Explore Fort Wayne The Conference Regional Host Committee wants to make sure you see more of Fort Wayne while you attend the AIC Conference than just the Grand Wayne Convention Center. They have developed three great excursions to showcase the town. Join us on Monday afternoon! To sign up for one of these fun trips, please click here or visit www.indianacounties.org and click on the Conference Registration page. Option 1 – Shop ‘til you Drop Two wonderful shopping destinations in one trip! Start off the afternoon at Jefferson Pointe. Jefferson Pointe offers shopping, dining and entertainment in an open-air shopping environment that is a truly unique attraction in northeast Indiana. At Jefferson Pointe, you never know what you will find. Anchored by Von Maur department store, Jefferson Pointe offers restaurants, over 60 shops, an 18 screen stadium seating theatre and more! Go for a stroll, and be sure to try something new. Walk around the fountain circle and then enjoy lunch. Grab a last-minute gift or spend the afternoon window-shopping. At Jefferson Pointe, it's all right here! We’re not done yet! Our second stop is Glenbrook Square Mall. Shop 131 stores inside Northeast Indiana’s largest shopping complex. Glenbrook is anchored by Macy’s, Carson’s, JC Penny and Sears. You will also find shops such as Aeropostale, American Eagle, Forever 21, H&M and much more. To make your shopping experience complete and unique, visit those shops that cannot be found anywhere else, but here in Allen County such as Asian Arts and Crafts, Bloom’n Things, The Custom Factory and more. Whether its shoes, electronics, sports and fitness, health and beauty or home and housewares, you’ll find it all at Glenbrook Square. Specifics: A bus will leave the Grand Wayne Center at 12:30 p.m. heading for Jefferson Pointe. Reload the bus at the same drop off point at 2:30 p.m. to continue on to Glenbrook Square. The bus will leave Glenbrook at 4:30 p.m. to head back to Grand Wayne Convention Center. A minimum of 5 attendees is needed to ensure the trip and there is no cost thanks to our great sponsors. Option 2 – History and Education Tour Come and absorb some of the local culture and history of Fort Wayne and Allen County. We’ll visit two points of interest, the Fort Wayne History Center and Old Jail, and the historic Allen County Courthouse. The History Center is home to the Allen County-Fort Wayne Historical Society, its museum and collections. When formed in 1921, the society's assets were few, consisting of some historical relics that had been preserved by the Mary Penrose Wayne Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Today it maintains a collection of more than 26,000 artifacts, photographs and documents representing the history of Fort Wayne and Allen County. The largest of these is the very building – the 1893 City Hall Building – which the society has resided since 1980. Don’t forget to stop in the basement and see the old jail. It’s truly a trip back in time. Next we’ll head over to the historic Allen County Courthouse where we’ll enjoy a one hour guided tour that will explain the history of the courthouse, examine its murals and other artwork and inform us on this magnificent example of the Beaux-arts style architecture. The planners of this historic building hoped it would serve the needs of Allen County for “a hundred years” and within the building’s murals, reliefs and artistic design they still communicate to us over this span of time. Specifics: Meet your tour guide at the Grand Wayne convention Center at 1:00 p.m. This is a walking tour so comfortable shoes and dressing for the weather is a must. A minimum of 5 attendees is needed to ensure the trip and there is a $6 charge for your admittance ticket into the History Center. Please note that no cameras, cell phones or other electronic devices are permitted inside the Allen County Courthouse. Option 3 – Get Wild at the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo! The Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo continuously ranks among the top zoos in the United States. In 2015, Trip Advisor ranked it #7 in the nation. Located on 40 acres, the zoo is home to over 1,000 animals. Take a sky ride on the African Veldt or pet a stingray in the Australian exhibit or ride the carousel by the rain forest. Meet Javan Gibbons or feed a giraffe. Watch sea lions perform, get up close and personal with a kangaroo or go nose to er… nose with a reef shark. Complete your trip with a visit to the zoo gift shop. Specifics: The bus will leave the Grand Wayne Convention Center at 1:00 p.m. and will reload at the zoo at 4:15 p.m. A minimum of 5 attendees is needed to ensure the trip and there is a $14 charge for your admittance ticket into the Zoo. Comfortable shoes and dressing for the weather is recommended. Special thanks to our excursion gold sponsor CitiLink and bronze sponsor HWC Engineering. .