list, your ability to secure a seat will be entirely dependent on the number of vacant seats remaining on the bus. No one who has a ticket or has answered the call from the waiting list will be asked to give up his/her seat.
- If there is no waiting list, or if the waiting list has been satisfied, any remaining vacant seats will be sold to walk-up traffic. Such vacant seats will be sold for cash only; a ticket will not be issued. To purchase, you must have a valid name badge, a day pass for the current day, or other proof of registration.
- If you have paid for and are issued a tour ticket and do not appear at the designated time and place, no refund will be made. If you are on a waiting list and are not able to get on the bus, the tour leader will report this to the registration office and you will be able to secure a refund the next day after the tour. Should you not be present at the convention the day after the tour, or if the convention has ended, please call the Minneapolis office by July 31st to arrange for a refund via check or credit card.
Thursday, July 4
8:15 AM - 6:30 PM: Reds Game & Hall of Fame $55 ($58)
- Begin with a guided tour of the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum. After lunch at the Moerlein Lager House, it's time to play ball; the San Francisco Giants vs. the Reds. Enjoy box seats behind third base and listen to the voice of the Reds on WLW-AM 700 or WKFS-FM 94.5. Lunch included with tour ticket.
8:15 AM - 6:30 PM: Cincinnati Museum Center $55 ($58)
- Union Terminal, one of the last great train stations, now houses the Science and History Center. On this exclusive ACB tour you will visit a man-made cave with waterfall and underground stream, learn about the last Ice Age that carved out Cincinnati and changed the flow of the Ohio River, get close to a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach, and visit the Science Lab. History Center exhibits trace Cincinnati from its early days to the present. Lunch included with ticket.
4:45 - 11:45 PM: Tecumseh Outdoor Drama $68 ($70)
- Witness the epic story of this legendary Shawnee leader as he defends his sacred Ohio homeland. Galloping horses, live military cannon, and dazzling battle sequences at the outdoor Sugarloaf Mountain Amphitheatre. Audio description available. Dinner buffet of ham, roast chicken, salads, veggies, and desserts included with ticket.
Friday, July 5
8 - 10 AM: City Bus Tour $19 ($22)
- Columbus is filled with 200 years of rich history and amazing architecture. No stopping!
10:30 AM - 3:00 PM: Wyandotte Winery $37 ($40)
- Sample and/or purchase high quality wines and discover the interesting history of this winery. Dry to sweet, red to white, grape to fruit wines to please any palate. Lunch to follow on the outdoor patio (included with ticket).
12:00 PM - 3:45 PM: Ohio Village and Museum $23 ($25)
- Guided tour of the mid-19th-century Ohio Village and museum. Costumed interpreters interact with you and play games from that time period. Blind pigs, bathtub gin, flappers; how the 18th Amendment sent alcohol from public bars and taverns to secret watering holes.
4:45 - 7:45 PM: Schmidt German Restaurant $33 ($35)
- Your own piece of Germany in the heart of Ohio. Brick streets and preserved architecture of this German village dates back to the mid-1800s. Real German food and hospitality at an authentic German buffet.
Saturday, July 6
9:15 AM - 4:15 PM: Ice Cream and the Works $65 ($68)
- From paleo-Indians and Mastodons to transportation and industry, the Works museum houses countless historical exhibits. Experience a hands-on glass-blowing demonstration; have lunch at Ye Olde Mill. Learn what it takes to produce 6 million gallons of Velvet ice cream every year. Lunch included with ticket.
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM: City Bus Tour $19 ($22)
- Columbus is filled with 200 years of rich history and amazing architecture. No stopping!
1:00 - 3:00 PM: City Bus Tour $19 ($22)
- Columbus is filled with 200 years of rich history and amazing architecture. No stopping!
3:30 - 5:45 PM: Newsreelers Tour $13 ($15)
- Visit Newsreelers headquarters for a meet and greet with the folks who produce this monthly audio magazine, a wonderful service started by Stanley Doran in 1957.
