Cherry Blossom Time 2012

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7 Days · 9 Meals

Travel Type: Air Holiday

Featuring Washington, DC and Williamsburg Be a part of history and celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Cherry Trees in Washington, DC. Parades, national parks, historic sites and national monuments and memorials will be yours.

Highlights
Itinerary
Accommodations
Dates & Rates
Map
Comments

Highlights

9 Meals (3 dinners, 1 lunch and 5 breakfasts)
Round trip airport transfers
Spend 3 nights in the Washington, DC area
Enjoy reserved grandstand seating to the National Cherry Blossom Parade
Visit the National WWII Memorial, the first national memorial dedicated to all who served during World War II
Arlington National Cemetery and the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Tour Mount Vernon, the expansive estate of George and Martha Washington
Full day at Colonial Williamsburg, the nation’s largest living history museum
Smithsonian Institution, the world’s largest museum complex
Traditional Tavern dinner in historic Colonial Williamsburg
Washington, DC touring with a local guide including the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center along with the FDR, Vietnam and Lincoln Memorials
Enjoy lunch and tour at historic Michie Tavern
Tour the house and grounds at Monticello, home of Thomas Jefferson
Visit Jamestown Settlement and Powhatan Indian Village
Travel along scenic Skyline Drive through Shenandoah National Park
Experience Washington, DC at night on a narrated Illumination tour
$35 in Mayflower Money

Itinerary

Day One – Arrive in Washington, DC
Your tour begins with an included transfer from Washington Reagan National Airport and a welcome dinner at 6:00 p.m. hosted by your Tour Manager. (Dinner)

Day Two – Cherry Blossom Parade and 100th Anniversary of the Cherry Trees
The year 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the gift of the beautiful and fragrant cherry trees which line the tidal pool from the people of Japan to the people of the United States. The beauty and aroma of these blossoming cherry trees will amaze as we enjoy the National Cherry Blossom Parade from reserved seats. Marching down Constitution Avenue, the parade showcases floats, helium balloons, international performance groups and some of the country’s finest marching bands. Later, you may opt to visit the Smithsonian Institution, the world’s largest museum complex and research organization. Numbering over 142 million objects, the complex includes exhibitions such as Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis and the command module from Apollo 11. (Breakfast)

Day Three – Arlington National Cemetery and U.S. Capital Visitor Center
Sightseeing in our nation’s capital continues with a visit to Arlington National Cemetery and the John F. Kennedy Memorial. View the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Women in Military Service Memorial. During our touring in DC’s mall area we’ll see the FDR, Vietnam and Lincoln Memorials. We’ll also make a stop at the National WWII Memorial, the first national memorial dedicated to all who served during World War II. Later, the touring of our nation’s capital continues with a visit to the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center. Home to the Senate and House of Representatives for more than two centuries, the Capitol stands as a monument to the American people and this great nation. After dinner this evening, an incredible Illumination tour of Washington, DC tops off this exciting day as we see the memorials and monuments bathed in flood lights, including the U.S. Capitol and the White House. (Dinner)

Day Four – Mount Vernon and Shenandoah National Park
No tour of colonial America is complete without a stop at Mount Vernon, the expansive estate of George and Martha Washington. Visit the Ford Orientation Center and the Donald W. Reynolds Museum where you will have the chance to experience Washington’s life through movies and exhibitions. Explore his mansion filled with 18th century treasures and stroll the gardens of this 45-acre estate, taking in the views of the Potomac River from the mansion’s piazza. We travel south along a section of the scenic Skyline Drive through picturesque Shenandoah National Park (weather permitting) en route to Charlottesville and our lodging for the evening. (Breakfast)

Day Five – Monticello and Michie Tavern
Today we begin with a visit to Monticello, home of Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence. We’ll tour the home and see the parlor, the library, greenhouse and Jefferson’s bedroom. Experience a “Day in the Life” of Jefferson through artifacts, personal possessions and “mechanical inventions” found throughout the home. Then we’ll stop for lunch at historic Michie Tavern who has welcomed travelers for more than 200 years. Crossing the threshold you enter another time as the costumed hostess welcomes you into the past as “stranger,” an early 18th-century term for a traveler. Later, we arrive at Jamestown, the site of America’s first permanent English colony. Explore life at the dawn of the 17th century inside the palisade of a re-created colonial fort and discover the world of Pocahontas in the Powhatan Indian Village. (Breakfast and lunch)

Day Six – Colonial Williamsburg
Colonial Williamsburg is the largest living history museum in the country and one of America’s most popular attractions. Stroll streets dating back to the 1700s. Converse with residents playing the roles of their ancestors as they go about their daily activities exactly as they did more than 200 years ago. It’s an exciting glimpse into the early days of our nation. A traditional Colonial tavern dinner sets the mood for our stay in historic Williamsburg. (Breakfast and dinner)

Day Seven – Washington, DC and Home
We travel back to Washington, DC today as our tour ends with a group transfer to Washington Reagan National Airport for flights out after 2:00 p.m. (Breakfast)

Accommodations

Days One through Three

Holiday Inn National Hotel, Arlington, Virginia

Day Four

Hampton Inn, Charlottesville, Virginia

Days Five and Six

Crowne Plaza at Fort Magruder, Williamsburg, Virginia

Dates & Rates

2012 Departure Dates	Per Person Twin	Single Room Add	Triple Room Deduct
April 13	$1,549	add $599	deduct $12

Call for air rates and schedules from your city to and from Washington Reagan National Airport.

Stay another night

Rooms for the night before the tour are available.
Cost for a room in Arlington is $189, tax included.