Wednesday Afternoon Excursion

The registrations of full delegates and accompanying persons include an excursion Wednesday afternoon. Choose your excursion during the registration process.

Carmel Valley Wine Tour – An Afternoon of Touring and Tasting
	Carmel Valley is a wonderful place to sample the award winning wines of the Central Coast! When you take this tour, prepare to relax, enjoy the scenery, the history, and especially the wonderful wines of Carmel Valley. Along the way, your tour guide will acquaint you with the spectacular highlights of the Monterey area. Visit the Chateau Julien Wine Estate, located on 16 acres in the majestic Carmel Valley, where you will tour the winery and visit the tasting room. Your guide will introduce you to the agricultural and wine industries of the area. Travel to the quaint little town of Carmel Valley and visit the tasting rooms of some of the most popular local winemakers, Joullian, Bernardus, Gioris and Talbott. Your trip will include the Chateau Julien winery tour, as well as visits to two Carmel Valley tasting rooms. Let us do the driving so you may enjoy the fruits of the vineyard. You might even have time for a little shopping along the way. Recommended Attire: Resort casual, walking shoes.
Steinbeck Country Wine Tour
	We will visit three wineries here in the heart of Steinbeck Country, and you’ll discover a wonderful secret—they are some of California’s finest! Fog and sun, sea and soil—the elements that lend so much beauty to this area—also contribute to the distinctive quality of Monterey County wines. With over 32,000 acres of vineyards, Salinas Valley comprises one of the largest premium-growing regions in the world. A focus of this tour is the introduction to the wine industry of the area, as well as the agricultural industry. We’ll tour the Central Coast agricultural basin and proceed along the Santa Lucia mountain range to Smith & Hook/Hahn Estate’s giant wine barrel-shaped tasting room, where you’ll enjoy their exceptional reds and wonderful whites. Then it’s onward to the family owned and operated Paraiso Springs Vineyards, where you will tour the winery and visit the tasting room, seated at the edge of the 400 acre estate with sweeping views of the entire Salinas Valley Steinbeck wrote about with such reverence. We will also visit the Blackstone Winery and sample the amazing grape quality of the Central Coast in the spacious tasting room. Recommended Attire: Resort casual, walking shoes.
Big Sur Coastline Tour
	You will be awestruck by some of the most spectacular ocean views in the world as you travel along California’s wildly beautiful Big Sur coastline.  Colorful and informative commentary by a professional tour guide begins as guests depart Monterey.  We’ll travel further down the renowned Big Sur coast, enjoying dramatic land and sea vistas along the way.  World famous Highway 1 South meanders through the coastal shrub and chaparral of the Santa Lucia Mountains and over one of the most photographed structures in the world—the elegant and graceful Bixby Bridge.  You will discover for yourself why the Big Sur area has been and continues to be home and inspiration to renowned authors, artists and photographers, including Henry Miller, Ansel Adams, Edward Weston and Robinson Jeffers.  Breathtaking scenery includes ancient redwood groves and a wide variety of California wildlife, including the ever-popular sea otter.  We will stop at various points of interest, which include the Coast Gallery, a nature walk among the redwoods, and the Pfeiffer Big Sur Waterfall, where the falls pour from granite cliffs onto the beach.  Visitors to the Big Sur coast describe being changed by its rustic beauty, and you are sure to be impressed by the splendor of this special place.  Recommended Attire:  Windbreaker, closed-toe walking shoes, pants or shorts.
Monterey Marine Sanctuary Whale Watching Tour
	The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS) is a federally protected marine area offshore of California’s central coast. Stretching from Marin to Cambria, the sanctuary encompasses a shoreline length of 276 miles, and 5,322 square miles of ocean, extending an average distance of 30 miles from shore. Whales in the bay during the summer months include Blue Whales, Sperm Whales, and Fin Whales, and Monterey Bay is abundant with all kinds of life from sea otters and sea lions to dolphins and pelicans. The area also offers a fascinating mixture of active tectonic plates, dynamic ocean currents, and coastal scenery that is unsurpassed. This is truly the experience of a lifetime, whether whale watching or just enjoying the cruise! A local tour guide will accompany you on a short walk from the Convention Center to our boat docked at Fisherman’s Wharf on Monterey Bay. Recommended Attire: Jacket-layers, hat, sunglasses, rubber-soled shoes.
Kayak Tour
	There’s no better way to explore the Monterey Bay up close than with a kayak tour. A docent-guided tour will make your kayaking experience one of discovery and education. These knowledgeable docents will share information about the ecology of the bay, the history of the area, and the biology and habits of our varied marine life. Abundant along the shoreline are harbor seals, sea lions and many species of marine birds. At different times of the year, you might see jellyfish or even an occasional whale! No need to wonder just what you are looking at out there—your guides have all the answers! Conditions couldn’t be better for the enjoyment of paddlers of all ages and abilities. All necessary gear, paddling instruction, and an orientation about marine wildlife are provided. You just need to paddle!
Bike Tour
	A bicycle tour of the Monterey Bay coastline is a great way to explore the Peninsula and learn more about this beautiful area. Your guide will take you on the Recreation Trail along Cannery Row, past the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and along the beautiful Peninsula coastline. This tour is filled with many great photo opportunities! Riders will experience firsthand the historical Point Pinos Lighthouse, Asilomar State Beach, 17-Mile Drive through Del Monte Forest, and scenic Bird and Seal Rocks. Your guide will stop at points of interest and relate the history of this area. The path and bike lanes are beginner to intermediate level, with only a few hills along the way. You will be fitted with a specialized 24-speed hybrid bike with helmet. You’ll ride out with the ocean on one side and then return with the ocean on your other side. It’s breathtaking and beautiful!
Golf at Poppy Hills
	Poppy Hills, located in Pebble Beach, California, and designed by Robert Trent Jones, II, is a challenging, par-72 venue that weaves through the Del Monte Forest and plays host to several renowned tournaments, including the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Green fees are $170 per person, which includes a golf cart. Golf club rentals are available at $50 per person.