Tripology

Your tour begins with an included transfer from Washington Reagan National Airport and a welcome dinner at 6:00 p.m. hosted by your Tour Manager. (Dinner)

The year 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the gift of the beautiful and fragrant cherry trees which line the tidal pool from the people of Japan to the people of the United States. The beauty and aroma of these blossoming cherry trees will amaze as we enjoy the National Cherry Blossom Parade from reserved seats. Marching down Constitution Avenue, the parade showcases floats, helium balloons, international performance groups and some of the country’s finest marching bands. Later, you may opt to visit the Smithsonian Institution, the world’s largest museum complex and research organization. Numbering over 142 million objects, the complex includes exhibitions such as Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis and the command module from Apollo 11. (Breakfast)

Sightseeing in our nation’s capital continues with a visit to Arlington National Cemetery and the John F. Kennedy Memorial. View the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Women in Military Service Memorial. During our touring in DC’s mall area we’ll see the FDR, Vietnam and Lincoln Memorials. We’ll also make a stop at the National WWII Memorial, the first national memorial dedicated to all who served during World War II. Later, the touring of our nation’s capital continues with a visit to the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center. Home to the Senate and House of Representatives for more than two centuries, the Capitol stands as a monument to the American people and this great nation. After dinner this evening, an incredible Illumination tour of Washington, DC tops off this exciting day as we see the memorials and monuments bathed in flood lights, including the U.S. Capitol and the White House. (Dinner)

No tour of colonial America is complete without a stop at Mount Vernon, the expansive estate of George and Martha Washington. Visit the Ford Orientation Center and the Donald W. Reynolds Museum where you will have the chance to experience Washington’s life through movies and exhibitions. Explore his mansion filled with 18th century treasures and stroll the gardens of this 45-acre estate, taking in the views of the Potomac River from the mansion’s piazza. We travel south along a section of the scenic Skyline Drive through picturesque Shenandoah National Park (weather permitting) en route to Charlottesville and our lodging for the evening. (Breakfast)

Today we begin with a visit to Monticello, home of Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence. We’ll tour the home and see the parlor, the library, greenhouse and Jefferson’s bedroom. Experience a “Day in the Life” of Jefferson through artifacts, personal possessions and “mechanical inventions” found throughout the home. Then we’ll stop for lunch at historic Michie Tavern who has welcomed travelers for more than 200 years. Crossing the threshold you enter another time as the costumed hostess welcomes you into the past as “stranger,” an early 18th-century term for a traveler. Later, we arrive at Jamestown, the site of America’s first permanent English colony. Explore life at the dawn of the 17th century inside the palisade of a re-created colonial fort and discover the world of Pocahontas in the Powhatan Indian Village. (Breakfast and lunch)

Colonial Williamsburg is the largest living history museum in the country and one of America’s most popular attractions. Stroll streets dating back to the 1700s. Converse with residents playing the roles of their ancestors as they go about their daily activities exactly as they did more than 200 years ago. It’s an exciting glimpse into the early days of our nation. A traditional Colonial tavern dinner sets the mood for our stay in historic Williamsburg. (Breakfast and dinner)

We travel back to Washington, DC today as our tour ends with a group transfer to Washington Reagan National Airport for flights out after 2:00 p.m. (Breakfast)