Itinerary for Travel Time Tours Fall into Washington dc! October 10-18, 2017

6:00pm Enjoy dinner on own along Steinwehr Ave. Choose from – General Pickett’s Buffet, Kentucky Fried Chicken, McDonald’s, Friendlys, King’s Pizza, Gettysburg Eddies, Dobbin House, O’Rorke’s Eatery & Spirits.

8:00pm Check in Country Inn & Suites (1857 Gettysburg Village Dr, Gettysburg, PA 17325 (717) 337-9518). Baggage Handling is included.

Meals: None

7:30am Enjoy breakfast at hotel prior to checking out. Baggage Handling is included.

8:30am Depart

9:00am Arrive at the Gettysburg Museum/Visitor’s Center. View one of the world’s largest collections of artifacts and memorabilia from the American Civil War.

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  While at the Museum watch the film, A New Birth of Freedom.
  
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  See the Cyclorama Center at the Gettysburg National Military Park. The center features a breath-taking panorama of Picketts charge measuring 356 by 26 feet. A sound and light program recreates scenes of the fighting.
  

10:30am Meet our Licensed Battlefield Guide at the Visitor’s Center. Gettysburg Battlefield is America’s largest Civil War Battlefield, containing more than 40 miles of scenic avenues. Over 1600 monuments and cannon dot the landscape in memory of those who fought and died here. The Northern and Southern armies met here in July 1863, and in three days of battle left 51,000 causalities. President Lincoln dedicated the national cemetery on the battlefield in November 1863.

12:30pm Drop GUIDE. Depart.

1:00pm Enjoy lunch at the Carriage House Inn in Emmitsburg, MD (pending availability).

2:30pm Continue to Antietam
3:30pm Meet GUIDE and tour Antietam National Battlefield. Antietam Battlefield was the scene of the Civil War’s bloodiest one-day battle on September 17, 1862 – and brought Gen. Lee’s first northern invasion to an end. It is marked by monuments, battlefield exhibits and a visitor’s center.

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  Visit the Pry House Field Hospital - the site itself served as the headquarters for the Army of the Potomac during the Civil War. The recently restored barn, is original to the site and served as a field hospital. 
  

7:30pm Depart.

8:00pm Check in Hampton Inn & Suites (157 Pimilico Dr, Charles Town, WV 25414 (304) 725-2200).

Meal: B, L, D

7:00am Enjoy breakfast at hotel prior to checking out. Baggage handling is included.

8:00am Depart.

8:30am Meet GUIDE for a tour of Harper’s Ferry. Located at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers, this small town was once one of the most important in America. Now a National Historic Park, Harper’s Ferry is the site of John Brown’s raid of 1859, an event many believe started the Civil War. Visit the firehouse where Brown and his men were captured. You may cross the bridge into Maryland and see the remains of the C&O Canal. Be sure to catch the view from the old train trestle that overlooks the powerful convergence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers.

11:30am Depart.

Noon Enjoy lunch at the Red Fox Inn (pending availability). The Red Fox Inn, built circa 1728. Some of the notables who have visited the Inn include Confederate General JEB Stuart and Colonel John S. Mosby. It was here during the Civil War that General Stuart met with Colonel Mosby and his famous mounted Rangers. The pine service bar still in use today was made from the field-operating table used by an army surgeon who served with Stuart’s cavalry. Menu TBA.

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  Enjoy the film “Manassas: End of Innocence" which covers both the First and Second Battles of Manassas, on the motorcoach.
  

3:15pm Visit Manassas Battlefield, where two major Civil War battles (Bull Run) were fought. The battlefield encompasses over 5,000 acres. The visitor center provides useful information for both walking and driving tours.

5:00pm Depart.

6:00pm Check in Fairfield Inn & Suites (3960 Corsair Ct., Chantilly, VA 20151 (703) 435-111) Baggage Handling is included.

7:00pm Depart.

7:30pm Enjoy dinner this evening at Clyde’s Willow Creek Farm (pending availability). Dinner starts with a Caesar Salad. Your choice of entrée’s: (1) Grilled Salmon, (2) Roast Half Chicken, (3) Pan Roasted Salmon, (4) Pork Chop or Loin, or (5) Vegetarian Pasta. Dessert and unlimited soft drinks and ice tea included. Please send meal selections with rooming list.

Meals: B, L, D
Day Four, Friday, October 13, 2017

7:30am Enjoy breakfast at hotel.

8:30am Depart.

9:30am Meet our GUIDE at the Visitor’s Center of Arlington National Cemetery. No land in America is more sacred than this square mile. It is America’s shrine to valor and sacrifice. This is the final resting place for President John F. Kennedy, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Robert F. Kennedy, Edward Moore (Ted) Kennedy, Audie Murphy, prizefighter Joe Louis, and thousands of soldiers from every major U.S. war. The Cemetery is the former plantation and home of Civil War General Robert E. Lee. Arlington House, Space Shuttle Challenger Astronauts’ Memorial, and Monuments to nearly every major sacrifice that affected our country are located within these 612 acres. The Tomb of the Unknowns speaks of a nation’s debt to the many whose ultimate sacrifice helped make a nation free. Arlington averages 27 funerals a day. The crews, service members, and groundskeepers follow an elaborate choreography to ensure that each funeral feels like it is the only one taking place.

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  Transportation tickets are included for your visit.
  

1:00pm Arrive at the NEW Capitol Visitor Center on Capitol Hill.

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  Enjoy lunch on own at the Capitol Visitor Center Cafeteria.
  
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  The Capitol Visitor Center welcomes visitors to the seat of American government. At nearly 580,000 square feet, the CVC is the largest project in the Capitol’s 215-year history and is approximately three quarters the size of the Capitol itself. The entire facility is located underground on the east side of the Capitol so as not to detract from the appearance of the Capitol. Features include an exhibition gallery highlighting the House & Senate while in-session, orientation theaters, a 550-seat cafeteria, gift shops, and restrooms all within a secure public environment that will provide visitors shelter from the unpredictable D.C. weather.
  
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  The United States Capitol (PENDING AVAILABILITY) (confirmation # TBA). The most recognized symbol of democratic government in the world, the U.S. Capitol has housed Congress since 1800 and is one of the most imposing public buildings in the world. The Capitol is where Congress meets to write the laws of our nation, and where presidents are inaugurated. Its ceilings are decorated with historic images, and its halls are lined with statuary and paintings representing great events and people in the nation’s history
  
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  Visit the United States Library of Congress. Explore. Discover. Be Inspired!
  

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  Tour the Supreme Court Building (pending time and length of lines). Within the walls of this white marble monument the third branch of government exercises its mandate to protect and interpret the spirit of the Constitution.
  

4:30pm Stop at The Vietnam Veterans Memorial. This privately funded memorial has drawn millions who have come to touch the over 50,000 names, make pencil rubbings and leave flowers, letters, flags and personal mementos.

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  Stop at The Lincoln Memorial, overlooking the Reflecting Pool, was patterned on a classic Greek temple. Inside, inscriptions from his Gettysburg Address and Second Inaugural Address flank the 19-foot marble statue of our 16th President.
  
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  Stop at The Korean War Veterans Memorial. The triangular field contains nineteen ground troopers, clad in foul weather ponchos, fully equipped for battle. Representing those who supported the ground troops are hundreds of faces etched on a polished granite wall.
  

6:00pm Enjoy dinner on own at Union Station.

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  Drive by the Marine Corps Memorial (Iwo Jima Statue)
  
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  Drive by the Air Force Memorial
  
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  Stop at the Jefferson Memorial
  
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  Drive by The Washington Monument
  
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  Drive by the National World War II Memorial
  
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  Drive by other memorials and monuments as time permits
  

9:45pm Return to hotel for the evening.

Meals: B
Day Five, Saturday, October 14, 2017

7:30am Enjoy breakfast at hotel.

8:30am Depart.

9:00am Meet GUIDE at entrance to Ford’s Theatre. Visit Ford's Theatre (pending availability), Petersen House and the NEW Center for Education and Leadership. Restored as it was the night John Wilkes Booth shot President Abraham Lincoln, Ford's is still an active theater. Reopened in 1968, Ford’s Theatre is one of the most visited sites in Washington DC.

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  Visit the lower-level museum that paints a picture of Washington DC during the 1860s and exhibits Lincoln Memorabilia. Please note: Entry into the lower level museum is not always available with your Ford’s Theater admission and is based on availability at the time of your visit. Ticket inclusions vary at each entrance time and may include theater walk through, theater ranger talk, lower museum admission or any combination thereof.  Also note there are times that the Peterson House and Center for Education and Leadership is the only available visit with no theater admission permitted at all.
  
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  Cross 10th Street to see the newly renovated Petersen House to see where Lincoln died. Here, visitors can learn more about that fateful night and the people who surrounded the President in his final hours.
  
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  Visit the NEW Center for Education and Leadership. This new museum features two floors of permanent exhibits, one floor of rotating exhibits and two floors of state-of-the-art education studios for distance-learning and on-site activities. The story of the Abraham Lincoln assassination continues in the Aftermath and Legacies galleries of the new Center, taking visitors back to 1865 in the weeks and months immediately following Lincoln’s death. Visitors can see the route of Lincoln’s funeral train, learn which president wore a ring containing a lock of Lincoln’s hair, explore Lincoln’s international influence, examine how Lincoln’s image has been adopted for use in pop culture and much more.
  

10:00am Visit Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum. In 1997, the General Services Administration discovered a number of artifacts in the attic of 437 7th Street NW, Washington, DC, 20004. Those artifacts directly linked the building to Clara Barton during and after the Civil War period. It has since been fully restored, and is now being operated as the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum, dedicated to telling the story of the building and its most famous occupant, Clara Barton, the founder of the American Red Cross.

Noon Enjoy lunch on own in Penn Quarter.
1:30pm Visit the National Portrait Gallery. *lunch is available in the café inside the museum. Housed in the magnificent “Old Patent Office Building,” this museum features a unique collection of portraits of famous Americans from the worlds of politics, sports, literature and stage and screen. The Gallery aims to form a permanent collection of portraits of notable figures and includes the Hall of Presidents, which has several official portraits of United States Presidents.
3:00pm Tour President Lincoln’s Cottage. Located on a picturesque hilltop in Washington, DC, President Lincoln's Cottage is the most significant historic site directly associated with Lincoln's presidency aside from the White House. During the Civil War, President Lincoln and his family resided here from June to November of 1862, 1863 and 1864. All totaled, Lincoln lived here for a quarter of his presidency. Note: Non-refundable deposit due at time of booking. $50 for groups up to 30 people. $100 for groups of 30-60 people. Please be on time, Lincoln Cottage reserves the right to cancel or shorten program as necessary if late. Only the first floor of the cottage is handicap accessible.
5:00pm Stop at the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial. The long awaited memorial utilizes landscape elements to powerfully convey three fundamental and recurring themes of Dr. King's life: justice, democracy and hope. The memorial is a quiet and receptive space, yet at the same time, powerful and emotionally evocative, reflecting the spirit of the message Dr. King delivered and the role he played in society. The King Memorial is intended to be personally transformative for visitors, building a sense of commitment to the promise of positive change and active citizenship.

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  Stop at The Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial. This memorial to FDR combines sculpture, water and natural landscape to forge a dramatic setting for recounting the events and terms of office of the nation’s 32^nd President. The FDR is unique among the memorials of Washington, DC. Its shade trees, waterfalls, statuary and quiet alcoves create the feeling of a secluded garden rather than an imposing structure. The memorial is divided into four outdoor galleries, or rooms, one for each of FDR’s terms in office. Water cascades and quiet pools are present throughout.
  
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  Enjoy a spectacular view of The Jefferson Memorial from the FDR Memorial. The 19-foot statue of the third president stands beneath a rotunda inscribed with passages from the Declaration of Independence and Jefferson’s other famous writings. Looking across the Tidal Basin provides an unforgettable view of the Jefferson Memorial.
  

7:00pm Enjoy dinner this evening at Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant. Dinner starts with a salad of fresh baby greens tossed in marzen vinaigrette. Entrée choices are: (1) Pasta Marinara, fresh mozzarella, marinara sauce and parmesan cheese over a bowtie pasta; (2) Grilled Mahi Fillet, grilled mahi served with jasmine rice and seasonal vegetables; or (3) Schwarzbier Tenderloin Tips Sauteed tenderloin tips, mushrooms, shallots and garlic simmered slowly in a balsamic Schwarzbier reduction and served atop Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Seasonal Vegetables. (4) Pecan Crusted Chicken Chicken breasts crusted with Pecans and served golden brown and topped with a Sherry cream sauce, served over Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Seasonal Vegetables Dessert is New York cheesecake topped with fresh strawberries. Unlimited coffee, tea, or soda. Choose upon arrival.

9:30pm Drop GUIDE.

10:00pm Return to hotel for the evening.

Meals: B, D
Day Six, Sunday, October 15, 2017

7:30am Enjoy breakfast at hotel prior to checking out. Baggage handling is included.

8:30am Depart.

