Thank you for your interest in NIWeek 2004 guest activities. Attached you’ll find a preliminary schedule for each day of the conference. As in years past, we highly recommend you bring the following: • comfortable walking shoes • cool clothes • sunglasses • swimsuit • a hat that provides shade • towel
We’ll take care of sunscreen, food, drinks, and so on.
The guest fee is $200, which includes fees for guest tours and transportation from the Austin Convention Center to all of the attractions. The fee also includes lunch each day and passes to the NIWeek evening events held by National Instruments. If you would like to participate in any of the scheduled guest activities during NIWeek 2004, please register online at www.ni.com/niweek
If you’re planning on spending additional time in the Austin area, feel free to talk with any of your guest hosts about attractions in the area that might interest you. If you want to plan in advance, you can find information on local weather, entertainment, recreation, shopping, and more at austin360.com or at austin.citysearch.com
See you in August!
Matt Jacobs National Instruments 11500 N Mopac Austin, TX 78759-3504 (512) 683-5728 [email protected]
Preliminary Guest Activity Calendar Monday, August 16, 2004 Haunted Austin; Austin, Texas Your Hosts: Tia Garnett and Lisa Mounsif Rich in history, Austin is also rich in ghost lore. We start with a guided tour of the Texas State Cemetery to view the final resting places of Texas notables. Then we move on to the Neill-Cochran House, where the ghost of Colonel Neill has been seen riding his horse around the mansion; then onto the Driskill Hotel, where the ghost of Colonel Driskill is believed to haunt several of the guest rooms on the top floors of the hotel. We conclude with a walking tour of the Governor’s Mansion to learn more about otherworldly guests who call Austin their favorite haunt. http://www.cemetery.state.tx.us/ http://home.flash.net/~ncmuseum/ http://www.driskillhotel.com/ http://www.governor.state.tx.us/about/mansion
Tuesday, August 17, 2004 Exotic Resort Zoo and Wild Seed Farms; Fredericksburg, Texas Your Hosts: Tia Garnett and Lisa Mounsif The plan today is to hop on a bus and head west of Austin, to the heart of the Texas Hill Country. We start with a safari tour of the Exotic Resort Zoo to view 80 species of animals. After lunch at the Cotton Gin Restaurant & Lodge in Fredericksburg, we tour the recently expanded Wild Seed Farms, the nation’s largest working wildflower seed farm and market center. http://www.zooexotics.com/ http://www.cottonginlodging.com/menu.html http://www.wildseedfarms.com/
Wednesday, August 18, 2004 Pontoon Boats, Lake Travis Your Hosts: Matt Jacobs and crew Last year, this particular activity was cancelled because of a nasty line of thunderstorms that rolled through the Austin area. The year before, we didn’t schedule pontoon boat day. So, according to Matt Jacobs’ logic, we’re all due for a day on the lake! We drive out to scenic Lake Travis, pile aboard pontoon boats, and motor about the lake. When we’re hot, we drop anchor and swim. When we’re hungry, we pull into Johnny Fins for lunch. When we’re thirsty, we pull an icy cold beverage from an onboard cooler. When we’re tired, we come home. Does life get any better than this? http://www.laketravis.com/lt.htm http://www.johnnyfins.com/
Thursday, August 19, 2004 Harry Ranson Center and Texas Capitol Tour Your Hosts: Tia Garnett and Lisa Mounsif One of the world's finest cultural archives resides on the University of Texas campus. The Ransom Center houses literary manuscripts, rare books, photographs, and works of art. Highlights include the Gutenberg Bible and the world's first photograph. Then we’ll tour the Texas State Capitol before lunching at the Capital Café, and returning to the Convention Center early in the afternoon. http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/home.html http://www.tspb.state.tx.us/SPB/Plan/Tours.htm