History & Horticulture of the Mid-Atlantic

• Old City Cemetery Museums & Arboretum
• Anne Spencer House & Garden Museum
• The Depot Grille
• Lynchburg Ghost Tours
• National D-Day Memorial
• Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest
• Market at Main
• Monument Terrace
• Lynchburg Community Market
• Shoemakers American Grille
• Craddock Terry Hotel
• Historic Theatre at the Academy Center of the Arts
• Trail to Freedom
• Historic Kenmore
• Riverside Center for the Performing Arts
• Fredericksburg Battlefield Visitor Center
• Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park
• ‘Sip and Savor’ at A. Smith Bowman Distillery
• George Washington’s Mount Vernon
• Old Town Trolley Washington, DC
• National Arboretum
• Union Market
• US Capitol Building
• Library of Congress
• Supreme Court
• John F. Kennedy Center’s Roof Terrace Restaurant
• Show at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
• Art and Ideals Exhibit: President John F. Kennedy
• Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens
• Hotel Du Pont
• Historic New Castle
• New Castle Court House Museum
• Jessop’s Tavern
• Hagley Museum & Library
• Buckley’s Tavern in Greenville
• Old State House
• Air Mobility Command (AMC) Museum
• John Dickinson Plantation

8 Nights / 9 Days

Estimated Tour Pricing Inclusions: 8 nights’ accommodation, 8 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 7 Dinners, admissions, entrance, and guide fees as stated in the itinerary, including taxes, and gratuity. Except gratuity for guide fees is not included on adult tours unless otherwise requested.

• Arrive in Lynchburg, Virginia, for 2 nights in an Accent Network Partner Hotel.
• Established in 1806, Old City Cemetery Museums & Arboretum is a Virginia Historic Landmark on the National Register of Historic Places. Interpretive plaque, signage, and brochures are available throughout the 27-acre site. The Cemetery is also an arboretum of historic plants, including over 425 antique and heirloom roses.
• Afterwards, head to Anne Spencer House & Garden Museum. Home of Harlem Renaissance poet, Anne Spencer was the only black woman and the only Virginian included in the Norton Anthology of Modern American and British Poetry. Enjoy a tour of the house museum, beautiful grounds, and Spencer’s writing cottage “Edan Kraal”.
• After dinner at The Depot Grille located along the riverfront, take a step into the past with Lynchburg Ghost Tours, which promises to be a healthy mix of history and this town’s haunted past shapes what lies beyond.
• Return to your hotel for the evening.

• After breakfast in your hotel, head to Bedford, Virginia.
• Visit the National D-Day Memorial which honors the Allied forces who shared in the invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, during World War II.
• Next, head to Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest, a mature and innovative architectural masterpiece designed by Jefferson during his second term as President of the United States.
• Enjoy lunch in Downtown Lynchburg at Market at Main before enjoying some free time to explore the historic architecture, Monument Terrace, and Lynchburg Community Market.
• Enjoy dinner on your own along the Bluffwalk - OR - a group dinner at Shoemakers American Grille located in the historic Craddock Terry Hotel.
• Tonight, take in a show in the Historic Theatre at the Academy Center of the Arts.

• After breakfast at your hotel, check out and depart.
• Arrive in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and enjoy lunch on own in historic downtown. Downtown Fredericksburg is home to over 40 chefs or family-owned restaurants. Whether you are looking for fine dining or a quick sandwich, there is something to meet your cravings. If you have time left over after lunch, you can do a little shopping at one of the boutiques or antique shops located along Caroline Street.
• After lunch, explore the Trail to Freedom and learn about the life of John Washington. When John Washington, an enslaved Black man, was a boy, he lived on the second floor of the National Bank Building. As the Union army approached Fredericksburg in the spring of 1862, John Washington was one of the first of over 10,000 enslaved people who gained their freedom by crossing the Rappahannock River. Eleven years later, he wrote a memoir of his experiences as an enslaved person in Fredericksburg.
• Next, discover the beauty of Historic Kenmore, home of George Washington’s sister, Betty Washington Lewis and her husband, Fielding Lewis. This beautiful Georgian style brick mansion contains some of the finest decorative plasterwork in the country and reflects the pre-Revolutionary War wealth and gentry status of Fielding and Betty Lewis. The guided tour focuses on the Lewis family and the sacrifices it made to support the American cause during the War for Independence as well as how the eighteenth-century furniture and accessories accurately depict the Lewis’ gentry-level wealth.
• End the day with dinner and a show at the Riverside Center for the Performing Arts – Winner of the 2019 Theater of the Year for Central Virginia Award by Broadway World. Approximately 15 minutes from Downtown Fredericksburg, the theater is a traditional proscenium stage boasting Virginia’s only dinner theater fly loft for exquisite sets and seamless transitions between scenes. Its ever-widening reputation and recognition for production excellence has attracted performers from the Broadway stage and national-tour casts. Dinner Theater patrons enjoy a three-course, chef-prepared meal served by an experienced staff of waiters, a service generally not found in dinner theaters elsewhere.

