Get Your Motor Running
Created by Industry Experts at the Accent Travel Network Conference
Accent East 2024Embark on a nostalgic journey through the Midwest and along the Mother Road on this unforgettable tour.
Begin in Milwaukee with a tribute to Harley-Davidson and the classic TV show Laverne & Shirley before heading to Illinois for Route 66 highlights, including the Hall of Fame Museum and a mural tour.
Discover Springfield’s Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, marvel at St. Louis’s Gateway Arch, and savor Route 66’s quirkiest stops, from the World’s Largest Catsup Bottle to Uranus Fudge Factory. Travel through Missouri’s rich history, enjoy Bass Pro Shops' Wonders of Wildlife, and immerse yourself in the charm of Red Oak II and Joplin’s historic landmarks.
With delicious local dining, fun prizes, and Route 66-themed experiences at every turn, this adventure is the ultimate celebration of Americana and the spirit of the open road!
Duration
8 Days /7 Nights
Group size
Min 35
Customization
Available!
Day 1:
- Flight arrives in Milwaukee, WI. Check into your local hotel before enjoying an included Welcome Dinner at Motor – located in the Harley-Davidson Museum.
- Enjoy included breakfast at hotel before departing and enjoy the Laverne and Shirley tour – take your guests through the history of this classic iconic television show. The tour makes it first stop at Lakefront Brewery for a tour (Laverne and Shirley worked in the fabled Milwaukee brewery, Shotz Brewery). Beer, hot pretzels, and a "Schlemeil, Schlimazel, Hasenpfeffer Incorporated" sing-a-long are included.
- The tour bus also stops to visit the Bronze Fonz, drives by City Hall (which is in the opening credits of the TV show) and then stops at Koz's Mini Bowl for a mini bowling competition and a Pepsi-and-milk sampling. (Pepsi and milk is Laverne's favorite beverage.)
- The final leg of the tour includes a visit to Leon's Frozen Custard for a sweet treat. All participants receive little prizes along the way, including miniature Boo-Boo Kitty stuffed animals, Shirley's most prized possession in the show.
- Depart Milwaukee for Lake County and visit the Sock Monkey Museum for a tour.
- Following the museum tour, check into the Lincolnshire Marriott Resort.
- Enjoy the included dinner and musical theater performance.
- Enjoy included breakfast at the hotel and depart for a tour of the Sanfilippo Estate, home of the Fisher Nut Co. family. They house dozens of musical machines including the world’s largest indoor pipe organ. Following your tour enjoy an included lunch in a historic train car at Chessie’s. Before leaving the area, visit the Fisher Nut Store for great bargains on nuts, candy and baking goods.
- After lunch, depart for Joliet and explore the Joliet Area Historical Museum and Route 66 Welcome Center.
- After the tour, dinner will be served at the Jacob Henry Mansion followed by checking into a local hotel
- Our Route 66 journey begins! Enjoy breakfast included and check out of hotel and depart for Pontiac, IL, to meet your local step-on guide to visit the Route 66 Hall of Fame & Museum and take the mural tour.
- Lunch is at the Polka-Dot-Drive In in Braidwood, IL.
- Return to Pontiac and drop off your step-on guide.
- Continue to Springfield, IL and enjoy a bathroom stop where guests can enjoy an ice cream if they choose.
- Following this stop proceed to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum for an evening tour and banquet dinner followed by checking into your local hotel.
- Enjoy breakfast at the hotel and check out and depart for St. Louis, MO and depart.
- Stop at Henry’s Rabbit Ranch (call ahead; Henry just passed away but a friend is stepping in for now) for a visit followed by a stop at the World’s Largest Catsup Bottle before arriving in St. Louis for an included lunch at the Hill.
- Following lunch, experience the Gateway Arch, then hit Ted Drewes Frozen Custard for dessert.
- Depart and drive 1 hour to Meramac Caverns, then head to St Robert, MO.
- Check into your hotel and depart for included dinner at the Route 66 Diner, followed by a stop by the Route 66 Neon Park.
- Enjoy breakfast at the hotel and meet a step-on guide to depart for a tour including Frog Rock, the Gasconade River and Devils Elbow, and an original asphalt section of Route 66, ending in downtown Waynesville, MO for free time shopping on the square, (home to the Old Stage Coach Stop and the Polasky County Courthouse Museum).
- Guests can enjoy lunch on their own at one of the many dining options on the square.
- After Lunch depart for the Uranus Fudge Factory.
- Then depart for Springfield, MO. After a rest break at the famous Buc-ee’s, the group will proceed to Best Western Route 66 Rail Haven, an original Route 66 roadside motor court, and check in for the evening.
- This evening you will enjoy a catered dinner in the Route 66 Car Museum.
- Enjoy breakfast at the hotel, then depart for Bass Pro Shop and the Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium.
- On your way out of Springfield, lunch at Red’s Giant Hamburg, which is possibly the world’s first drive-thru restaurant.
- After lunch, head to Gary’s Gay Parita on old Route 66.
- Then will depart for Carthage, MO with a stop at Red Oak II, where visitors can stroll through yesteryear along the gravel path to view the re-creation of an early 20th-century country village featuring a general store, country church, one-room schoolhouse, town hall, a 1920’s cottage-style Phillips 66 gasoline station, Belle Starr’s home, and much more.
- Depart for dinner at Granny Shaffer’s, famous for their fried chicken and pies, then check into your hotel in Joplin.
- Enjoy included breakfast at the hotel.
- Then, a Visit Joplin step-on guide will join the bus for a tour of Joplin, to share stories about what made Joplin the 4th largest metropolitan area in the state of Missouri. Stops will include Grand Falls (Missouri’s largest continuously running waterfall), Joplin’s historic City Hall and the Route 66 Visitor Center, the Route 66 Mural Park, the Bonnie and Clyde hideout apartment, and the tornado memorials at Cunningham Park.
- Your guide continues on into Galena, KS with you to stop at Cars on the Route, the inspiration for the Disney Pixar Cars movie, and Gearhead Curios, a gift shop located in an original Route 66 Texaco station.
- Depart for lunch at the Baxter Springs Heritage Center and Museum, where lunch will be catered by Red Onion Café, a local favorite. Explore the museum and enjoy a program about the history of the area.
- After lunch, return to Joplin with a stop at the Joplin History & Mineral Museum, and finally a visit to Candy House Gourmet for a sweet treat to end the tour. Your guide will leave you and you will return to the hotel.
- Dinner can be enjoyed at Keltoi Winery or Christine’s Vineyard with a catered meal, or experience Wilder’s Steakhouse, part of the Joplin community since 1929 and is known for its elegant meals in downtown Joplin.
Photos
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