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Select Index: Date | Type | Destination |
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Washington D.C. Cherry Blossom Festival
Departure: Thursday, April 8, 2010 Other Multi-Day Tour - 5 Days / 4 Nights April 8 - 12, 2010 |
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Day #1 – Thursday, April 8th: 5:45 AM - Meet your escort at Peoria Charter Coach Meeting Room at the corner of NE Adams & Alexander Streets (enter off Alexander). 6:00 AM - Depart Peoria headed east today for a long travel day to reach our overnight stay in Wheeling, WV. We’ll enjoy a Continental Breakfast* on board the coach as well as making rest & meal stops en route as needed. Don’t forget to set your watches ahead an hour upon entering Indiana and the Eastern Time Zone. 6:00 PM - We arrive at our home for the night – the Oglebay Resort* in Wheeling, WV. We’ll get checked in and have time to freshen up before dinner. 7:00 PM - Dinner* is served here at the hotel this evening followed by time to relax after a long day. Day #2 – Friday, April 9th: Breakfast* is included this morning before we depart for our destination, Washington D.C! 7:00 AM - We’ve got an early morning departure to enable us to reach Washington D.C. by 1:30 p.m. We’ll make a rest area stop en route. 1:30 PM - Arriving in D.C. we meet our Guide* at the Garfield Statue on the Westside of the Capitol. After our guide boards, we head to the New Capitol’s Visitor’s Center*. The Capitol Visitor Center welcomes visitors to the seat of American Government. At nearly 580,000 square-feet, the CVC is the largest project in the Capitol’s 215-year history and is approximately _ the size of the Capitol so as not to detract from the appearance of the Capitol. Enjoy lunch (on your own) at the Capitol Visitor’s Center Cafeteria. While sightseeing this afternoon, we’ll drive by the U.S. Capitol (stopping for a photo opportunity), visit the U.S. Library of Congress, and tour the Supreme Court (pending length of line & time available of group). 4:15 PM - Depart for dinner. 4:30 PM - Enjoy dinner* tonight at America in Union Station. The entrée will be a duet of Chicken & Salmon served with a house salad, sides and chef’s choice of dessert, coffee & tea are the beverage choices. 6:00 PM - We re-board the coach and depart for a Memorial Tour*. We’ll make stops at The National World War II Memorial, The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, The Lincoln Memorial and the Korean War Veterans Memorial. All the memorials honor the various heroes in each individual war. 8:30 PM - We say "Goodbye" to our guide at the nearest Metro and depart for the hotel in Tyson’s Corner, VA. 9:00 PM - Arriving at the Crowne Plaza* in Tyson’s Corner for the next 2 nights. We’ll get your luggage to your room and you can get a good night’s sleep before we tour more of Washington D.C. tomorrow. Day #3 – Saturday, April 10th: 8:00 AM - Breakfast* is included at the hotel this morning before we set off to explore more of D.C. 9:00 AM - It’s time to depart for D.C. and the annual Cherry Blossom Parade*! 9:30 AM - We arrive at the corner of 15th Street & Constitution Avenue where we’ll be dropped off for the Cherry Blossom Parade! (10:00 AM Tentative Time) We have found our Premium Preferred Grandstand Seating* for this fantastic parade. The Cherry Blossom Festival marks the celebration of the original gift of the 3,000 cherry trees by the city of Tokyo to the people of Washington D.C. in 1912. The celebration includes a massive parade, which navigates down Constitution Avenue from 7th Street towards the Tidal Basin. Along with the parade are several "free" concerts on the Mall, lantern lighting, dancing and races. Noon - After the parade, walk to the National Mall and visit your choice of the Smithsonian Institutions museums. Enjoy lunch (on your own) in one of the museum’s cafeterias while visiting. The American Indian Museum requires timed entry tickets and The Smithsonian Institutions security policy is: All bags, purses, attaches, shopping bags satchels, suitcases, etc. will be hand searched. To expedite this please bring only a small purse or fanny pack. DO NOT bring daypacks, backpacks, or luggage into the museums. Most locker rooms have been closed. DO NOT bring sharp objects into the museums, such as knives (including pocket), screwdrivers, corkscrews, scissors, nail files, etc. The museums that you might choose to visit are: National Air & Space Museum, National Museum of Natural History, Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden, National Museum of African Art, The Arts & Industries Bldg, the newly renovated National Museum of American History, The National Museum of the American Indian, the National Gallery of Art, the Freer Gallery of Art or the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. 