• Enjoy breakfast at the hotel this morning.
• Begin your second day in Fredericksburg with a visit to the Fredericksburg Battlefield Visitor Center at the Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park. Fought in 1862, The Battle of Fredericksburg is considered Robert E. Lee’s most complete victory and a stupendous loss for the Union. As you explore this hallowed ground, make sure to visit the Innis House, which was caught directly between the two warring sides, and see the bullet holes still present from the battle. During its restoration in the late 1980s, the National Park Service recorded over 50 bullet holes throughout the structure. See the site of the first amphibious beachhead and first urban combat in American military history. Hear the story of “The Angel of Marye’s Heights.”
• To conclude your time in Fredericksburg, ‘Sip and Savor’ at A. Smith Bowman Distillery, Virginia’s oldest distillery. Located just 5 minutes from Downtown Fredericksburg and winner of multiple awards for their spirits, visitors to the area can experience a behind the scenes glimpse into the production of hand-crafted spirits. Tours explore distillation, barreling, and bottling of high-quality bourbon. Products are available for tasting and purchase.
• On your way to the capital, stop at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, the historic home and plantation of George and Martha Washington. First, you’ll grab lunch at the Food Court or the Mount Vernon Inn Restaurant. Then, enjoy newly updated exhibits in the museum, tour the gardens and mansion, pay your respects at Washington’s Tomb, and learn about the lives of the people who were enslaved by the Washingtons. Save time for one of the best souvenir shops in the area!
• Continue north into the District and check in to your hotel, the Holiday Inn Washington Capitol – National Mall.
• Enjoy dinner at one of the many waterfront restaurants in the newly renovated Wharf neighborhood. Then it’s time to see the iconic monuments and memorials of the National Mall on a moonlit tour with Old Town Trolley.
• Return to your hotel to rest and relax.

• Enjoy breakfast at the hotel this morning.
• Continue the garden theme by starting your day at the National Arboretum. Don’t miss the original US Capitol Building columns, and the extensive bonsai garden.
• For lunch, head to Union Market. With over 60 food and beverage partners in this indoor market, everyone is sure to find something they love.
• Next up is an afternoon of classic #OnlyInDC Experiences, beginning with a tour of the US Capitol Building. You’ll also tour the Library of Congress, the largest library in the world. Finally, go inside the Supreme Court building to see where the nine justices sit and hear the most consequential court cases of our time.
• For dinner, enjoy rooftop views at the John F. Kennedy Center’s Roof Terrace Restaurant. Then you’ll head downstairs to see a world-class performance in the only theater that is also a living memorial to a president. After the show, stroll around the Kennedy Center’s scenic outdoor areas, and pop inside the brand-new immersive exhibit: Art and Ideals: President John F. Kennedy.
• Return to rest at your hotel this evening.

