Revolutionary Leaders: George Washington & Thomas Jefferson

Estimated Tour Pricing Inclusions: Roundtrip transportation, 5 nights’ accommodation;  baggage handling, 5 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 4 dinners, private motor coach transportation throughout, admissions, entrance, and guide fees as stated in the itinerary, including taxes, and gratuity (excluding gratuity for guides and driver, unless requested).

• Hanover Tavern
• Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest
• Monticello
• Michie Tavern
• Kanawha Canal
• Carytown
• St. John's Church
• Historic Tobacco Company
• Historic Kenmore
• Mary Washington House
• Rising Sun Tavern
• Downtown Fredericksburg
• Ferry Farm
• A. Smith Bowman Distillery
• Riverside Center for the Performing Arts
• George Washington Masonic National Memorial
• Old Town Alexandria
• Gatsby's Tavern Restaurant
• City Cruises
• Mount Vernon
• George Washington's Distillery and Gristmill

• Arrive in Richmond and check into your hotel.
• Travel 20 miles north to the historic town of Visit the Courthouse and dine at the historic Hanover Tavern. The historic Tavern offers exhibits highlighting the history of the property and the renowned guests that have visited through the years. Enjoy dinner on site in a modern, scratch-made restaurant and pub.
• After dinner enjoy one of many shows such as the “First Ladies of Fashion” in the 155-seat Bradley Theatre, the original home of the nationally recognized Barksdale Theatre (now Virginia Repertory Theatre).

• Enjoy breakfast at your hotel.
• Travel from Richmond to beautiful Lynchburg, Virginia located along the Blue Ridge Mountains and the James River to Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest. Hailed as a masterpiece of landscape and architecture, your visit to Poplar Forest will shed new light on Thomas Jefferson’s creativity and curiosity, his enslaved community, and his private world. Tour Jefferson’s retreat house to learn about its meticulously restored architecture, and what it tells us about daily life for one of the most prominent figures of the 19^th century.
• After your tour, have lunch at a local restaurant.
• Make your way up scenic State Route 29 to Charlottesville, VA.
• Upon arrival, take a tour of Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello and get to know the author of the Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom, the third President of the United States and the Founder of the University of Virginia. A self-taught architect, Jefferson referred to Monticello as his “essay in architecture,” with construction continuing on the mountaintop for forty years. The final product is a unique blend of beauty and function that combines the best elements of the ancient and old worlds with a fresh American perspective. In addition to taking a guided tour of the House, explore the gardens and grounds, including Mulberry Row, the main street of the 5,000-acre plantation. Thomas Jefferson enslaved over six hundred people throughout his life. Learn about the men, women, and children who built Jefferson’s home, planted his crops, tended his gardens, and who helped run his household and raise his children.
• Enjoy a private dinner and a little shopping at historic Michie Tavern. Michie Tavern is located a half-mile below Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. Servers in period attire offer bountiful Southern Fare. The rustic restaurant setting renders a dining experience rich in southern culture and hospitality for groups to enjoy. While you dine, enjoy the sweet sounds of 18^th century musicians.
• Return to Richmond for the night.

• Breakfast at your hotel before heading to Richmond – Virginia’s capital.
• Begin your day by exploring the historic neighborhood and river overlooks with your step-on guide.
• When your tour brings you to Kanawha Canal, enjoy a guided canal boat ride on an authentic flat bottom boat. The Kanawha Canal was at one time part of a larger canal system promoted by George Washington to connect the James River to the Ohio River.
• Enjoy lunch on your own at Richmond’s “Mile of Style,” Carytown. This six-block eclectic shopping district offers numerous restaurants and charming shops.
• Head up on of Richmond’s seven hills to St. John’s Church, the site of the 1775 2^nd Virginia Convention for a reenactment of Patrick Henry’s “Give Me Liberty” speech. Swayed by Patrick Henry’s powerful argument, the delegates at this site made a decision that changed the course of history, lighting the spark of the War for Independence, making St. John’s Church one of America’s most important historic sites.
• Take some time to relax at one of Richmond’s 30 scenic breweries before heading back to your hotel for a quick rest before dinner.
• Dinner is at the Historic Tobacco Company. The building, once a tobacco warehouse, dates back to 1866; all brickwork, heavy beams, and columns are original to the building. The space was renovated and opened as The Tobacco Company Restaurant in July 1977.
• Return to your hotel for the night.

