American Association of Bovine Practitoners

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AABP Timely News

Conference Tours

Choose one, two, or three organized excursions to see fascinating St. Louis!

BEAUTIFUL BLOOMS & HISTORIC HOMES
Wednesday, Sept. 21
Duration: 1:00pm-5:00pm
Fee: $57/person
This itinerary includes a stop at the Missouri Botanical Garden with a private tram ride, as well as a driving overview through Compton Heights, Soulard, the Brewery Complex and Lafayette Square.

Start your afternoon with a trip to the internationally recognized Missouri Botanical Garden. As the oldest botanical garden in the country (founded in 1859) and a National Historic Landmark, this St. Louis jewel offers nature at its finest. You'll enjoy a private tram ride that winds through 79 acres of flora from diverse climates. Visit the Climatron, the first geodesic dome greenhouse, which is based on a futuristic design by inventor/architect Buckminster Fuller, and the 14-acre Japanese Garden, considered one of the finest outside Japan. You'll also have time to explore on your own.

Next, you can discover the real character of St. Louis through three of its most historic neighborhoods. The first, Compton Heights, was developed in the late 19th century by newly wealthy German beer barons. Lafayette Square features renovated Victorian mansions and row houses that surround Lafayette Park, the oldest public park west of the Mississippi River. Soulard is a delightful working-class neighborhood that boasts the oldest continuous farmer's market west of the Mississippi. And you will not miss the 100-acre Anheuser-Busch Brewery Complex, with more than 70 red brick buildings, several of which are listed on the National Historic Registry. (Friday's tour takes you into Soulard and through the brewery buildings, if interested.)

MAJESTIC ST. LOUIS
Thursday, Sept. 22
Duration: 10:00am-4:00pm
Fee: $90/person
This itinerary includes a tour of the Cupples House, a tour of the Fabulous Fox Theatre with a gourmet box lunch and a tour of the New Cathedral.

Experience the grandeur of St. Louis through two of its most influential neighborhoods: Midtown and the Central West End. En route to the Midtown theater district, which is anchored by the Fabulous Fox Theatre, you will pass Saint Louis University (SLU). Founded in 1818, SLU is the oldest university west of the Mississippi. Your first stop is the Cupples House on the SLU grounds. Samuel Cupples, a successful wood merchant, built the 42-room mansion in 1889 and spared no expense in creating this visible example of his affluence (construction cost $500,000 more than a century ago!). A docent will lead you through the lavish interior, which includes intricately carved paneling of imported woods, parquet floors, and fine examples of stained glass.

Next, you'll experience the Fabulous Fox Theatre. Built in 1929 as a movie theater at a cost
of nearly $5 million, the Fox Theatre is a magnificent example of Siamese-Byzantine design. Built by William Fox, of 20th Century Fox fame, the theater was designed after the Hindu mosques of Old India. During the 1930s, Fox had an empire of more than 800 theaters. After a period of decline, the Fabulous Fox Theatre was restored and reopened in 1982 and now hosts concerts and Broadway musicals. Lunch will be served in the exclusive Fox Club, which is located on the Grand Stairs and offers a remarkable panorama of the lobby. A tour of the theater, complete with backstage access, will complete your visit.

Following lunch you will visit the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, known to St. Louisans as the New Cathedral. Be amazed by one of the largest collections of mosaics in the world – more than
84,000 square feet in 8,000 shades of color! The tiny pieces of tesserae and glass portray scenes from both the Old and New Testaments, the life of Saint Louis IX, King of France, and many men and women prominent in the history of St. Louis.

A TASTE OF ST. LOUIS TOUR
Friday, Sept. 23
Duration: 9:30am-4:30pm
Fee: $83/person
This itinerary includes stops at Viviano's Grocery and Volpi Sausage, a seated gourmet lunch on "The Hill," dessert at Ted Drewes Frozen Custard, an Anheuser-Busch Brewery Tour and a stop at Soulard Market.

Begin your Friday with a visit to "The Hill," home of St. Louis's Italian community located
in the southwestern part of the city. Important as an industrial and residential area since the 1800s, today it is home to elegant and casual restaurants, ethnic groceries, and bakeries as well as entertainment venues, including bocce alleys. First stop is Viviano's Grocery Store where you will have the opportunity to purchase delicious cheeses, sausages, pastas, and other Italian goodies. Next you will visit Volpi Sausage Company to learn the history of Volpi Sausage and its importance to this Italian community.

Favazza's on The Hill is your destination for lunch where you can at last delight in the culinary treats that made you hungry all morning long! Dessert will be at Ted Drewes Frozen Custard, another St. Louis tradition where you'll happily tackle a "concrete" shake so thick you can turn it upside down. To complete the tour you'll learn the rich history of the colorful Busch family en route to the Anheuser-Busch Brewery situated in a 100-acre complex of red brick structures in St. Louis's Soulard neighborhood. The brewery buildings are known for their unique architecture, and several are National Historic Landmarks. During the tour, you will see the World Famous Clydesdales, the Fermentation Building, the Packaging and Bottling Plant, the Brew House, and a film about the brewing process. You are also welcome in the hospitality room to sample the family of Anheuser-Busch products following the brewery tour. Before leaving the Soulard area, visit historic Soulard Market (founded in 1779) to shop for produce, spices, baked goods, flowers, fish, and even pets!

TICKETS TO ST. LOUIS CARDINALS VS CHICAGO CUBS BASEBALL GAME
Sunday, Sept. 25
Duration: 1:30pm-??:??pm
Fee: $51/person
This itinerary includes 1 ticket for the First Base Pavilion. NO Travel is included. Time subject to change.

In April of 2006 the Cardinals opened their new 46,000 seat retro-style downtown ballpark and became the first team in almost 100 years to win a World Series Championship in the inaugural season of a new ballpark. The stadium was also the home of the 2009 MLB ALL-Star Game. Visit this field of dreams, and see why St. Louis fans go crazy about their Cardinals. Tickets are available for the First Base Pavilion on a first-come, first serve basis. Let’s bring home a winner!