• Night 1 Jekyll Island Club Hotel
  Jekyll Island, Georgia
• Night 2,3 Hilton Savannah DeSoto
  Savannah, Georgia
• Night 4 The Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa
  Hilton Head, South Carolina
• Night 5,6,7 The Mills House Hotel
  Charleston, South Carolina

Itinerary

1. Arrive Jacksonville
Tour departs: 3:00 PM from Jacksonville International Airport. Travel north from Jacksonville to the Golden Isles of Georgia and Jekyll Island, where you’ll spend the night at the elegant Jekyll Island Club Hotel. Join us this evening for a welcome reception and dinner. Meals D

2. St. Simons Island / Savannah
Tour Jekyll Island’s 240-acre historical district by tram car, with visits to Faith Chapel and Rockefeller’s Indian Mound. Drive to nearby St. Simons Island, then continue on to Savannah, where your hotel is located in the center of the restored historic district. Enjoy southern hospitality this evening when you dine at a private home. Meals BLD

3. Discover Savannah
Join a local expert for sightseeing today; visit the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum, and take a private tour of the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace, a National Historic Landmark. The remainder of the day is free. Meals B

4. Fort Pulaski / Hilton Head
You’ll visit Fort Pulaski National Monument, rich in Civil War history, en route to Hilton Head Island – South Carolina’s premier beach resort. This serene getaway island is bordered by one of the few unspoiled marine estuaries on the eastern coast of the U.S. Meals BLD

5. Beaufort / Charleston, Private Cruise
Explore Beaufort, South Carolina, known as the Queen of the Carolina Sea Islands, then continue on to Charleston, South Carolina’s first capital. A private harbor cruise this afternoon brings centuries of the city’s maritime history to life. Your hotel for the next three nights is set in the heart of the beautiful historic district. Meals BD

6. Explore Charleston
Step back in time on a morning sightseeing tour, viewing an array of legendary sights ranging from pre-Revolutionary War buildings to graceful antebellum homes. Spend the remainder of the day at your leisure. Meals B

7. Charleston’s Finest Plantations
Some of the finest 17th- and 18th-century gardens and plantations are located a few miles outside of Charleston. The Connoisseur Tour of Drayton Hall, a plantation built in 1738, explores fascinating details from three centuries of plantation life as described by senior interpreters using archived letters, plantation logs and old photographs. Preserved in its original condition, the mansion is one of the finest examples of Georgian Palladian architecture. Walk through America’s oldest landscaped gardens at 18th-century Middleton Place, the grandest of the Ashley River Plantations and a National Historic Landmark; explore the mansion and visit the plantation stable yards. Join us this evening for a farewell reception and dinner. Meals BLD

8. Journey Home
Tour ends: Charleston. Fly home anytime. Allow a minimum of two hours for flight check-in; a transfer to the airport is not included. Meals B

Dates & Prices

*Airfare is additional.
Please ask at time of booking about additional hotel nights before your tour begins and about our comprehensive Guest Protection Plan.
 

• A guided tour with expert interpreters that delves into three centuries of history at Drayton Hall, using a rich cache of historical photographs, plantation logs and archived letters

• A private cruise in Charleston Harbor, where Charleston's rich maritime heritage comes alive, from the Revolutionary War to pirates to nature; visit places that bigger boats can't reach

• An exclusive dinner at the Metts-McNeal Mansion begins with Mint Juleps on the veranda overlooking Forsyth Park – an authentic taste of traditional southern hospitality

• Airport transfers upon arrival and departure as detailed

• 15 meals (7 breakfasts, 3 lunches and 5 dinners), service charges, gratuities to local guides, admission fees, taxes and porterage

• Night 1 Hyatt Regency Philadelphia
  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Night 2 Gettysburg Hotel
  Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
• Night 3 Big Meadows Lodge / Skyland Resort Lodge
  Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
• Night 4,5** Williamsburg Lodge
  Williamsburg, Virginia
• Night 6,7 Renaissance Mayflower Hotel
  Washington, DC

