Each year we explore one or two of our 50 states. In May 2024, we explored Pennsylvania, nicknamed the Keystone State because it was in the center of the original thirteen colonies. On our journey, we discovered key events and sites of the birth of our nation including Washington's Crossing of the Delaware; the new National Museum of the American Revolution; and Independence Hall.   We visited Frank Lloyd Wright's masterpiece, Fallingwater; President Buchanan's home Wheatland; and a farm in Gettysburg that welcomed us to Lost Avenue, a secluded spot on the Gettysburg Battlefield. We met an Amish couple at their farm in Lancaster and at Jumonville Glen and Fort Necessity, we learned about the outbreak of the French & Indian War. We paid our respects at two National Memorials - Flight 93 and the Johnstown Flood.

OUR  ITINERARY

Day 1: Monday, May 6    (R, D)
Gather with staff and fellow travelers for our welcome dinner.

Overnight Best Western Independence Park Hotel, Philadelphia

Day 2:  Tuesday, May 7   (B)  National Museum of the American Revolution
We will spend the day exploring the historic heart of Philadelphia. We will begin with a guided tour and private talk at the new National Museum of the American Revolution, followed by tours of Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell Center. Overnight Best Western Independence Park Hotel, Philadelphia

Day 3: Wednesday, May 8  (B ,L)    Pennsbury Manor  - Washington Crossing Park
This morning we will have a guided tour of Pennsbury Manor, the home of William Penn who founded the colony of Pennsylvania in March 1681. We will spend the afternoon on a guided tour of Washington Crossing Park that preserves the site where George Washington crossed the Delaware River on Christmas Eve 1776 and turned the tide of the Revolutionary War. Overnight Best Western Independence Park Hotel, Philadelphia

Day 4: Thursday, May 9  (B, L)  Valley Forge  - National Museum of Industrial History
We will spend the morning at Valley Forge National Historical Park. We will continue to Bethlehem, PA for a guided tour of the National Museum of Industrial History, housed in the former facility of Bethlehem Steel. The museum is affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution and tells the story of the industrial history of the nation. We will continue to Harrisburg and check into our hotel. Overnight Hilton Hotel, Harrisburg

Day 5: Friday, May 10  (B, L)
This morning we will tour the State Capitol Building described by President Teddy Roosevelt as “the most handsomest building I ever saw.”  We will continue to Altoona, PA to visit the famous Horseshoe Curve National Historic Landmark. At the Railroaders Memorial Museum, we will see exhibits and a film on the history of the Curve. We will take a funicular so we can watch trains travel around the Curve. We will drive to Somerset and check into our hotel for a 3-night stay. Overnight Fairfield Inn & Suites, Somerset, PA

Day 6:  Saturday, May 11 (B, L, D)    Johnstown Flood  - Fort Ligonier
We begin the morning at the Johnstown Flood National Memorial where we will learn how the town of Johnstown was devastated when the South Fork dam failed on Friday, May 31, 1889, unleashing 20,000,000 tons of water and killing 2,209 people. At the Johnstown Flood Museum we will see an Academy-Award-winning film "The Johnstown Flood." We’ll see the funicular built in 1891 as an escape route in case of future floods; it is the world's steepest vehicular inclined plane.  This afternoon at Ft. Ligonier we'll tour the museum and the impressive reconstructed fortifications, and we will hear how George Washington was nearly killed by friendly fire. Overnight Fairfield Inn & Suites, Somerset, PA

Day 7:   Sunday, May 12  (B, L)      Kentuck Nob   -  Fallingwater – Flight 93 Memorial
This morning, we will tour two homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, Kentuck Nob, one of the last homes designed by Wright and his masterpiece, Fallingwater. It is listed among Smithsonian's "Life List of 28 places to visit before you die." And in 1991, members of the American Institute of Architects named Fallingwater the "best all-time work of American architecture." This afternoon, we will pay our respects at the Flight 93 National Memorial near the town of Shanksville, PA. Overnight Fairfield Inn & Suites, Somerset, PA

Day 8:  Monday, May 13 (B, D)   Fort Necessity  -  Jumonville Glen
Today we will examine the opening action in the wilderness of Pennsylvania that launched a world war-- the French and Indian War also known as the Seven Year’s War. Ultimately, France lost most of their colonial empire in North America and a path was paved towards the American Revolution. A National Park ranger will spend most of the day with us giving us guided tours of Jumonville Glen, where the first shot of the war was fired in a skirmish between a party of French soldiers and 40 men led by George Washington; Fort Necessity National Battlefield, site of the war’s first battle; and General Braddock’s gravesite. Overnight The Country Inn, Berkeley, WV

Day 9:  Tuesday, May 14  (B, D)        Neil Avenue, Gettysburg Battlefield - Wheatland
This morning, we travel to Gettysburg. Since most of our regular travelers have taken multiple tours of the Battle of Gettysburg over the years, we will visit the farm of friends Dean & Judy Shultz on Baltimore Pike.  Dean will offer us a tour of Neil Avenue also known as “Lost Avenue” which features four monuments to General Neil’s 6th Brigade. It marks the far-left flank of the Union line on July 3rd.  This secluded spot is the least visited location on the Gettysburg Battlefield due to its difficult access from the park. (Because the site abuts Dean’s farm, the easiest way to access Lost Avenue is walking across his private property. 

We will continue to Lancaster PA for a guided tour of Wheatland, home of President James Buchanan from 1848 to his death in 1868.   We’ll celebrate our adventure at tonight’s farewell dinner. 

Overnight Marriott Courtyard, Lancaster, PA

Day 10:  Wednesday, May 15     (B, L)  Amish farm  - Hagley Museum

We begin the day with a local guide as we visit the Amish home and farm of Lydia and Amos. We will see their market, home and Lydia’s extensive quilt collection.  Our local expert will tell us about the history of the Amish in this part of Pennsylvania, and etiquette including proper attire and church life. 

Following lunch, we will travel to Wilmington DE to the Hagley Museum, the site of the gunpowder works founded by E.I. du Pont in 1802. The museum grounds feature indoor and outdoor exhibitions, including restored mills, a workers’ community, and the ancestral home and garden of the du Pont family.

Overnight Philadelphia Airport Marriott Hotel

Day 11: Thursday, May 16
Individual departures.

PROGRAM INCLUDES:
* Services of a Tour Manager (Marty Gane is scheduled to manage this tour)

* Services of local guides
* 10 nights hotel accommodations
* Transportation on a full-sized coach
* All admissions and excursions
* Two wine/beer receptions; 9 breakfasts; 6 lunches; 4 dinners

* Most gratuities including tip for the coach driver
* All taxes, baggage handling and gratuities; pre-trip notes, reading list and map book

COST: 12 DAYS/11 NIGHTS
Double Occupancy: $4250 per person

Single Occupancy:  $4995

(NOTE: All costs are based on a minimum of 20 participants.)