The Great American Crossing – Coast To Coast
- Duration: 21 days
- Board Basis: Mixed Board
- Tour Ref: D2TLEGKAGA
Holiday Summary
- Travel Type: Air
PLEASE NOTE: Price is per person and based on two people sharing a twin/double room. Single room supplements and upgrades are not included.
Itinerary
21 Day Itinerary
Day 1
Fly to New York, where you will be met and transferred to your hotel.
Day 2 - Philadelphia
We depart New York for Philadelphia, where we spend the morning exploring the historic district of the 'City of Brotherly Love' and the birthplace of a nation. See the Liberty Bell, and stroll through Independence National Historic Park and Mall. Then continue to the nation’s capital, Washington D.C.
Day 3 - Washington D.C.
Enjoy a city tour with such highlights as the US Capitol Building, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, the White House and Arlington National Cemetery, site of the JFK Memorial. Spend the remainder of the day exploring some of the many museums comprising the Smithsonian Institute or simply stroll the banks of the Potomac River.
Day 4 - Gettysburg
Today, visit Gettysburg National Military Park, site of one of the most decisive battles during the American Civil War, and the place where Abraham Lincoln gave his famous address in 1863. We then travel through upstate New York to Buffalo where the thundering noise and mist of Niagara Falls permeates the air.
Day 5 - Niagara Falls - The Great Lakes
Spend the morning sightseeing at Niagara Falls. In the late afternoon continue to your hotel in a suburb of Detroit, known as 'Motor City USA'.
Day 6 - Detroit
This morning starts with first a visit to the Rouge Factory followed by the fascinating Henry Ford Museum. After time exploring the many exhibits of the museum we will visit the nearby Ford plant and watch a modern production vehicle roll off the ever busy factory floor. We then leave Motor City behind and travel along Lake Michigan to Chicago for a two-night stay.
Day 7 - Chicago
Today we will enjoy a short tour of the city’s highlights including Lake Shore Drive, the Magnificent Mile and Navy Pier. The rest of the day is at leisure.
Day 8 - Mississippi River Crossing
Travel through Midwest farm country abundant in corn fields, wheat fields and dairy farms. Then we cross the mighty Mississippi River and travel into the state of Iowa to arrive just as Lewis & Clark did 200 years ago on the banks of the Missouri River. Overnight in Sioux City.
Day 9 - Badlands & Mount Rushmore
Travel westward through the grasslands of South Dakota and onwards to Badlands National Park, once home to the buffalo and antelope, and filled with colourful rock formations. Then we continue on to the Black Hills, sacred to the Plains Indians and home to Mount Rushmore.
Day 10 - Deadwood/Rapid City & Bighorn Mountains
Enter the state of Wyoming, which has twelve mountain ranges intermixed with deserts and rolling grasslands, and continue to Cody for the night. If overnight in Cody is not possible due to weather or adverse road conditions in Yellowstone, overnight will be in Billings Livingston, Montana.
Day 11 - Yellowstone
Drive past the mountains in Wyoming to Yellowstone, America’s first National Park, and enjoy a sightseeing tour of this immense geothermal wonderland including: geysers, waterfalls, wildlife and canyons. Highlights include Old Faithful, Yellowstone Lake, Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone Canyon’s majestic falls and beautiful Hayden Valley.
Day 12 - Grand Teton & Salt Lake City
Travel through Grand Teton National Park (weather permitting) and see awesome mountain peaks towering over 13,000 ft. Visit the Snake River Outlook and try your eye at capturing the stunning landscape made famous by Ansel Adam’s iconic shot. Later, arrive in the Mormon State of Utah and take a short city tour of its capital, Salt Lake City. The followers of Brigham Young built one of the best-planned cities in the country. See the State Capitol Building and visit famed Temple Square and the Tabernacle before arriving at the hotel for the evening.
Day 13 - Bryce Canyon
Continue today to spectacular Bryce Canyon, where a tour through a multi-coloured world of sandstone spires and pinnacles, 'hoodoos', will dazzle the eye. This evening, weather permitting, be sure to gaze upon the spectacular night sky filled with sparkling stars and brilliant constellations.
Day 14 - Lake Powell & Grand Canyon
Depart Bryce Canyon and journey to stunning Lake Powell, where crystal blue water laps against towering red-rock canyon walls. Lake Powell is the second-largest man-made lake in America, and one in a series of lakes formed by the damming of the Colorado River. Then visit colossal Grand Canyon National Park, one of the great natural wonders of the world. Stop at the Canyon rim to fully experience this mile-deep canyon’s plunging gorges, rising spires, extinct volcanoes and, below the rim, the winding Colorado River. Overnight in Flagstaff, a famed stop on Historic Route 66.
Day 15 - Seligman/Route 66 & Las Vegas
This morning depart Flagstaff and travel on to Las Vegas, the dazzling 'Entertainment Capital of the World'. Along the way, pass through Seligman, a town built along the famed Route 66 that looks as if it were frozen in time sixty years ago. The remainder of the day is at leisure for you to explore the dazzling Las Vegas Strip.
Day 16 - Mojave Desert & Beverly Hills
Travel to Los Angeles through the Mojave Desert, where clusters of unique Joshua trees dot the mountainous landscape. Upon arrival in Los Angeles you will enjoy a tour through the 'City of Angels' including Hollywood, Sunset Strip and parts of Beverly Hills, before reaching your hotel.
Day 17 - Los Angeles
Today we suggest an optional full-day tour visiting the world’s largest movie studio and theme park: Universal Studios. Get an inside look at the sets and uncover the behind the scenes secrets of legendary films or perhaps, for the more adventurous, take one of the Studios’ feature rides.
Day 18 - Santa Barbara
Leave Los Angeles in the morning and travel north through one of California’s favourite vacation spots, Santa Barbara, where palm-lined walkways border white sandy beaches. The city is famous for its mission and Spanish heritage. Along the way, stop at an iconic California lifeguard tower made famous in the TV show 'Baywatch'.
Day 19 - Carmel/Monterey
Today we make our way north to Carmel, home of actor/director Clint Eastwood. Enjoy browsing the shops and galleries of this famous artists’ colony. Travelling further north, visit Monterey’s Old Fisherman’s Wharf. Stroll the Pier to Cannery Row, brought to fame by John Steinbeck’s novel. In the afternoon, pass the fertile valleys of Castroville and Santa Clara en route to San Francisco, the 'City by the Bay'.
Day 20
Transfer to airport for your return overnight flight to the UK.
Day 21
Arrival in the UK.