2:30 PM - We meet our Guide* and depart from the Mall Side Entrance of the Natural History Museum. 3:00 PM - Next we visit Arlington National Cemetery*. Arlington is the final resting place for President John F. Kennedy, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Audie Murphy, prizefighter Joe Louis, and thousands of soldiers from every major U.S. War. Arlington House was the home of Civil War General Robert E. Lee, Space Shuttle Challenger astronaut’s Memorial and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier are also located on these famous 612-acres. Tourmobile tickets are NOT included on this tour. 6:00 PM - Following the tour, we’re off for dinner* at Rock Bottom Brewery. Tonight’s menu choices are: Brown Ale Chicken served with White Cheddar Mashed Potatoes, Alder Smoked Salmon Fish & Chips, Pub Tenderloin Tips served with White Cheddar Mashed Potatoes or Penne Primavera served with fresh baked bread. All entrees come with a house salad, dessert, and unlimited coffee, tea, soda or iced tea. Choose upon arrival. 8:00 PM - With our tummies full, we depart for an Illuminated Monument Tour*. Stops will be made at The Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima Statue), the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial Park and the Jefferson Memorial. We’ll drive by the Air Force Memorial built on a hillside overlooking the Pentagon and also the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. 9:30 PM - Once more we bid adieu to our guide and depart for our hotel for the evening. Day #4 – Sunday, April 11th: 7:30 AM - Breakfast* is served at the hotel and luggage is picked up and loaded on the coach. 8:30 AM - Our final stop here in D.C. will be at the New Newseum* for a tour. The Newseum is the only interactive museum of news where you can go behind the scenes and try your hand at being a television news anchor or radio sportscaster. Experience the news of today as it happens on a 126-foot long, 10-1/2 foot-high Video News Wall displaying today’s news from around the world. Relive the great new stories of the past, from the spoken stories of ancient times to today’s worldwide information explosion. Because the news changes daily, no two visits to the Newseum are ever alike. Lunch is (on your own) at the museum. 1:00 PM - It’s time to depart towards home making rest & meal stops along the way. We’ll stop again in Wheeling, WV for our overnight stay. 8:00 PM - Arriving in Wheeling we check into the Oglebay Resort* and have the remainder of the evening to relax for our long journey home tomorrow. Day #5 – Monday, April 12th: Breakfast* is served before we checkout and begin our journey home. 8:00 AM - We’re on our way towards home after a great time enjoying the Cherry Blossom Festival and all Washington D.C. attractions. We’ll make rest & meal stops along the way as needed. Don’t forget to set your watches back an hour upon entering Illinois and the Central Time Zone. 7:00 PM - Approximate arrival time back in Peoria. Tour Includes: Deluxe Motorcoach Transportation, Professional Escorts, Hotel Accommodations, Luggage Handling, All Attractions & Meals in bold print & marked with an asterisk* Choice of Pickup Points for this trip are: PEORIA - Peoria Charter Waiting Room MORTON - Field Shopping Center NORMAL - Schnuck's off Raab Road CHAMPAIGN - Former Hobby Lobby / Church St. Side If you feel the Driver & Escort have done a good job, it is appropriate to tip them. We suggest $3 per customer per day for the driver & $3 per customer per day for the escort(s) on this trip. Hotels -- Days #1 & #4 Oglebay Resort Rt. 88 North Wheeling, WV 26003 800-624-6988 Days #2 & #3 Crowne Plaza 1960 Chain Bridge Road Tysons Corner, VA 22102 703-893-2100 Cost Per Person: Single: $1185.00 Double: $960.00 Triple: $865.00 Quad: $820.00 Please click Tour Policy |
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