With winter closing in, this is the perfect time to start planning your 2012 season of AMCA National Meets and Road Runs.

The 2012 schedule kicks off in a traditional way, with National Meets organized by the Omaha Chapter (February 24 and 25) and the Sunshine Chapter (March 9-11). But while the Omaha meet will be at its usual location inside the Christensen Fieldhouse in Fremont, Nebraska, the Sunshine Meet moves to a new host location at the Silver Sands Bridle Club in New Smyrna Beach, Florida.

Moving up to third place on the National Meet calendar is the European Chapter, whose annual event will be April 20-22 at a new location, the Owls Nest, a camping facility near the town of Geldrop in the southern part of the Netherlands.

Just a week later, April 27-29, the Perkiomen Chapter brings its meet back to the Fire Company Fairgounds in the historic town of Oley, Pennsylvania.

That’s followed May 18-20 by the Southern National Meet, organized by the Dixie, Blue Ridge and Catawba Valley Chapters at the Denton FarmPark in Denton, North Carolina, a location featuring a preserved collection of old buildings that is a tourist destination in its own right.

June kicks off with another great destination—the Dutchess County Fairgrounds in Rhinebeck, New York, home to the Rhinebeck Grand National Meet, put on by the Hudson Valley, Colonial, Yankee, Big Sandbar and Seaboard Chapters. That’s a whole lot of chapters, but then, this is a whole lot of meet, attracting thousands of spectators with signature events like the Timeline of History. The meet runs June 8 and 9.

The following weekend is a busy one, featuring two AMCA Nationals—one in the Midwest and one on the West Coast. The Fort Sutter Chapter hosts its National June 15-16 in Dixon, California. Meanwhile, the Viking Chapter welcomes AMCA members to its National Meet June 15-17 at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in St. Paul.

The Wauseon National Meet, produced by the Maumee Valley, Lake Erie, River Valley and Ohio Valley Chapters, is next up, running July 20-22 at the Fulton County Fairgrounds in Wauseon, Ohio.

July closes out with a new/old addition to the AMCA National Meet calendar. The Yankee Chapter, which hosted a National of its own from 1973 through 2006, is back on the schedule with its traditional meet July 27-29 in Hebron, Connecticut.

The 2012 National Meet schedule ends in a traditional way with the Chesapeake Chapter Meet October 5-6 in Jefferson, Pennsylvania.

It adds up to 11 AMCA National Meets from coast to coast and overseas. And you can make your plans now for the meets you want to attend.

Meanwhile, the 2012 calendar of AMCA National Road Runs will take riders to four scenic areas of the country. The schedule opens with the Los Angeles Chapter’s ride through the scenic countryside of Santa Barbara County May 6-8. This ride will feature everything from Pacific Ocean views to mountain roads and the quaint Danish town of Solvang.

The Northern Rockies Chapter will introduce riders to the scenic beauty of British Columbia in its National Road Run July 19-21. This ride will be based in the tiny town of Kaslo, set on Kootenay Lake and surrounded by mountains.

Mountains are also the attraction for the Black Hills Chapter National Road Run September 4-6 in the most scenic corner of South Dakota.

The season wraps up with a National Road Run to be put on jointly by the Blue Ridge, Catawba Valley and Dixie Chapters October 1-3. The ride will be based in the scenic town of Maggie Valley, North Carolina, gateway to the Smoky Mountains.

What can you expect out of an AMCA National? You can find out all the details on our National Meets and Road Runs page.

2012 National Meets

Omaha Chapter, February 24-25, Fremont, NE

Sunshine Chapter, March 9-11, New Smyrna Beach, FL

European Chapter, April 20-22, Geldrop, Netherlands

Perkiomen Chapter, April 27-29, Oley, PA

Southern National, May 18-20, Denton, NC

Rhinebeck National, June 8-9, Rhinebeck, NY

Viking Chapter, June 15-17, St. Paul, MN

Fort Sutter Chapter, June 15-16, Dixon, CA

Wauseon National, July 20-22, Wauseon, OH

Yankee Chapter, July 27-29, Hebron, CT

Chesapeake Chapter, October 5-6, Jefferson, PA

2012 National Road Runs

Los Angeles Chapter, May 6-8

Northern Rockies Chapter, July 19-21

Black Hills Chapter, September 4-6

Catawba Valley/Blue Ridge, October 1-3