Itinerary

1. Arrive Philadelphia
Tour begins: Hyatt Regency Philadelphia at 5:00 PM. You might want to schedule your arrival early enough to explore this first capital of the U.S, perhaps visiting the Liberty Bell or the Constitution Center. Join us for a welcome reception and dinner tonight. Meals D

2. Amish Country / Gettysburg
Your historic journey begins with a carriage ride through the beautiful tree-lined streets of Philadelphia and a visit to Independence Hall, site of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Travel through the rolling farmland of Pennsylvania to Lancaster County, where a tour with a local guide gives insights into the unique cultural heritage of the Amish. Continue on to historic Gettysburg. Meals BLD

3. Visit Historic Gettysburg
Visit the somber grounds of Gettysburg National Military Park, where thousands lost their lives on the battlefields; time at leisure may include Gettysburg National Cemetery, where President Lincoln delivered his Gettysburg Address. Travel on the Skyline Drive, a National Scenic Byway, along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Meals BLD

4. Monticello / Richmond
Journey to Charlottesville for a visit to Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s magnificent colonial mansion that’s a real architectural masterpiece. You’ll also visit Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy during the Civil War era. Your final stop today is Colonial Williamsburg; tonight’s dinner is in one of the restoration’s colonial taverns. Meals BLD

5. Colonial Williamsburg at Leisure
Explore Colonial Williamsburg, the economic and political hub of Britain’s largest colony in the New World. Meet historic interpreters in colonial dress who represent actual citizens from 18th-century Williamsburg; step back in time in this living history museum and see the Capitol Building, Raleigh Tavern, the Governor’s Palace, Bruton Parish Church, and many other colonial homes and shops. Spend the entire day as you wish. Meals B

6. Jamestown, and a tour an evening tour of Washington, DC
Travel to 400 year-old Jamestown, first permanent English settlement in the New World, where you’ll compare and contrast three cultures that converged there – Powhatan Indians, the English, and the Africans – at a lecture. Take a walking tour to see gallery exhibitions commemorating America’s early heritage, then it’s off to Washington, DC. You’ll long remember the city’s illuminated monuments against a moonlit sky on an evening tour. Meals BLD

7. Mount Vernon, and an afternoon tour of Washington, DC
Learn more about the life of the father of our country at George Washington’s beloved Mount Vernon estate, overlooking the Potomac River; tour the mansion and landscaped grounds, and explore the new interactive museum. Return to Washington, DC, where an afternoon sightseeing tour includes the WWII, Vietnam and Korean War Memorials, and the Lincoln Memorial. Join us tonight for a farewell reception and dinner. Meals BD

8. Journey Home
Tour ends: Washington, DC. Fly home anytime; a transfer to the airport is not included. Allow a minimum of two hours for flight check-in. Meals B

Dates & Prices

*Airfare is additional.

Please ask at time of booking about additional hotel nights before your tour begins and about our comprehensive Guest Protection Plan.

Note: All departures stay at the Williamsburg Lodge in Colonial Williamsburg. For an additional $225 per person, double occupancy, or $450 per person, single occupancy, you may reserve accommodations at the Williamsburg Inn (limited availability); inquire at time of booking. Triples will be accommodated at the Williamsburg Lodge.

Sightseeing Highlights

Horse-Drawn Carriage, Philadelphia
Travel back in time on an enchanting carriage ride along Philadelphia’s historic tree-lined streets.

Discover Jamestown’s Three Cultures
Learn about the distinctive cultural influences that came together to create Jamestown, the first permanent English colony in America, at an educational lecture.

Dine at a Williamsburg Colonial Tavern
Dine at a tavern in historic Williamsburg featuring Colonial-era menus, recipes and dishes.
 

