Capital Region Holidays
Sample itineraries
Patriots of America - A Tauck Escorted Tour for the Family
From £2425
A lot has changed in the United States since the early American forefathers gathered in Philadelphia to sign the Declaration of Independence, but the nation's patriotic spirit remains as strong as ever. Start your journey through history with a close-up look at the first government seat of the United States. Back then, electric lights and motorcars were a thing of the future – and are still nowhere to be seen in Amish Country. It may be hard to imagine a war that pitted brother against brother as a young America felt her growing pains; your visit to the battlefields of Gettysburg sheds new light on this poignant chapter of American history. Interactive exhibits about the U.S. Marine Corps celebrate the bravery of the men and women who fight for freedom; the citizens of Colonial Williamsburg tell you what it was like to live on the eve of the American Revolution, and George Washington's staff shares secrets of daily life at Mount Vernon! There's more to see and do in Washington, DC, where the past meets the future with exciting inventions, national monuments and a special evening at the International Spy Museum.
Patriots of America - A Tauck Escorted Tour for the family
From £2425 per adult
From £2275 per child
Tour Departure Dates:
June 30th
July 14th
August 11th
Your Tauck Tour includes:
- Flights from UK to Philadelphia returning from Washington DC
-
7 nights accommodation in fine hotels with great locations
- The ulitmate Washington DC adventure - dinner and a special evening at the International Spy Museum
- Learning about a different culture, the Amish, on a visit to Pennsylvania Dutch Country
- Guided tour oft Gettysburg National Military Park and storyteller evening
- Meeting colonial citizens of 18th-century WIlliamsburg and dining in a colonial tavern
- Visits to Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, and the National Constitution Center, plus a carriage ride to the Betsy Ross House
- Airport transfers on arrival and departure as noted
- 14 meals (7 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 4 dinners); all gratuities to Tauck Director, local guides & drivers; service charges, taxes and porterage
Day 1 Arrive Philadelphia
Tour begins: 5:00 PM at the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia.
Welcome to Philadelphia! A transfer is included from Philadelphia
International Airport to the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia. Join us this
evening to meet your Tauck Director and fellow explorers at our welcome
reception and dinner – a great way to kick off your family's Philadelphia to
Washington DC tour!
Meals: Dinner
Accommodation: Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Day 2 Following in history's footsteps in Old Philadephia
A day of exploration in Philadelphia starts with a sightseeing tour of the old city. Stop at famous Independence Hall, where courageous delegates from the thirteen colonies put their lives on the line by signing the Declaration of Independence; where George Washington was named commander-in-chief of the Continental Army; where Betsy Ross' design for the first flag was approved; and where the American Constitution was drafted - that's a whole lot of history in just one building! Visit the new home of America's symbol of freedom, the Liberty Bell, at the Liberty Bell Center; take a horse-drawn carriage ride along cobblestone streets to the Betsy Ross House; and learn all about the "blueprint" of American democracy at the Constitution Center, where you'll see Freedom Rising, a multimedia production that tells the story of this extraordinary document. Spend the rest of the day checking out more of the "City of Brotherly Love" on your own.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Day 3 Amish Country and the battlefields of Gettysburg
![PA Amish kids-and-buggy[1]](/img/uploads/7084_fit588x588.jpg)
Today Tauck takes you to rural Lancaster County, "the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country," where the Amish people still live very much as their ancestors did, without things like electricity, cars, computers and TV – necessities that we probably couldn't live without! Get to know their lifestyle as you follow the story of an Amish family at the Amish Experience F/X Theater, visit an Amish homestead and enjoy an Amish-style lunch! Continue on to historic Gettysburg, site of the crucial battles that marked an important turning point in the Civil War and are often referred to as the "High Water Mark of the Confederacy." Poignant reminders of the Civil War are all around at Gettysburg National Military Park; you'll find out what happened here from a local guide as you tour the battlefields where 93,000 Union troops stopped General Robert E. Lee's 70,000 Confederate soldiers' advance northward during three days of ferocious fighting in July of 1863. And tonight – at Tauck Bridges' private dessert reception – you'll meet a storyteller in period costume who recounts what it was like to be a civilian caught in Gettysburg as the famous battle raged!
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Wyndham Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Day 4 "Ooh-rah!" and "Semper Fi!"
Your Tauck journey continues south across the Mason-Dixon Line to Triangle, Virginia, and the National Museum of the Marine Corps. Here, interactive exhibits reveal how boot camp transforms Marine recruits from just ordinary folks to Marines, honor the heroic feats of brave Marines in battles around the world, display priceless artifacts from the Corps' proud history, and explain the significance of "Ooh-rah" and "Semper Fi!" (a Marine Corps rallying cry taken from the Corps' motto, "Semper Fidelis," which means "ever faithful"). Have lunch on your own, then arrive in Colonial Williamsburg for a two-night stay. You'll dine tonight at a colonial tavern, just like Williamsburg citizens did in the 18th century.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Accommodation: Williamsburg Lodge, Williamsburg, Virginia
Day 5 Back in time in wonderful Colonial Williamsburg
Have you ever wondered what life was like when America was a brand-new nation? At Colonial Williamsburg, you'll be able to see it - and experience it - for yourself as you explore this amazing historic reconstruction as you please. Enter colonial homes to see how families lived and visit colonial shops to discover what kinds of businesses and trades were thriving in the 1700s. You'll meet 18th-century people going about their daily chores, selling their wares and demonstrating their skills, as you spend the day learning firsthand just how people lived back then. And you'll cap this very enlightening day with a candlelight storytelling "ghost tour" through Williamsburg's centuries-old streets!
Meals: Breakfast, lunch
Lodging: Williamsburg Lodge, Williamsburg, Virginia
Day 6 A home fit for a president... and on to Washington
After leaving Williamsburg this morning, you'll head off to historic Mount Vernon, of which it can truly be said that "George Washington slept here"; set on the banks of the Potomac River, Mount Vernon was the awesome plantation home of "America's first hero" and first president, and his wife Martha. Walk in Washington's footsteps and discover what life was like for his family during your visit. Later, you'll arrive in the nation's capital, where your journey through America's historic and cultural legacies continues with visits to two popular museums of the Smithsonian Institution – the National Air and Space Museum, where you can see historic aircraft and spacecraft from Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis to an Apollo Lunar Module like those that landed on the moon – and the National Museum of the American Indian, advancing knowledge and understanding of the western hemisphere's native peoples through state-of-the-art exhibits.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: The Mayflower Renaissance, Washington, DC
Day 7 A monumental Washington DC tour
You've seen pictures of them and you've read about them. Today, you'll visit them - the Lincoln Memorial, the Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima Memorial), and the United States Capital Building - and see other famous sights like the Washington Monument on a guided sightseeing excursion, as your exciting Washington DC tour continues. There will be free time this afternoon for you and your family to spend as you please in the nation's capital, prior to a very special night at the International Spy Museum, where the shadowy world of international intrigue awaits you. Not only will you discover how talented spies have changed the course of history as you explore this cool interactive museum featuring one of the world's largest collections of spy-related artifacts ever exhibited... but you'll also enjoy our farewell reception and dinner right inside the museum, where you can swap favorite memories of your journey with your new friends!
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Accommodation: The Mayflower Renaissance Washington, DC
Day 8 Your journey through American history concludes
Tour ends: Washington, DC. It's time to pack up all your memories of your family's adventures during Patriots of America and head for home. Fly home anytime; a transfer is included from the L'Enfant Plaza Hotel to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport or Washington Dulles International Airport. Please allow two hours for airport check-in.
Meals: Breakfast
