Thursday, October 10 & Friday, October 11

The staffs of Woodland Park Zoo, Point Defiance Zoo and Northwest Trek have graciously invited us to tour their facilities. Check out the web sites for these organizations.

Register for one of these exciting post-conference trips!

• Woodland Park Zoo: Considered one of the country's ten best zoos, Woodland Park Zoo's 92 acres feature over 300 animal species and 1000 plant species. Visit eight bioclimatic zones, from the tropics of Thailand to the arctic tundra

• Point Defiance Zoo: Get breathtaking views of Mt. Rainier, Olympic Mountains and Puget Sound on this trip. Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium has $35 million in renovations on the planning board with projects in different phases when we get there. Should be great behind-the-scenes tours

• Northwest Trek: Tour the 613 acres of Northwest Trek in the foothills of Mt. Rainier. See Pacific NW animals in their natural habitat as you take a 5-mile narrated Tram tour.

If you can't join us in any of these post-conference trips, here are some ideas of other places to visit around Portland.