Itinerary

1. Arrive Grand Rapids Tour departs: 3:00 PM from Gerald R. Ford International Airport. Begin your travels throughout the state of Michigan with a visit to the Gerald R. Ford Museum, detailing the private life and career of the late 38th President of the United States and longtime Michigan congressman. We invite you to join us in Grand Rapids this evening for a welcome reception and dinner. Meals D

2. Lake Michigan / Sand Dune Ride Journey northward along Michigan’s west coast, famous for miles of beaches, fertile farmland and windblown sand dunes. Gain insights into the environment of the sweeping Silver Lake sand dunes on a private, guided dune buggy ride over the dunes. See the eclectic collection of antique automated musical instruments at the Music House Museum, and spend the night at an award-winning resort on the Lake Michigan shoreline. Meals BLD

3. Locks of Sault Ste. Marie A scenic drive along Grand Traverse Bay leads to the Straits of Mackinac and a visit to Fort Michilamackinac, built by the French in 1715; the fort is a reconstruction of life in the 18th century. Take the “Mighty Mac” suspension bridge to the Upper Peninsula and Sault Ste. Marie. A cruise on St. Mary’s River concludes with the experience of locking through the Soo Locks, which connect Lake Superior with Lake Huron. Meals B

4. Tahquamenon Falls / Upper Peninsula Journey along Lake Superior’s shores to Tahquamenon Falls and the legendary land of Longfellow’s Hiawatha. Travel across the Upper Peninsula through forests of oak, maple, pine and hemlock, and along the shores of Lake Michigan. Take a ferry to Mackinac Island and step back in time on a two-night stay at the 1887 Grand Hotel, one of the most celebrated hotels in America. Meals BLD

5. Mackinac Island Mackinac Island measures two miles by three miles, and is almost as unspoiled as it was when the first Europeans arrived three centuries ago. You must travel on the island by bicycle, horsepower or shank’s mare; no motorized vehicles are allowed. Join us for an exclusive sightseeing tour of the island by horse-drawn carriage, a tradition dating back to the mid-19th century. Meals BD

6. Frankenmuth / Dearborn Ferry to the mainland and travel to Frankenmuth, with time to browse. You’ll understand why Michigan is one of the nation’s leading manufacturing states when you see its industrial heritage en route to Dearborn. Meals BLD

7. Explore The Henry Ford Spend the day exploring The Henry Ford on a privately guided visit to this extraordinary complex of museums and living history exhibits dedicated to the American experience, including Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford Museum. Witness the growth of America between 1800 and 1950 – a story told with restored examples of trains, planes and motorcars; a one-room schoolhouse, tavern and gristmill; visionary architect R. Buckminster Fuller’s Dymaxion House; and the workplaces and homes of innovators such as Henry Ford, the Wright brothers, Thomas Edison, and Harvey Firestone. Join us for a farewell reception and dinner tonight. Meals BD

8. Journey Home Transfer to the Detroit Airport. Tour ends: 9:00 AM at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. Allow a minimum of two hours for flight check-in. Transfers later in the day can be arranged by your Tauck Director. Meals B

Dates & Prices

8 Days from $2,130 plus airfare
(7 Breakfasts, 3 Lunches & 6 Dinners)

Price Per Person
Double $2130 Single $2676 Triple $1983
(double with rollaway)

Airfare is additional – Tauck can book your air, to Grand Rapids and from Detroit, for travel originating in the U.S., subject to availability; inquire upon booking for special airfares that may be available.

Please ask at time of booking about additional hotel nights before your tour begins and about our comprehensive Guest Protection Plan.
 

Two-Night Stay on Mackinac Island Take an exclusive tour by horse-drawn carriage on historic Mackinac Island; stay at the famed Grand Hotel.
Private Guided Dune Buggy Tour Learn about the history and unique environment of Lake Michigan’s constantly changing sand dune mountains on a private, escorted dune buggy tour of the Silver Lake dunes.

Private Tour of The Henry Ford Enjoy a privately guided tour of the Henry Ford Museum, for a unique insider’s view of the lives, inventions and ideas of America’s greatest innovators.