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Day 1 – Home to Overland Park, KS 

This morning we board the motorcoach with our soon-to-be new traveling friends to begin our grand America’s Pioneers adventure! With comfort stops and lunch along the way, we will overnight in Overland Park where the Manager’s “Kickback” reception awaits. 

Included Meals: Manager’s Reception 

Hotel: Drury Inn & Suites 

 

Day 2 – Overland Park to Bartlesville, OK 

After breakfast, we make our way to Bartlesville, nestled in the rolling hills of beautiful NE Oklahoma, for a two night stay. After lunch on our own in historical downtown Bartlesville, a local step-on guide will join us for a tour of the city. We will stop at their unique Community Center which is a must see for any architecture fan. It houses an acoustically superb performance hall that is considered to be “…one of the finest concert halls in this country,” said Ransom Wilson, Conductor of the Solisti New York Orchestra. Another stop will be an oil well where we will hear how oil was a key factor in Bartlesville’s “boom.” Attracted by the oil boom, Frank and L.E. Phillips, two brothers raised on an Iowa farm, came to Bartlesville in 1904. They hit a gusher north of Bartlesville, followed by 80 straight producers. The two founded Phillips Petroleum Company in 1917. Our tour ends at Phillips 66 Petroleum Company Museum, where the story of how a small Bartlesville business became a global energy enterprise and the people who made it happen comes to life! Then we’ll check into the hotel, our home for the next two nights. 

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch 

Hotel: Hilton Garden Inn (2 Nights) 

 

Day 3 – Bartlesville 

We will depart after breakfast at the hotel for a guided city tour of Pawhuska, known for its Native American culture, and more famously known as the small town that’s brimming with charm where Ree Drummond, aka The Pioneer Woman, launched her empire! This “Roaming of the Osage” tour includes stunning view of the Osage Hills and Tallgrass Prairie as well as learning about the 1920’s oil boom with stories of riches, historical buildings, famous cowboys, and Native Osage culture. Next we will visit The Pioneer Woman Mercantile, which began as the Osage Mercantile in 1910! Ree & Ladd Drummond have spent years renovating this historic mercantile to give visitors from near & far a slice of small town hospitality. Enjoy lunch on your own at the Mercantile. (If Ree is not filming today, then our local guide again joins us and off we go to the 433,000 acre Drummond Ranch, located just 19 miles west of Pawhuska. Take in the beautiful scenery as we motor through this vast ranch and make our way to The Lodge, where most of Ree’s Food Network shows are filmed. The Lodge has been a guest house on the ranch for many years, with Ree & Ladd renovating it in 2008. We’ll enjoy walking through The Lodge and taking in the incredible view!) Our last stop of the day will be at the Woolaroc Museum & Wildlife Preserve, where we will see one of the finest collections of southwest art in the world as well as buffalo, longhorns, elk, and more that call this haven home! We will return to the hotel for an evening on our own as we fondly remember this special day! 

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner 

 

Day 4 – Bartlesville to Topeka, KS 

After breakfast we will depart for Ponca City to the Pioneer Woman Statue. We will view this bronze cast, 17 ft. high statue, erected in 1930, depicting a young, sun-bonneted pioneer mother protectively leading her son by the hand with her head held high and a Bible in her hand. Then we will visit the Marland Mansion, the home of E.W. Marland. Modeled after his dream home in Florence, Italy, the Davanzati Palace, this “Palace on the Prairie” denotes incredible attention to detail with carved wood, sculptured stone, wrought iron arched doorways, and more. Marland’s Mansion has a 24-karat gold leaf-covered ceiling in the ballroom, a leather-lined elevator, three kitchens, and the list goes on! After lunch on our own, we will tour the historic Poncan Theatre, built in 1927. With elaborate ceilings and ornamentation as well as unique features – like a 5ft. I-beam supporting with balcony – the Poncan Theatre is a place of grandeur! Then we depart Ponca City and travel to Topeka. 

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch 

Hotel: Hilton Garden Inn 

 

Day 5 – Topeka to St. Joseph, MO 

This morning we drive the short distance to Kansas City where an exciting city tour awaits of Kansas City’s highlights! Our next stop is the Steamboat Arabia Museum: When the mighty Steamboat Arabia sank near Kansas City on September 5, 1856, she carried 200 tons of mystery cargo. Lost for 132 years, its recovery in 1988 was like finding the King Tut’s Tomb of the Missouri River. The artifacts are preserved and displayed at the Museum, and range from clothing, fine china and carpentry tools to guns, dishes and children’s toys, to the world’s oldest pickles! Then we travel north to St. Joseph to visit the interactive Walter Cronkite Memorial. Cronkite was a war correspondent and American broadcast journalist who served as anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years. During the heyday of CBS News in the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as “the most trusted man in America.” He was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor for a U.S. civilian. Enjoy the Manager’s Reception at the hotel this evening. 

Included Meals: Breakfast, Manager’s Reception 

Hotel: Drury Inn 

 

Day 6 – St. Joseph to Home 

After breakfast, we depart for home, stopping for lunch at the Machine Shed along the way. Enjoy reminiscing with our new traveling friends about all we have learned, seen, and experienced on our America’s Pioneers tour! 

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Motorcoach Per Person Pricing Information

Double: $1,399
Single: $1,689
Triple: $1,299
Quad: $1,259

Motorcoach Travel Protection Per Person

Double: $85
Single: $116

Travel Bucks

$25 Travel Bucks per person earned with this tour

Deposit Due

$100 deposit per person due at time of reservation. Full payment due 30 days prior to depart.

Passport Needed

No

Tour Pace

Light to Moderate Walking

Price Includes

9 Meals & 2 Manager’s Receptions, Hotels & Activities as stated in brochure, Luxury Motorcoach



The average temperature while R&J is visiting is 78°
Travel with R & J Tours to a warm destination where it is...
34°
Minneapolis, Mn
35°
America’s Pioneers
Motorcoach Departure Date:
05/13/2020
Motorcoach Return Date:
05/18/2020

Make a Reservation Online

Tour Map


Tour Highlights

The Pioneer Woman Mercantile
The Lodge at Drummond Ranch (if available)
Marland Mansion
City Tour of Bartlesville
Phillips 66 Petroleum Company Museum
City Tour of Pawhuska
Woolaroc Museum & Wildlife Preserve
Tour Poncan Theatre
City Tour of Kansas City
Steamboat Arabia Museum
Walter Cronkite Memorial



Travel with R & J Tours to a warm destination where it is...
34°
Minneapolis, Mn
35°
America’s Pioneers
The average temperature while R&J is visiting is 78°
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