Midwest Summer Road Trip: A Multigenerational Adventure

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The Midwest is packed with exciting places to visit and on this special Road Trip we will be taking in many of the iconic sights and attractions that just maybe you haven’t visited or if you have, it’s time to see them again! Climb aboard our deluxe motorcoach for a special adventure that’s perfect for taking your children and/or grandchildren along! This tour is also great if you are traveling by yourself, or with your spouse or a friend. Traveling through the Midwest will be educational, fun, and very exciting! 

Day 1 – Home to Schaumburg, IL 

We board our motorcoach and begin our travels heading southeast through Wisconsin and into Illinois. As we get to know our fellow travelers on the coach, we’ll also enjoy the scenery as we travel down the freeway, making a stop for lunch along the way. We’ll arrive in Schaumburg, IL and check into our hotel before we attend the exciting Medieval Times Dinner Theatre. As we enter the castle, we will find our seats in the arena and enjoy a great dinner before we cheer on our Knight in an epic clash of “Steel and Steed.” It will be an enjoyable evening for all! 

Hotel: Holiday Inn Express 

Included Meals: Dinner 

Day 2 – Schaumburg to Shelbyville, IN 

After breakfast this morning our Road Trip continues as we travel towards Indianapolis to the Indy Motor Speedway! Our stop here will include time in the Speedway Museum where we will see race cars that have won the Indy 500 for many years as well as have the opportunity to have our picture taken in an Indy car! But wait…extra bonus this day – It is race day at the Brickyard! We will enjoy a race of Vintage Race cars put on by the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association! What a treat to watch a race where the world famous Indy 500 takes place! Following our time at the track, we will take a drive through the heart of Indianapolis on our way to our hotel for the evening in Shelbyville. 

Hotel: Holiday Inn Express & Suites 

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner 

Day 3 – Shelbyville to Newport, KY 

It will be a great day to hit the road once again! We’ll travel this morning to The Creation Museum near Petersburg, KY. Inside the museum the history of the Bible will come to life. We’ll walk through biblical history from the Garden of Eden to Noah and the Flood and more. Displays and videos will capture our attention and get us thinking about the history of the world as told in Christian Scripture. We’ll enjoy an included lunch at the museum before our day continues with a trip into Cincinnati and a visit to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. The Freedom Center is just a few steps away from the banks of the Ohio River, the natural barrier that separated the slave states of the south from the free states of the north. Taking stories of the underground railroad, the museum shares the true meaning of inclusive freedom through stories of many heroes. It’s a very thought-provoking educational stop on our road trip. We then cross the river and check into our hotel before we board a riverboat for an evening dinner cruise. We’ll cruise the Ohio River with the lights of Cincinnati shining brightly. 

Hotel: Hampton Inn 

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner 

Day 4 – Newport to Louisville, KY 

As morning dawns you may want to take a walk along the river before breakfast and our departure. We’ll travel down the road towards the Ark Encounter. As we make our way off the freeway, in front of you sits a life-size Ark! Built according to the dimensions given in the Bible, we will be amazed at the size of this ship! We’ll tour the inside and again, through displays and videos, get an idea of what life might have been like when Noah and his family, along with animals galore, road out the flood! We’ll enjoy an included lunch before we continue our road trip to “Old Friends” Thoroughbred Retirement Farms. Here we will see and meet some of the greatest Thoroughbreds whose racing and breeding careers have come to an end. It’s a delightful time to get up-close to these celebrities and learn more of their story. We’ll then continue down the road towards Louisville, with a stop at Claudia Sanders Dinner House for a great dinner experience! It was at the location of this very restaurant that Colonel Harland Sanders and his wife, Claudia, built the Kentucky Fried Chicken business into a world-wide organization. Just a few more miles down the road, we’ll check into our hotel for the evening. What a great day we just experienced – get some rest, there is more ahead tomorrow! 

Hotel: Holiday Inn Express 

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner 

Day 5 – Louisville to Mt Vernon, IL 

When in Louisville there are a couple of “must see” places and guess what? We are going to see them! Our first stop is the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory where we will see how these famous baseball bats are made, along with the history of bat making. Whether you are a baseball fan or not, you will be amazed by this experience! Then we travel to the south side of Louisville for a stop at Churchill Downs where “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports” takes place on Derby Day! We’ll enjoy a tour of their museum and of Churchill Downs and just maybe, if it’s race day, we’ll get to take in a race or two! So much to see here and so many special sporting moments to recall, that it will be a great time for everyone! When our time has finished at the track, we will get back on the Interstate and head down the road towards Mt. Vernon, IL and our evening stop. Enjoy the Manager’s “Kickback” Reception at the hotel. 

Hotel: Drury Inn 

Included Meals: Breakfast, Manager’s Reception 

Day 6 – Mt Vernon to St Louis, MO/Collinsville, IL

Enjoy breakfast this morning before we travel towards St Louis. As we get close we will see our first destination rising before us, the Gateway Arch! We’ll visit the Gateway Arch National Park to learn about the history of our country expanding westward through displays, videos, and a look at the mighty Mississippi which travels right next to it. We’ll stand on the banks of the Mississippi and travel high above on the inside of the Arch for a tremendous view of the area. It will be a great morning at this National Park! Lunch today will be at a special historic site that will be fun for everyone! Then we travel to the Anheuser Busch Brewing Company for a tour and tasting (soft drinks for the youngens and those who don’t care for beer.) We will learn the history of the Brewery and all about the Clydesdales, and we just might catch a glimpse of a Clydesdale or two as well. Our afternoon continues with a special treat at a St. Louis icon, Ted Drewes Frozen Custard. This family business has been around since 1929. We check into our hotel, which is in the heart of downtown St. Louis. 

Hotel: Drury Inn 

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Manager’s Reception 

Day 7 – St Louis to Peoria, IL 

After breakfast it’s “On the Road Again” as we travel up I-55 to Springfield, IL, home to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. Here we will learn all about our 16th President. This experience is truly one of a kind and enjoyable for everyone, no matter how scholarly or not you might be! Following our time at the museum, we will stop at the Lincoln Gravesite just a few miles away before we enjoy lunch. This afternoon we continue our Road Trip with a stop in Peoria at the Caterpillar Visitors Center where we will begin our experience by watching a video in the bed of a massive two and a half story Cat Mining Truck! You won’t believe the size of this thing! Then take your turn in running a digger or another Cat machine (of course it’s just a video game!) We’ll check into our hotel for the evening after another great day! 

Hotel: Holiday Inn Express 

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch 

Day 8 – Peoria to Home 

Can it be? This is really our final day? It’s been so much fun, we won’t want to stop! Maybe we can convince the driver to keep going! It has been a Road Trip around the Midwest filled with many exciting and wonderful stops but wait, let’s save the biggest for the last day! That’s right, we are going to stop at the World’s Largest Truck Stop, the I-80 Truck Stop, for our morning break. There is so much to see here, just don’t get lost inside! When your tour director gets you all rounded up and back onboard, off we’ll go towards home, with a stop for lunch on the way. Who would have known that we could see and do so many wonderful things in just 8 days! It’s been a great Road Trip…we at R&J hope to see you on the coach again soon for another great adventure! 

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch