April 14-17, 2010
Date: Thursday, April 15, 2010
Approx. Time: Depart 9:00 AM - 4 1/2 hours
Fee: $50.00 per person
Includes: Deluxe Climate-Controlled Motor coach D.C. Licensed, Uniformed Tour Guide, All Admissions and Appointments
Washington, DC, is one of only three planned federal capitals. George Washington chose this site in 1790, and selected Pierre Charles L’Enfant to design the city as the capital for the new United States. L’Enfant’s city plan has evolved as a beautiful and exciting showplace for the federal government, world-class museums, gardens and monuments to this nation’s notable figures and events.
One of the city’s finest tour guides will introduce you to the history, architecture and grandeur of Washington, DC. Engaging stories, little known facts, and trivia will be told as you explore the monuments, memorials and notable buildings. Drive by the The “Church of the Presidents”, the White House, Smithsonian Institution Complex and the Washington Monument. You will see the imposing Capitol Dome from the comfort of your air-conditioned coach. Travel the inaugural parade route and see the FBI Building. Then stop at one of the most visited areas of the city, the National Park that boasts as its centerpieces the Lincoln, Vietnam War and Korean War Veterans Memorials. See the National World War II Memorial at the opposite end of the reflecting pool. Pause for a photo from the place where Marion Anderson sang for the nation and where Martin Luther King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech. Enjoy a short ride along the Tidal Basin to the Jefferson and Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorials. This is one of the world’s most beautiful cities, which you will enjoy even more in the company of your storytelling guide!
Date: Friday, April 16, 2010
Approx. Time: Depart 9:00 AM - 5 1/2 hours
Fee: $105.00 per person
Includes: Deluxe Climate-Controlled Motor coach, D.C. Licensed, Uniformed Tour Guide, Tour of Estate, All Admissions, Elegant lunch at Hillwood
Travel to the former home of Marjorie Merriweather Post to experience the opulent lifestyle and aristocratic luxury of her 25-acre estate, known as Hillwood. Mrs. Post was the heiress of the Post cereal fortune and mother of famous actress Dina Merrill. She furnished her 40-room Georgian-Style Mansion with a collection of 18th and 19th century Russian and French decorative art, including Fabergé eggs, Russian Imperial icons, rare tapestries and priceless objects d’art. See period pieces from the reign of Catherine the Great and the nuptial crown worn by Empress Alexandra at her wedding to Nicolas II in 1894. A stroll through the lavish gardens and greenhouse will charm you. Ms. Post conceived of outdoor “rooms”, bounded by hedges or large plants. The elaborately landscaped grounds include an authentic Japanese garden, a delightful Russian dacha (summer house) and Greenhouse which shelters a stunning display of 5000 orchids. On this elegant tour, you will also enjoy lunch in the beautiful café on the grounds of the estate.
Date: Saturday, April 17, 2010
Approx. Time: Depart 9:30 AM - 6 hours
Fee: $95.00 per person
Includes: Deluxe Climate-Controlled Motor coach, D.C. Licensed, Uniformed Tour Guide, Tours of Both Museums, All Admissions, (Lunch on your own)
Begin with a docent-led tour of the Kreeger Museum. Renowned architect Philip Johnson, famous for such masterpieces as the pre-Columbian gallery at Dumbarton Oaks in Georgetown and the Lincoln Center in New York, designed this magnificent home for David Kreeger, the insurance magnate. Completed in 1967 the Kreeger is a Showcase for its collection of 19th- and 20th-century Masters, with more than 180 works by Picasso, Monet, Miro, Rodin and Kandinsky, as well as other contemporary artists. The 66-foot great hall was designed for chamber music ensembles where artists such as Isaac Stern have performed. The Phillips Collection was the first permanent museum of Modern art in the U.S. and served as the home of Duncan Phillips. This Georgian Revival Style Mansion boasts as the centerpiece of its collection, Renoir’s “Luncheon of the Boating Party”. This outstanding collection concentrates on French Impressionist, Post Impressionist and American Modernist paintings.
In addition to cabs and rental cars, the National Harbor offers a fun and practical way to get to various destinations…a water taxi! Water taxi service is available to and from points around Washington D.C., Virginia and Maryland for your convenience. The Potomac Riverboat Company operates water taxi service between National Harbor and Old Town Alexandria, with additional boat service to Mount Vernon and Georgetown. Water taxis will run every half hour between National Harbor and Old Town Alexandria. There will be three daily trips to Georgetown’s Washington Harbor, and a single daily trip to George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate. Ask the concierge for more information.