Day 4 – April 12th – Our exciting day begins at the Museum and Visitor Center at Gettysburg National Military Park. Our visit will include the film, “A New Birth of Freedom”. We will also be treated with a licensed Battlefield Guide who will join us on our motorcoach as we take a driving tour and learn of the events when the Northern and Southern armies met here in July 1863, and in three days of battle left 51,000 causalities. President Lincoln dedicated the national cemetery on the battlefield in November 1863.
This afternoon we will arrive at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. Located at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers, this small town was once one of the most important in America. Now a National Historic, Park, Harper’s Ferry is the site of John Brown’s raid of 1859, an event many believe started the Civil War. Be sure to stop by the firehouse where Brown and his men were captured.
This evening we will check into our Washington D.C. hotel. (breakfast included)
Day 5 – April 13th – We will start the day off with a visit to the sacred Arlington National Cemetery. It is America’s shrine to valor and sacrifice. This is the final resting place of President John F. Kennedy, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and thousands of soldiers from every major U.S. war. The Cemetery is the former plantation and home of Civil War General Robert E. Lee. The Tomb of the Unknowns speaks of a nation’s debt to the many whose ultimate sacrifice helped make a nation free.
We’ll enjoy lunch at the Capitol Visitor Center Cafeteria followed by a visit to The United States Capitol, the most recognized symbol of democratic government in the world. Next up we’ll visit the United States Library of Congress. The Library of Congress Building (now called the Thomas Jefferson Building) is the largest national library in the world and is perhaps Washington’s most richly ornamented building.
Dinner tonight will be at the Elephant & Castle (a British pub and restaurant), but before dinner we will stop at the new Eisenhower Memorial. After dinner we will be treated with an illuminated monument driving tour. Washington’s grand buildings. memorials, and monuments sparkle and are impressive during the day; but in the evenings they are stunning! We’ll get off our private motorcoach to walk through the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. You’ll feel like a proud American as you explore the Hall of Flags and other remarkable features of this spectacular national cultural center. We will resume our memorial and monument drive with a stop at the Marine Corps Memorial (Iwo Jima Statue). (breakfast and dinner included)
Day 6 – April 14th – In a city of impressive monuments, memorials, and historic sites, on this Sunday morning we will begin our day with a brief visit to the Washington National Cathedral and to visit the manicured grounds of the Washington DC Temple. This morning we will also drive along Embassy Row. After the Civil War, the powerful and socially elite built large mansions along Massachusetts Avenue. After the Great Depression, many of the families who built these homes went broke. Today, these lovely homes are occupied by embassies, associations, foundations, and private clubs.
This afternoon you’ll have free time for lunch and then you’ll have time to visit one or more of your choices of the Smithsonian Institution’s Museums on the National Mall. Your options include: National Museum of American History; National Gallery of Art, National Museum of Natural History; National Air & Space Museum; National Museum of African American History and Culture; and more. Before our group dinner we will stop at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial and the Korean war Veterans Memorial.
Day 7 – April 15th – Another great day is planned and we’ll start at the White House Visitor’s Center where you’ll watch a 14-minute film that takes you inside the White House. You’ll explore 100’s of artifacts from the White House and you’ll have time at the White House gift shop to find the perfect souvenir! Then we’ll stop at The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial and also stop at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial. We’ll drive past the Air Force Memorial and make a stop at the Jefferson Memorial so you can stand at gaze up at the 19-foot statue of the third president in the beautiful rotunda. Looking from the memorial across the Tidal Basin provides an unforgettable view of the city.
The Pentagon City Shopping Mall food court will be our stop for lunch and then we’ll make our way to Mount Vernon. We’ll get to discover the real George Washington with a Hollywood-produced action adventure movie, interactive exhibits, more than 1,000 artifacts and so much more. You may also tour the restored mansion, its outbuildings, and 50 spacious acres of gardens and grounds, which include the tombs of George and Martha Washington. The Gardens of Mount Vernon are not to be missed. A tasty dinner is planned at a waterfront restaurant for a memorable evening. (breakfast and dinner included)
Day 8 – April 16th –This morning we will arrive at Monticello. For almost 100 years, Monticello has been maintained and kept open to he public by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation. After our amazing visit we’ll enjoy lunch at Michie Tavern, a rustic restaurant setting providing a dining experience rich in southern culture and hospitality.
Later this afternoon we head to Williamsburg, Virginia and take a guided tour of Jamestown Settlement which commemorates the first permanent English settlement in the New World. Costumed interpreters present and perform 17th century activities and interact with the crowd to help you appreciate this piece of history. We’ll enjoy dinner tonight at the Whaling Company. (breakfast, lunch and dinner included)
Day 9 – April 17th – Your admission ticket is your way to experience everything Colonial Williamsburg has to offer. Visit the historic trades including the Blacksmith and Cooper to see how they still use 18th-century tools and methods. Tour the homes and government buildings and stroll through the colonial gardens.
Then we’ll make our way to Norfolk, Virginia airport for our flight home. (breakfast included)