9:30am Arrive at Mount Vernon, the estate of George Washington. (Confirmation # xxxxxxx- 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway, Alexandria, VA 22309

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  Visit the Ford Orientation Center & Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center at Mount Vernon. The center contain sculptures, paintings, portraits, models, photos, films, documents and diverse artifacts, with succinct descriptions and pithy quotations describing the life, times and accomplishments of our nation's first president. With 25 state-of-the-art galleries the museum displays many objects shown at Mount Vernon for the first
  
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  Enjoy lunch on own at Mount Vernon Food Court.
  

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  Visit the National Museum of American History. View the Museum of American History’s complete make-over and renovation! Browse through the new state-of-the-art gallery that offers a spectacular view of the Star Spangled Banner, and view the exhibits that top the list of must-sees for any visitor with a taste for true Americana.  See the First Ladies’ inaugural gowns, quilts, cars, locomotives and much, much more.
  
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  Visit the National Air & Space Museum. Experience the history of flight at one of the world’s most visited museum, from the plane flown by the Wright brothers to the Apollo 11 command module.  Features an incredible collection of aviation and space technology treasures.
  
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  Visit the National Museum of Natural History.  The Hope Diamond and dinosaur fossils and the world’s largest African bush elephant top the amazing natural treasures on display along with a live insect zoo.
  

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  Experience something of the unique nature and welcoming spirit of The National Museum of the American Indian. From the American Southwest, Hawaii, Canada, South and Central America you will feel the spirit of these native people. See items from the great American pyramid builders to the beautiful craftsmanship of North, Central, and South America’s indigenous people.
  
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  The National Gallery of Art houses an outstanding collection of masterpieces that trace the development of Western art from the Middle Ages to the present.  The original West Building concentrates primarily on European works from the 13^th century, while its contemporary counterpart, the East Building, highlights works of modern artists.
  
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  Visit the Freer & Sackler Gallery. The Freer & Sackler galleries boast one of the finest museum collections of Chinese art outside of China, with over ten thousand objects dating from Neolithic times(ca. 700-ca.2000 B.C.E.) to the present. While the sheer number of items is impressive, it is their variety and quality that is truly remarkable, with nearly every medium and category of Chinese art represented.
  
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  Visit the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. This donut-shaped building boasts a collection of 19th and 20th century paintings and sculptures.
  
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  The National Museum of African Art is the only museum in the United States dedicated exclusively to the collection, exhibition and study of the traditional arts of sub-Saharan Africa.
  

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  Stop at the Marine Corps Memorial (Iwo Jima Statue) One of the largest bronze statues ever cast depicts the American Flag being raised on Mount Suribachi during World War II and commemorates all Marines who have died in battle since 1775.
  
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  Stop at The National World War II Memorial. This memorial honors the 16 million who served in the armed forces of the U.S. during World War II, the more than 400,000 who died, and the millions who supported the war effort from home. Symbolic of the defining event of the 20th Century, the memorial is a monument to the spirit, sacrifice, and commitment of the American people to the common defense of the nation and to the broader causes of peace and freedom from tyranny throughout the world.
  

9:45pm Return to hotel for the evening.

Meals: B, D

Day Seven, Monday, October 16, 2017

7:00am Enjoy breakfast at hotel prior to checking out. Baggage handling is included.

8:00am Depart.
10:00am Visit Montpelier, the home of James and Dolly Madison. Madison was the 4^th President of the United States and Father of the Constitution. Beginning January 2004, Montpelier will be undergoing a 5-year restoration to return the home to the way it was during Madison’s lifetime. Under a multi-million dollar grant by the Mellon Foundation the 55-room mansion is being returned to its original 22-room size when the Madison’s lived there.

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  The mansions ongoing work (Pending Availability), grounds, formal gardens, woodland trails, cemetery, and Education Center (displaying the furniture from the house and recreations of the dining room and Dolly Madison’s Ante Chamber) are open to the public. It is the plan of Montpelier to save and recreate in a separate museum/building the more formal and noted rooms being removed from the mansion including the Dupont’s art deco Horse Room and the beautiful gold and plaster ceiling of the formal Withdrawing Room.
  

1:00pm Enjoy lunch at Historic Michie Tavern. This is one of the oldest homesteads remaining in Virginia. The Tavern and its outbuildings offer a glimpse of 18^th-century life through the exhibit of handcrafted furnishings and artifacts. It contains one of the largest and finest collections of pre-Revolutionary furniture and is expanding its exhibit through the historical restoration of 18^th-century structures. Hearty, Typical colonial fare is served in “The Ordinary.” Tour the 1784 Tavern Museum and visit the General Store on the first floor of the Meadow Run Grist Mill.