• Begin at Unconventional Diner or Boqueria to get caffeinated alongside DC power players.
• Then head to a hidden gem for garden lovers: Hillwood Estate, Museum, & Gardens. The stunning estate of Post Cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post includes 13 acres of formal gardens and the largest collection of Russian imperial art in the United States. Try not to drool over the opulence of Imperial Faberge eggs and Cartier jewels!
• Head into downtown Wilmington and check in at the historic Hotel Du Pont. Take a moment to refresh and enjoy the stunning architecture and interiors before departing for a brief ride to Historic New Castle.
• A stroll through the historic district will take you back to the 1700s when the seeds of a new country were taking root. At the New Castle Court House Museum, you can learn about the Underground Railroad and the trials of abolitionists Thomas Garrett and John Hunn, who helped over 2,500 slaves find safe passage to freedom in the mid-1800s.
• Afterwards, enjoy dinner at Jessop’s Tavern, a colonial tavern where the costumes and food are representative of the English, Dutch, Belgian and Swedish presence in our region.
• After dinner included, a Guide will take your group for a Walking Tour of the City to showcase the history and architecture. Some groups may choose to add a ghost history element!

• After a good night’s rest at the hotel, you will depart for the Hagley Museum & Library, home to the original headquarters for the DuPont Company’s gunpowder-manufacturing site and location of the family’s ancestral home, which was built in 1802. Hagley’s property stretches across 234 stunning acres where you will enjoy a tram tour of the property, watch gunpowder and machinery demonstrations, visit the workers’ village, a multi-level visitors center and original home and gardens.
• You’ll enjoy a sit-down lunch plus "people watching" at Buckley’s Tavern in Greenville, Delaware, before heading to Kennett Square, PA. Known as the “Mushroom Capital of the World”, half of all mushrooms grown in the U.S. are grown in Kennett Square! You’ll enjoy a relaxing afternoon on your own in the historic downtown district, exploring shops and enjoying the coffee shops, breweries, and culinary delights in the area.
• Your evening will finish at Longwood Gardens, another of the du Pont family estates. Explore the gorgeously manicured gardens, woodlands, and meadows and find out why Longwood Gardens is considered one of the best gardens in the country. After dinner included in the café, guests will enjoy the Illuminated Fountain Show from seats in a private area. Set to music, the light display is one of the highlights of the Longwood Experience! Guests will return to the Hotel Du Pont for a nightcap.

• Enjoy breakfast at the hotel before departing for Kent County, DE.
• Explore on a Guided Walking Tour of the Kent County historic district; hear about Caesar Rodney and his ride to sign the Declaration of Independence.
• Visit the Old State House where the Declaration of Independence was read aloud and learn about the Samuel Burris Trial and more. Established in 1993, the Sewell C. Biggs Museum of American Art Museum houses one of the finest collections of American fine and decorative arts. The Biggs offers changing exhibitions throughout the year relating to historical and contemporary art topics. Intimate galleries offer guests an unexpected and personal experience with the collection.
• Tour the Johnson Victrola Museum. The museum highlights the life and achievements of Delaware's native son, Eldridge Reeves Johnson, founder of the Victor Talking Machine Company and a pioneer in the development of the sound-recording industry. They have a stunning collection of Victrolas on display.
• Enjoy lunch on own. (location to be determined)
• At the Air Mobility Command (AMC) Museum, you can find more than 30 retired aircraft. The museum tells their stories and chronicles the history of humanitarian and airlift efforts. Air Mobility Command showcases historic aircraft such as Airforce 2 and a WWII B-17 Bomber. Tour a C-5A cargo compartment and view living history reenactors on most Saturdays. The museum also includes free flight simulations and an air traffic control tower kids of all ages will love.
• John Dickinson is among the nation's Founding Fathers. The John Dickinson Plantation, where he lived in the late 1700s, notes that many people also lived on the property, including enslaved people and indentured servants. You can see where they resided and learn more about Dickinson's writings about freedom.
• Take the Scenic Byway back to Wilmington, stopping along the way for a Farewell Dinner at one of the local rustic seafood restaurants.
• Rest and relax back at your hotel this evening.

• This morning, an included breakfast will be served in luxurious Le Cavalier at the Green Room. Guests will receive a departing gift of the hotel’s signature macarons before departing for home.

Base rate does not include motor coach transportation, airfare, airport transfers, driver gratuity, guide gratuity, (student groups exempt) or any upgrades or add-ons unlisted from itinerary as stated. Pricing may vary based on day of arrival or other conditions. Personalized itineraries with custom pricing and/or additional transportation can be created and added based on client needs and upon client’s request. MARS will customize quotes or personalize itineraries for FREE.