Since the convention is coming to Louisville, Kentucky, and with me living just a few miles away, I did a little reconnaissance and made a trip over to the convention site -- the Galt House Hotel -- to check out a few things.
Travel and parking
A few months ago the flights coming into Louisville were cut by over 10%, so you may want to shop around for the best prices. Be sure to check out the fares not only into Louisville but also Indianapolis and Cincinnati, which are both less than 100 miles away.
If flying into Louisville, you will need to take a taxi to the hotel. This taxi will cost you $19.50 but you should be aware that this price doesn't change even if you have four passengers, so plan ahead and make arrangements to buddy up for the short 10-minute trip to the hotel.
For attendees making the trip by car, there are parking garages under each of the two hotel towers. The price for parking is greatly discounted for convention attendees. In order to get the discount you will need to bring your parking ticket stub either to the front desk of the hotel, if you are staying there, and for non-guests who are just driving in for the day, you will receive a stamp when you register for the convention but only upon request.
Accommodations
The Galt House is located on the Ohio River and every room has great river views. It will be very convenient to stay at this location with everything you need at your fingertips.
The folks who like the finer things in life should reserve a room in the suite towers. These are luxurious two-room suites that are full of a lot of perks.
For the those of us who save our money for endurance rides -- or for the trade show -- a room in the Rivue Tower is where you need to make your reservation. These rooms are $159 for two people if you mention that you are with the AERC convention, and a little more for each person added.
Some of you may be thinking this is a little steep just to sleep but here is a solution that has worked for many of us who travel with our close friends. We just have a big slumber party during the event by gathering four endurance riders and going in on a room together.
One word of caution: be sure to pick friends that are not too high maintenance. By that I mean, those that don't spend all morning in the bathroom with their makeup and hair, leaving the others waiting. Of course a solution to this problem is that person could always schedule their time in the bathroom very early before the others wake up.
For people that may be driving through in campers, there is a KOA campground located less than five miles away in Clarksville, Indiana, where you could stay for around $40 a night.
For people driving through on their way to or from a ride in horse trailers with horses, there are several endurance riders in the area that could probably put your horse up for a couple of days. Or there is the equestrian camp at Deams Lake in Clark State Forest. This facility is about 15 miles away and offers nice dry stalls and electric hook-ups.
Dining
There are some fine restaurants in the Galt House. I would suggest everyone splurge at least once and go eat at one of them. The restaurants in the hotel are located in the Rivue Tower. One, Rivue, is on the very top with a breathtaking panoramic view of the city and the river. Another fine dining restaurant is Jeff Ruby's Steak House on the second floor. This floor offers the Cafˇ Magnolia which is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The conservatory, between the two towers overlooking Fourth Street and the river, has a bar and a deli that serves coffee and prepackaged sandwiches.
There is a totally enclosed skyway so you can walk from the Galt House to a place called Fourth Street Live, two to three blocks away. It offers a large variety of restaurants: Hard Rock Cafˇ, Wendy's, Panera Bread, TGI Friday's, Subway, Howl at the Moon Bar and many more.
Trade show
A great thing about the trade show is that it is right in the hotel where we have the convention and all the meeting rooms in, so that in between speakers you can go shop and then run it up to your room and not even have to carry a jacket!
So don't miss out, make your reservations today and join us in Louisville!
BOOKING A ROOM IN LOUISVILLE FOR THE CONVENTION? READ THIS!
by Sandy Terp, Northeast Region Director
When you book your room at the Galt House in the AERC block you do more than simply make a reservation. AERC negotiates with the host hotel for meeting rooms, seminar rooms and banquet facilities, as well as trade show space.
We, as an organization, pay for all these additional spaces based on the number of people we promise will book rooms. When fewer rooms than promised are booked the organization can be charged more for these extra rooms and services.
In response to the many vendors that support our sport and convention, the AERC office was tasked with finding a convention center that had contiguous convention floor space so our trade show could be a true part of our convention. The Galt House does that and more.
So call and book your room in the AERC block and enjoy a wonderful weekend of education, meetings, entertainment, shopping, and catching up with old friends. I hope to see you there.
