Join us for a beautiful and fragrant-filled tour to Missouri to enjoy Charleston’s Dogwood & Azalea Festival!
Day 1 – Home to Quincy, IL
Our adventure south to experience the breathtaking beauty and fragrance of the dogwood & azalea blossoms begins today! We will travel to Quincy, Illinois and check into our hotel, where we’ll enjoy a delightful dinner as we get to know one another.
Hotel: Stoney Creek Inn
Included Meals: Dinner
Day 2 – Quincy to Sikeston, MO
After an included breakfast we will make our way to St. Louis, with an included lunch along the way. Experience the majestic Gateway Arch, which standing at 630 ft., is the nation’s tallest man-made monument. The Arch offers plenty of exciting activities: take the tram ride to the top, see a documentary film, experience a giant screen movie, and visit the Museum of Westward Expansion. Later we will check into the Drury Inn in Sikeston for three nights. This evening partake in the Drury’s Kickback Reception, which is a complete, light meal.
Hotel: Drury Inn (3 Nights)
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Drury Kickback
Day 3 – Charleston, MO
We’ll enjoy breakfast at the hotel this morning, then drive the short distance to Charleston, home to the annual Dogwood- Azalea Festival. This lovely town is also known for its beautiful Victorian homes as well as the lovely gardens surrounding them. Plus, Charleston was rated one of the ten best small towns in America by Travel Holiday Magazine! A step-on guide will join us this morning to give us a city tour of this charming town. Have a hearty lunch at Southside Baptist Church, then browse the Festival’s arts and crafts bazaar and enjoy tours of the beautiful homes. Be sure to take in the beauty of the magnificent dogwoods and azaleas at peak bloom all around you! The Drury’s Kickback Reception is available again this evening.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Drury Kickback
Day 4 – Charleston
After a leisurely breakfast at the hotel, we depart for the Dogwood- Azalea Festival and take in the 56th Annual Parade! The Festival’s activities are in full swing, so after lunch on your own, options to enjoy may include a book sale, quilt show, shopping, and more. We’ll end our evening with an enchanting drive-thru candlelight tour. As daylight gives way to darkness, volunteers begin to line the streets with 6,000 white luminaries that encompass the entire Dogwood- Azalea Trail. Plus residents turn spotlights on banks of azaleas and candles lining the sidewalks. We’ll return to our hotel later in the evening after this truly special candlelight experience! Enjoy partaking in the Drury’s Kickback Reception.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Drury Kickback
Day 5 – Sikeston to Davenport, IA
Depart this morning after breakfast at the hotel for Davenport, with comfort stops and lunch on your own along the way. We will check into the majestic Hotel Blackhawk, located in the heart of downtown Davenport. This AAA Four-Diamond Marriott Autograph Collection Hotel, originally opened in 1915, has hosted Presidents, entertainers, and legendary athletes! Who is ready for some delicious food and big laughs? Next we will head to the Circa 21 Dinner Playhouse for a fantastic dinner followed by the popular production of “Church Basement Ladies.” The church basement kitchen throughout much of America is often the heart and soul of any church. In Church Basement Ladies we meet the pastor, three kitchen cooks and one daughter who run the kitchen and care for the congregation by preparing and serving the food. Like any great kitchen, problems are solved here as well. We see the four women handle a Lutefisk dinner, a funeral, an Easter fundraiser, and a wedding. They stave off potential disasters, have fun, share and debate recipes, instruct the young, and keep the pastor on due course. This musical comedy based on recipes, food, and change in the church is funny, heartwarming, and down to earth. It will bring back memories of many people you know from churches everywhere.
Hotel: Hotel Blackhawk
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 6 – Davenport to Home
Enjoy breakfast at the hotel before we start for home. A stop is planned in Clear Lake, IA for lunch followed by a guided tour of the Surf Ballroom. “There are few buildings in existence today that represent a complete shift in our musical history. As the last concert venue for Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson, the Surf is the bedrock of where the sound and attitude of rock and roll changed forever.” Then we return home enriched, having discovered a memorable R&J Tours experience!
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Motorcoach Per Person Pricing Information
Motorcoach Travel Protection Per Person
Travel Bucks
Deposit Due
Passport Needed
Tour Pace
Price Includes
10 Meals & 3 Kickbacks, Hotels & Activities as stated in brochure, Luxury Motorcoach
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04/17/2024 04/22/2024
Tour Map
Tour Highlights
Attend the 56th Annual Dogwood-Azalea Festival & Activities in Charleston, MO including Private Home Tours, a Candlelight Tour, the Parade, and more!
Gateway Arch
City Tour of Charleston
Hotel Blackhawk in Davenport
“Church Basement Ladies” at Circa 21 Dinner Playhouse
Surf Ballroom Guided Tour
