by Janet Dickelman
Now that the holidays are over and winter is in full swing, it is time to think about all the excitement the 2025 American Council of the Blind conference and convention has in store for you. Convention dates are Friday, July 4 through Friday, July 11.
Get ready to shop the exhibit hall (open Sunday through Wednesday), for the latest and greatest in technology and items for home, work and play!
Our opening general session will be on Saturday, July 5th, with morning sessions Monday through Wednesday and all day Thursday, culminating in our banquet Thursday evening.
ACB affiliates and committees are beginning to plan their programs, seminars and mixers. Visiting local attractions is always very popular during the convention. This year we have a great variety of fun, educational, inspirational and thrilling tours. Please keep in mind that due to unforeseen circumstances, dates and tour venues may be changed or added.
Friday, July 4: Wine and the Lake
Pur Noire Wines
Enjoy a guided tasting of six different wines. Learn about how the wines are made and the story of the Pur Noire Brand. There will be time for additional sipping if you’d like to purchase additional glasses. Buy wine to enjoy during the rest of the convention, or if you live in a state where wine can be shipped, have wine sent home.
Lake Cruise
Enjoy dinner while cruising Lake Ray Hubbard. Sit indoors or on the deck, purchase a cool drink from the cash bar, and enjoy a sumptuous dinner and perhaps fireworks over the lake.
Saturday, July 5: Hot Air Balloon Adventure
Float above the Texas countryside as the sun rises over Texas! When the burner for the balloon is off, it is so quiet you can hear dogs barking and people talking below! This tour is subject to weather, although we were told that in July in Dallas there is almost never a cancellation.
Guide dogs CANNOT accompany you in the balloon.
After registering for this tour, someone will contact you for some personal information to ensure all balloons are safely balanced for take-off.
City Bus Tours I and II: Ride in comfort while traveling the city of Dallas, learning about its history and unique areas.
Sunday, July 6
Sports Day
Here is your chance to visit AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, and Globe Life Stadium, where the Texas Rangers play!
Even if you aren’t a fan, AT&T Stadium and Globe Life Stadium are fabulous venues well worth seeing. Visit the locker rooms of the team and the cheerleaders. Get a sneak peek into what it would be like to watch a game from a luxury suite. Visit the press box where so many great interviews have taken place.
Learn about the history of both stadiums and teams and the big games that have been played there. Find out about the retractable roofs on both stadiums. There are tribute walls for your favorite players.
Between stadiums, we’ll have lunch at a local restaurant. Of course there will be time for shopping at both stadium gift shops!
City Bus Tours III and IV
Weekday Tours
We know we will hold the following tours, but are still working on the dates.
1. The George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum
This tour will include a customized hands-on, white glove experience with artifacts from the museum classroom. Touch a steel girder from the World Trade Center and feel how misshapen it is. Pretend you are the president while in the replica of the Oval Office. Learn about the Bush family’s time in the White House, and what they have done in the years since. The museum has a fabulous gift shop!
2. Bridge Walk
The Trinity Skyline Trail at Ronald Kirk Bridge and Felix H. Lozada, Sr. Gateway is a 1.5-mile pedestrian bridge. Join the Get Up and Get Moving committee by strolling or running along the bridge. There are benches along the bridge for resting. Please note that the return bus will pick you up at the starting point, so plan your walking experience accordingly.
3. Museum of Biblical Art
This is an overwhelming experience. Touch the statue of the Pieta where Mary is holding Jesus’ body, put your finger in a ring made by someone in Auschwitz, feel a mirrored fabric from a concentration camp. Many statues and other artifacts depicting biblical scenes such as Moses descending Mount Horeb, and the Pieta.
4. Amon Carter Museum of American Art
This museum has worked very hard to produce tactile 3D renderings of many of their paintings and sculptures. In small groups you will visit stations throughout the museum and feel the exhibits!
5. Museum of African Art
Immerse yourself in exhibits of African folk art, the sports hall of fame, black educators and so much more. We’ll be able to wear white gloves and touch many pieces that are normally behind glass.
6. Envision Dallas
This amazing center has something for everyone. From the classrooms for birth through five-year-old children, a manufacturing area, a technology center, and a store!
7. Rocky Mountain Chocolates
This candy store is known for their caramel apples. Your tour cost will include an apple that you can customize with various toppings. Learn about how to make taffy apples, and buy everything from fudge to peanut brittle! Also enjoy lunch at Island Bros Hawaiian Grill.
8. Food tour
Visit three or four restaurants for a taste of local cuisine.
9. Sixth Floor Museum
Meet with the Curator for a private presentation in the auditorium, including a screening of an oral history clip compilation. In the museum, the curator will provide the group with an overview of the early 1960s, the corner window, and the subsequent investigations, including the area where the rifle was found. Finally, you will have a chance to visit the gift shop.
Final Friday, July 11
End convention week at Circle R Ranch. Feast on a chuck wagon buffet featuring brisket, sausage, mac and cheese, baked beans, homemade rolls and white chocolate bread pudding. Belly up to the bar and purchase a drink, learn how to line dance, take a ride on a wagon pulled by a trac-tor, sit by the bonfire and enjoy s’mores!
Please note there will be another tour during the day, to be determined.
Staying in Touch
The convention announce list will be filled with information. To subscribe to the list, send a blank e-mail to [email protected]. If you received updates for the 2023 convention, you do not need to re-subscribe.
Hotel Details
Room rates at the Hyatt are $99 per night plus tax. Reservation information will be posted when it becomes available. For any convention-related questions, please contact Janet Dickelman, convention chair, (651) 428-5059 or via e-mail, [email protected].