Sunday, July 7
12:30 - 6:00 PM: Fort Ancient Tour $39 ($42)
- Built by the Hopewell Indians from 100 B.C. to 400 A.D. Explore earthen embankments that extend over three miles along the Little Miami River. Hands-on exhibits in the museum include relics spanning 1,500 years of Ohio Valley history.
12:30 - 6:00 PM: Hocking Hill Zip Line $83 ($85)
- It's higher, longer, and faster! From the top of a 75-foot tower, plunge into the green forest, fly through the tree canopy, swoop down the Hocking River at speeds of 50 mph. You will have two trips down the zip line (weight limit of 250 lbs).
Monday, July 8
12:30 - 3:15 PM: Ohio State House $19 ($22)
- Guided tour of Capitol Square, a complex housing the Ohio Statehouse, Senate Building and Atrium. Not only working government offices, but magnificent monuments to a period when Ohio's democracy was founded.
12:30 - 2:45 PM: Santa Maria $19 ($22)
- Columbus set sail in the 98-foot Santa Maria to search for a direct trade route to the West Indies. This is a private tour of the world's most authentic replica of Columbus' flagship. Learn about the hardships of their long voyage - where they slept, prepared food and housed their animals. Portions of this tour are not wheelchair-accessible.
1:30 - 4:00 PM: Thurber House $19 ($22)
- Thurber House, the home of humorist James Thurber, is a literary center and museum. Listen to Thurber's writings during this guided tour of his family home, where laughter, learning and literature meet. Portions of this tour are not wheelchair-accessible.
Tuesday, July 9
12:15 - 2:45 PM: Anthony-Thomas Candy $22 ($25)
- The Midwest's largest family-owned and operated candy company, its eight lines produce 25,000 pounds of candy per shift. Guides explain each process from kitchen to packaging. Tour ends in the retail shop.
12:15 - 5:15 PM: Slate Run Farm $30 ($33)
- Guided tour of this 1880s farm. Visit the house, summer kitchen, the barn and garden, and the livestock pens where you can pet the different farm animals.
1:00 - 3:30 PM: Anthony-Thomas Candy $22 ($25)
- The Midwest's largest family-owned and operated candy company, its eight lines produce 25,000 pounds of candy per shift. Guides explain each process from kitchen to packaging. Tour ends in the retail shop.
6:00 - 9:00 PM: ACB Lions Local Club Visit $25 ($27)
- Dinner and a great local club visit with the Columbus Northeast Lions Club at the Holiday Inn in Worthington, OH.
Wednesday, July 10
12:15 - 3:30 PM: American Whistle Factory $19 ($22)
- American Whistle Corporation, the ONLY maker of metal whistles in the U.S., will show you a thriving manufacturing plant and entertain you with interesting information about whistles. Receive a shiny new American Classic whistle!
12:15 - 3:30 PM: Topiary Garden $19 ($22)
- Once an unsightly vacant lot, The Topiary Garden is located on the original site of the Ohio School for the Deaf. Today it is a landscape of color, shapes, and textures - a work of both art and nature. Tour the garden, learn how these beautiful plants are grown and sculpted, and feel the various shapes of this very interesting Columbus park.
2:00 - 5:30 PM: American Whistle Factory $19 ($22)
- American Whistle Corporation, the ONLY maker of metal whistles in the U.S., will show you a thriving manufacturing plant and entertain you with interesting information about whistles. Receive a shiny new American Classic whistle!
Friday, July 12
6:30 AM - 4:30: PM: Blind Services Tour $52 ($55)
- Tour the Clovernook Center for the Blind and the Cincinnati Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Both have rich 100-plus-year histories and have evolved into multi-faceted centers for employment and daily services. Visit CABVI's radio station and industries program and Clovernook's famous Carey cottage, Braille book production center, and industrial manufacturing facility. Lunch included with ticket.
4:45 - 10:15 PM: Dinner and a Movie $75 ($78)
- Sample appetizers, entrees and dessert from hassle-free food trucks at the comfortable Columbus Food Experience. Then it's off to the historic Ohio Theatre for an audio-described screening of Citizen Kane, where the Mighty Morton theatre organ will rise up from the stage floor and provide period music during the film.