Each year we explore one or two of our 50 states. This spring, we will explore Pennsylvania, nicknamed the Keystone State because it was in the center of the original thirteen colonies. On our journey, we will discover key events and sites of the birth of our nation including Valley Forge; Washington's Crossing of the Delaware; the new National Museum of the American Revolution; and Independence Hall. We will visit Amish country, and see Frank Lloyd Wright's masterpiece, Fallingwater.  We will visit James Buchanan's home Wheatland and President Eisenhower's Farm in Gettysburg. At Jumonville Glen and Fort Necessity, we will learn about the outbreak of the French & Indian War. We will pay our respects at two National Memorials - Flight 93 and the Johnstown Flood. We hope you can join us this spring!

ITINERARY

Day 1: Sunday, May 17    (R, D)
Gather with staff and fellow travelers for our welcome dinner. (Our hotel is 18.7 miles from Philadelphia International Airport. Once we have everyone’s flight information, we will help you arrange transfers from Philadelphia Airport to the hotel. Note: There are two DoubleTrees in Wilmington; we are staying at the Double Tree on 4727 Concord Pike. If you plan to drive we recommend parking your car at Philadelphia Airport for the tour's duration.) Overnight DoubleTree, Wilmington, DE

Day 2: Monday, May 18     (B, L, D)
We begin the day with a guided tour of 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. After lunch, we will travel to Bird in Hand, to learn about the Amish culture. Overnight Best Western Plus, Intercourse, PA

Day 3: Tuesday, May 19     (B ,L, D)
This morning, we will have a private guided tour of Wheatland, the home of President James Buchanan from 1848 to his death in 1868. We will continue to Gettysburg where we will tour the Eisenhower National Historic Site that preserves the home and 690 acre farm of Dwight D. Eisenhower, our 34th President. Overnight The Country Inn, Berkeley Springs, WV

Day 4: Wednesday, May 20    (B, L, D)
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 Fairfield Inn & Suites, Somerset, PA

Day 5: Thursday, May 21 (B)
We will pay our respects at the Flight 93 National Memorial near the town of Shanksville, PA. Then 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." Overnight Fairfield Inn & Suites, Somerset, PA

Day 6: Friday, May 22  (B, L)
We begin the morning at Ft. Ligonier where we'll tour the museum and the impressive reconstructed fortifications, and we will hear how George Washington was nearly killed by friendly fire. We will continue to 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. Overnight Hampton Inn Altoona

Day 7: Saturday, May 23  (B, L)
In Altoona PA, we will 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 Harrisburg for a tour of the state capitol building described by President Teddy Roosevelt as “the most handsomest building I ever saw.” Overnight Bethlehem, PA

Day 8: Sunday, May 24  (B, D)
We will spend the morning at 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. This afternoon, we will have a guided tour of the Valley Forge National Historic Park. We will continue to Philadelphia and check into our hotel (opening in April 2020) for three nights. Overnight Canopy Hotel by Hilton, Philadelphia

Day 9: Monday, May 25 – Memorial Day   (B, L)
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 Canopy Hotel by Hilton, Philadelphia

Day 10: Tuesday, May 26    (D)
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 and turned the tide of the Revolutionary War. We’ll celebrate our adventure at tonight’s farewell dinner. Overnight Canopy Hotel by Hilton, Philadelphia

Day 11: Wednesday, May 27
Individual departures

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

* Services of local guides
* 11 nights hotel accommodations
* Transportation on a full-sized coach
* All admissions and excursions
* Two wine/beer

receptions; 9 breakfasts; 6 lunches; 6 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: $3,950 per person

Single Occupancy:  $4,695

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