Today we board our flight in Minneapolis for Washington, DC. Upon arrival we make a stop at Union Station and enjoy lunch on your own with free time to explore the shops. We then depart for Capitol Hill and stop for a photo opportunity and narrative tour of the outside of the United States Capitol. We also tour the Library of Congress and the Supreme Court Building. We make a stop at the FDR Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial and the Air Force Memorial. Enjoy your dinner this evening at Tony and Joe’s on the waterfront in Georgetown. After dinner we check into our hotel.
Dinner is included.

After breakfast we enjoy the Cherry Blossom Parade from our reserved seats. The Cherry Blossom Festival marks the celebration of the original gift in 1912 of the 3,000 cherry trees from the city of Tokyo to the people of Washington, DC. After the parade we visit the Smithsonian Institutions. Seeing the National Air & Space, Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden, National American History, National Gallery of Art and many more museums and buildings. Later we visit the NEW National World War II Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Korean War Veterans Memorial. After dinner we continue with an Illuminated Monument Tour that includes a stop at The Marine Corps War Memorial, a walk through The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and a drive by The Washington Monument.
Breakfast and dinner are included.

Sunday, April 13
Washington, DC
Enjoy breakfast at the hotel, before departing for the Arlington National Cemetery. This is the final resting place for President John F. Kennedy, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and thousands of soldiers from every major U.S. war. Enjoy lunch (on your own) at the Old Post Office Pavilion, a splendid example of Romanesque architecture, crowned by a 315-foot clock tower. After lunch we visit the spacious rotunda of the National Archives. Our travel takes us behind the scenes to visit the Newseum, the only interactive museum of news. We stop for a photo opportunity of the White House, Embassy Row, and the Washington National Cathedral. Tonight enjoy dinner at JR’s Stockyards Inn.
Breakfast and dinner are included.

Monday, April 14
Charlottesville, Virginia
After breakfast we check out of our hotel and visit Mount Vernon, the estate of George Washington. America’s most visited historic house sits on a grassy, shaded slope overlooking the Potomac River. Our travel continues on to the Ford Orientation Center and Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center. We have lunch at the Mount Vernon Food Court. After lunch we visit the National Museum of the Marine Corps at Quantico. This is an interactive experience about what it is like to be a marine, from the recruiting office to the roar of your drill instructor. We arrive in Charlottesville, enjoy dinner at the Wood Grille Buffet and then check into our hotel.
Breakfast and dinner are included.

Tuesday, April 15
Williamsburg, Virginia
This morning enjoy a continental breakfast before checking out of our hotel. We tour Monticello, the mountaintop home of Thomas Jefferson. We will also visit the spectacular gardens and Mulberry Row, the plantation “street” along which Monticello slaves lived and labored. We enjoy a buffet lunch at historic Michie Tavern, where costumed wait staff will serve a hearty Colonial-period fare buffet in this 200-year-old converted log house. We stop for a photo opportunity of Thomas Jefferson’s Rotunda at the University of Virginia. After arriving in Richmond we have a guided tour of the Virginia State Capitol, and a stop at St. John’s Church, built in 1741 and where Patrick Henry gave his famous “Give me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech. On our way to dinner we will drive along Monument Avenue, featuring rows of magnificent mansions. After an included dinner at the Henry Clay Inn we check into our Williamsburg hotel.
Continental breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Wednesday, April 16
Williamsburg, Virginia
Enjoy breakfast at our hotel this morning. Then we are met by our guides and begin our tour of Colonial Williamsburg including the Capitol and the Governor’s Palace. Lunch is on your own in Colonial Williamsburg. Merchants Square is the shopping hub of downtown Colonial Williamsburg. After lunch spend some free time to explore the different shops, buildings and museums. We then depart for a guided tour of Yorktown Victory Center. Recapture the drama of the American Revolution, powerful new galleries tell the story of everyday people who lived during the war. Costumed interpreters demonstrate 18th century military and domestic life on a re-created 1780’s farm-site and in a re-created Continental Army encampment. Enjoy dinner this evening in a Colonial Tavern - fine dining in the heart of historic Colonial Williamsburg.
Breakfast and dinner are included.

Thursday, April 17
Williamsburg, Virginia
We have a guided tour of the Jamestown Settlement, that commemorates the first permanent English settlement in the New World. It features full-size replicas of the three ships that arrived in 1607, as nearly reconstructed as possible to show size and hardships the hardy settlers had to face. The reconstructed Jamestown Fort is unique and seems to come to life with the costumed interpreters present to perform 17th century activities, and interact with the crowds. Don’t miss the Indian Village and wonderful museum exhibits. This afternoon we visit President’s Park featuring 18-foot busts of 42 of our United States Presidents in a relaxed garden setting along a beautiful pathway. The Park also features a museum building with a café and gift shop. Our next stop takes us to the nation’s oldest stone fort, Fort Monroe and the Casemate Museum. It was known as Freedom’s Fortress by the slaves of 1860. We will check in to our hotel and the evening is free to explore and enjoy dinner on your own.
Breakfast is included.

Friday, April 18
Norfolk, Virginia
Enjoy a sunrise breakfast and prepare to travel to the Norfolk Botanical Gardens by tram. The 155-acre garden has one of the largest collections of azaleas, camellias and rhododendrons on the East Coast. Catch sight of the bird sanctuary where over 90 species have been seen frequently. Enjoy the many gardens, a Herb garden, Four Seasons garden, a Flowering Arboretum, plus many more. We move on to our next stop and tour the Naval Air Station Oceana. Highlights include F-14 Tomcats, FA-18 Hornets, and more than 200 other aircrafts. At the Officer’s Club enjoy a lunch buffet. Our tour moves on to the Norfolk Naval Station. View this home port to more than 80 ships of the Atlantic Fleet, and the world’s largest naval installation. Dine this evening at Fish Bones Restaurant near Virginia Beach before reserved seating at the International Tattoo. It is a spectacle of military splendor.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included.

Saturday, April 19
Home
Enjoy breakfast this morning before we depart for the Nauticus, an exciting science and technology center exploring the power of the sea. This high-tech, virtual reality “museum” allows visitors to explore the rich life of the ocean realm, the human uses of the sea through shipping and the role the port of Hampton Roads has played in world maritime affairs. Next, we move on to our reserved seating at the grand parade. We view the International Azalea Festival Parade that features Queen Azalea, international floats, marching bands and much more. After the parade we enjoy lunch at the Nato Fest or the Waterside Festival Marketplace. Coming up next we have the wonderful opportunity to “Explore 26 Countries in a Day”. Food, culture, entertainment, and special attractions are just a few of the things in store for you at Nato Fest. Visit the Battleship USS Wisconsin, one of the largest battleships ever built. This mighty ship was used during the Korean Conflict, the Vietnam War and the Gulf War. We return home later today with wonderful memories and pride in America.
Breakfast is included.