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  Stop at the General Store located within the Meadow Run Grist Mill, next door to Michie Tavern. The store features a variety of Virginia’s finest gifts. A Christmas Shop, jewelry, apparel, pewter, collectibles, food, and beverages can be found in the store.
  

2:30pm Arrive at Monticello.

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  Tour the Thomas Jefferson Visitor Center and Smith Education Center. The Visitor Center is built around an open courtyard with fountain that upon opening visitors immediately began tossing Jefferson nickels in to. The green energy saving buildings includes galleries, educational facilities, theatre, gift shop, and a great café with indoor and outdoor seating. Mr. Jefferson would be proud!
  
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  See Thomas Jefferson's World, in the Carl and Hunter Smith Education Center a 14-minute introductory film that dramatically present Jefferson’s ideals and accomplishments and illustrate Monticello’s central importance to his life and work. The film is shown on a 16-by-9-foot screen in a 2,400-square-foot theater with 125 seats. This free film shows every 20 minutes.
  
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  Tour new Robert H. and Clarice Smith Gallery:
  
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    The Words of Thomas Jefferson, an innovative exhibition in which quotations by and about Jefferson are projected in light.
    
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    Thomas Jefferson and ‘the Boisterous Sea of Liberty,’ an exhibition tracing the development and ongoing influence of Jefferson’s ideas about liberty through an interactive presentation on a wall of high-definition screens.
    
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    Monticello as Experiment: ‘To Try All Things,’ an exhibition that explores Jefferson’s use of Monticello as a laboratory for his belief that “useful knowledge” could make life more efficient and convenient.
    
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    Making Monticello: Jefferson’s ‘Essay in Architecture,’ an exhibition covering the architectural origins, construction, and 40-year evolution of the iconic Monticello house.
    

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  Tour Monticello, the mountaintop home of Thomas Jefferson. The house is a remarkable integration of classical architecture and modern innovation designed by Jefferson and built on the mountain top where he had played as a boy. Mr. Jefferson named his home Monticello, meaning Little Mountain and always used the Italian pronunciation of Monticello (mon-ti-chel-oh). We’ll also visit the spectacular Gardens and Mulberry Row, the plantation “street” along which Monticello slaves lived and labored. (40 minutes)
  
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    Included in the price of admission from March 15- October 31: Gardens and Grounds Tours. A guided walking tour exploring the restored flower and vegetable gardens, grove, and orchards. Depart from the West Lawn daily beginning at 9:15am to 4:15 pm every hour on the quarter hour. (45 minutes)
    
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    Included in the price of admission from March 15 – October 31: Plantation Community Tours. A guided walking about African American life at Monticello. Departs from Mulberry Row in front of the Museum Shop 10:00am to 3:00pm daily, every hour on the hour. (45 minutes)
    

5:30pm Check in Comfort Inn – Monticello (2097 Inn Dr, Charlottesville, VA 22911 (434) 977-3300) Baggage handling is included.

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  Enjoy dinner on own.
  

9:00pm Return to hotel to rest for the evening.

Meals: B, L

Day Eight, Tuesday, October 17, 2017

7:00am Enjoy breakfast at hotel prior to checking out. Baggage handling is included.

8:00am Depart.

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  Enter Skyline Drive. It is not just a road through the park; it is a way to experience it. You will pass rock cliffs, and vistas, and probably deer and other wildlife; drive through tunnels of trees, past wildflowers and ferns, and (in late spring) by banks of mountain laurel in bloom. Make several stops along the way. 75 overlooks offer a place to stop and absorb the view and the peace. The 35-miles-per-hour speed limit allows you the opportunity to truly enjoy the ride and helps to ensure the safety of wildlife along the road. Exit at _______.
  

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  Patsy Cline’s home is located in a working-class neighborhood in the City of Winchester, Virginia; this modest house was the residence of country music legend Patsy Cline (1932-63), who lived here from the ages of 16-21, when she married Gerald Cline. Patsy resided here from 1948-53, longer than at any other house associated with her in the Winchester and Nashville areas, and she returned to it intermittently until her singing career began in 1957
  

3:30pm Check in to the George Washington Hotel ( 540-678-4700 – 103 E. Piccadilly St. Winchester, VA 22601). Baggage handling included.

5:30pm Enjoy dinner included this evening at the hotel, where you will be entertained by a Patsy Cline tribute singer.

Meals: B, D

Morning Enjoy breakfast at hotel prior to checking out. Baggage handling is included.

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  Depart and continue home.