*This nonstop tour requires extensive walking that will bring your Nation’s Capital to life!
“Taking this DC tour, we learned the correct history from our experience. We were up close & personal on the battlefields, our eyes were tearful at the sight of the Memorials & Monuments & the majestic beauty of the sights we witnessed. This tour was a once in a lifetime travel back in history & only R&J can present it in such beauty! Thank you R&J – we will remember this trip forever :)” Steve & Gail Scholl – Cottage Grove, MN
Day 1 – Home to Rockford, IL
Get to know your fellow passengers as we travel to Rockford. We’ll have lunch & coffee stops on your own enroute. This evening we check into our hotel before a welcome dinner at The Machine Shed.
Included Meals: Dinner
Hotel: Radisson
Day 2 – Rockford to Richfield, OH area
Enjoy the passing landscapes as we make our way eastward through Indiana, Ohio, and on to the Cleveland area for the night.
Included Meals: Breakfast
Hotel: To Be Determined
Day 3 – Richfield area to Gettysburg, PA
After breakfast, we travel the rolling hills of the Pennsylvania countryside to Gettysburg, with a stop at the Flight 93 Visitors Center along the way. Our lodging will be at the beautiful Gettysburg Hotel. This historic hotel was established in 1797 and is a unique experience. Dinner is at the famous Historic Dobbin House, that once served as a “station” for runaway slaves, and then a hospital for wounded soldiers of both the North & South. Today, it appears virtually the same as it did over 200 years ago!
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Hotel: Gettysburg Hotel (2 Nights)
Day 4 – Gettysburg
This morning we’ll enjoy a scrumptious breakfast before we tour the Eisenhower National Historic Site, the home and farm of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Next on the agenda is a tour of Gettysburg National Military Park Museum with its incredible Cyclorama, and have the opportunity to walk through the cemetery (weather permitting). Then on to touring one of the most important sites in the Civil War, the Gettysburg Battlefield. An expert national park guide explains how this bloody battle was the turning point in the war. We’ll stand where Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous Gettysburg Address on Cemetery Hill.
Included Meals: Breakfast
Day 5 – Gettysburg to Alexandria, VA
After another hearty breakfast, we depart for Philadelphia, passing through the heart of the Pennsylvania Dutch & German (Deutsch) Countryside. This is a land where time has stood still for a hundred years. Arrive in Philadelphia, the “City of Brotherly Love” and home of the first and second Continental Congresses as well as the first Capitol of the U.S. See the Liberty Bell and tour Independence Hall, the site of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Arrive just outside of Washington DC for five nights.
Included Meals: Breakfast
Hotel: Hampton Inn (5 Nights)
Day 6 – Washington D.C.
After a delicious breakfast and a little time to relax, we are off the for day for some great sights in the D.C. area. Our first stop this morning will be the Smithsonian Institute’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Museum. In the two large hangars, we’ll take in the incredible displays of thousands of aviation and space artifacts, including the Space Shuttle Discovery, a Blackbird SR-71, and a Concorde. Enjoy lunch, on your own, at the museum’s Mars Café or Shake Shack. We will depart the aviation museum and travel to the moving Holocaust Memorial Museum. Afterwards, we will go to Union Station to the Uno’s Pizzeria & Grill for an included dinner.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 7 – Washington D.C.
An informative step-on guide joins us for a full day of touring. We will visit the Washington Monument and Jefferson, Lincoln, Vietnam, Korean, WWII, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorials. We drive by Kennedy Center, Embassy Row, National Cathedral, National Archives, and the Old Post Office. Step out near the U.S. Capitol and the White House. There will be a stop for lunch before our touring of D.C. and the Monuments continues all afternoon. What a great day of special sites!
Included Meals: Breakfast
Day 8 – Washington D.C.
This morning we board a tourmobile sightseeing bus to visit Arlington National Cemetery and witness the Changing of the Guard Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This afternoon is at your leisure to explore the Smithsonian Institutes before we’re treated to a tour of the U.S. Capitol. Before we return to our hotel, we will visit Old Town for some shopping and dinner on your own.
Included Meals: Breakfast
Day 9 – Washington D.C.
Awake this morning and enjoy breakfast before we depart for Mount Vernon, George Washington’s beautiful plantation. Spend time exploring the grounds including the historic buildings, gardens, tombs, and farm before we enjoy a wonderful lunch at the Mount Vernon Inn & Restaurant. Then we’ll tour his iconic mansion, originally built in 1734 by George’s father, and later expanded three times. Returning to the city, we’ll have dinner at Ted’s Montana Grille this evening.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 10 – Washington D.C. to Wheeling, WV
Breakfast is served at the hotel before we board our motorcoach and start our journey home. We will make a stop at Manassas Battlefield before we motor through the beautiful rolling hills to Wheeling, West Virginia. Enjoy a restful evening here.
Included Meals: Breakfast
Hotel: Holiday Inn Express
Day 11 – Wheeling to Normal, IL
Cross America’s heartland, the Ohio Valley and on to Normal. Enjoy a farewell dinner at a local favorite restaurant.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Hotel: Hampton Inn
Day 12 – Normal to Home
A full breakfast is served before our final stretch home. As we travel, reminisce about our country’s past that has come alive to us the past few days, and enjoy the friends made on this historic trip!
Included Meals: Breakfast
Motorcoach Per Person Pricing Information
Motorcoach Travel Protection Per Person
Travel Bucks
Deposit Due
Passport Needed
Tour Pace
Price Includes
17 Meals, Hotels & Activities as stated, Luxury Motorcoach
Tour Map
Tour Highlights
* Famous Gettysburg Hotel Stay for 2 Nights
* Stay 5 Nights in the Washington D.C. Area
* Local Expert Guide in Washington D.C.
* Gettysburg Battlefield
* Manassas Battlefield
* Independence Hall
* Iwo Jima and WWII Memorial
* Arlington National Cemetery
* Jefferson, Lincoln & Vietnam Memorials
* Mount Vernon
* U.S. Capitol Tour
* Smithsonian Institutes including Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Museum, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, & More