• After breakfast, check out and depart for Fredericksburg, VA.
• Discover the beauty of Historic Kenmore, home of George Washington’s sister 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 entry 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. Don’t’ forget to visit the Bissell Gallery inside the Crowninshield Building Visitor Center for the current featured exhibit. Experience rarely seen early 20^th century pieces from Kenmore’s collection.
• Next, visit the Mary Washington House. In 1772, George Washington purchased this home in Fredericksburg, Virginia for his mother. Mary Ball Washington spent her last seventeen years in this comfortable home. The white frame house sits on the corner of Charles and Lewis Streets and was in walking distance to Kenmore, home of Mary’s daughter Betty Washington Lewis. You will also learn about the lives of the enslaved workers who lived on this property and how their work supported Mary Washington’s daily activities and lifestyle.
• Visit the Rising Sun Tavern. Built by George Washington’s youngest brother Charles around 1760 as his home, this frame building became a tavern in 1792 when it was purchased by the Wallace family. It operated as a stop-over travelers in the bustling port town of Fredericksburg. While it is no longer an operating tavern, historical interpreters in period attire guide guests through the tavern experience as if guests were 18^th century travelers.
• Take a break from touring and have lunch at one of over 40 chef or family-owned restaurants in Downtown Fredericksburg. Whether you are looking for fine-dining or a quick sandwich, there is something to satisfy your cravings.
• Continue your exploration of Fredericksburg with a guided tour of George Washington’s boyhood home, Ferry Farm. Ferry Farm is where young Washington spent his formative years. The future general and the first president was 6 years old when his family moved to King George County, Virginia, in 1738. The guided tour of the Washington house replica explores the lives of George, his other Mary, other Washington family members, and the enslaved community. The tour recounts the adversity these individuals faced after the death of George’s father. You can walk Ferry Farm’s grounds before and after your house tour. The Visitor Center features the introductory exhibit The Science of History at Ferry Farm with colonial and Civil War artifacts excavated at Ferry Farm and windows in the Archaeology Lab, where you can see archaeologists identify and study thousands of artifacts found at Ferry Farm.
• In the afternoon, sip and savor at Smith Bowman Distillery – Virginia’s oldest distillery, located just 5 minutes from Downtown Fredericksburg. 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.
• Check into your hotel and take a rest before departing for dinner.
• Enjoy dinner and a show at Riverside Center for the Performing Arts ­– Winner of the 2019 Theater of the Year for Central Virginia Award by Broadway World. Located 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. It’s ever-widening reputation and recognition for production excellence has attracted performers from the Broadway stage and national-tour casts. Dinner Theatre patrons enjoy a three-course, chef-prepared meal served by an experienced staff of waiters, a service not generally found in dinner theaters elsewhere.
• After the show, return to your hotel.

• Check out and depart for Alexandria, VA.
• Take a tour of the George Washington Masonic National Memorial in Alexandria. The Alexandria-Washington Lodge is the second most closely associated Lodge to George Washington. This is where he was elected Charter Master under the Grand Lodge of Virginia. Through the generosity of Washington’s family and friends, the Alexandria-Washington Lodge became the repository of many artifacts pertaining to George Washington and the Washington family. However, a fire in 1871 destroyed much of the original lodge and artifacts. Inspired by Egypt's Alexandria Lighthouse, the current George Washington Masonic National Memorial was completed in 1970 and remains a lasting monument to George Washington, the Man, the Mason, and Father of our Country.
• Check into the Alexandrian Hotel located at the heart of Old Town Alexandria across from City Hall where the longest running Farmer’s Market takes place every Saturday and near where the first fatal shots of the Civil War were taken in May 1861.
• Walk the charming streets of Historic Old Town and follow the steps of George Washington along the brick lined streets. Along the way, stop for a coffee break at King & Rye. From Colonial Times through the Civil War, Alexandria has been the scene of many “firsts” in American History.
• Stop for lunch at Gatsby’s Tavern Restaurant, a historic 18^th century tavern with Colonial Entertainment daily.
• Enjoy some free time by exploring Alexandria’s vibrant shopping or take advantage of a self-guided walking tour. The complimentary trolley through King Street is a great way to see the sights in Old Town. Have dinner on your own.
• At night, hop aboard a City Cruises boat for an illuminated tour of the monuments on the Potomac River.

• After breakfast, hop back on the Water Taxi to George Washington’s Mount Vernon. Mount Vernon offers a glimpse into 18^th century life trough the restored 21-room mansion, beautiful gardens and grounds, intriguing museum and education center exhibits and immersive programs that honor George Washington’s life and legacy. During your visit, enjoy a guided tour of the mansion to learn about America’s most visited historic home. Don’t miss the two-story porch that overlooks the Potomac River with an incomparable view! Following the Mansion tour, explore the historic area comprised of more than a dozen historic outbuildings. In these outbuildings, learn how the labor of more than 300 enslaved individuals made life possible for the Washington family. Lastly, visit the Tomb of George and Martha Washington, located in a gently wooded enclosure on the Mount Vernon grounds.
• Enjoy a mid-day break with lunch at the iconic Mount Vernon Inn Restaurant. Offering modern dining staples and a few colonial favorites, this dining experience will be sure to leave your group recharged and ready to continue their adventure. To enhance your dining experience, enjoy a visit from a costumed character from George Washington’s world. First person interpreters can greet your group while you enjoy your meal at the Mount Vernon Inn.
• Take a tour of George Washington’s Distillery and Gristmill. This fully functioning reconstruction of the original distillery and gristmill is located 2.7 miles from Mount Vernon’s main entrance. In 1799, George Washington’s distillery produced nearly 11,000 gallons, making it one of the largest whiskey distilleries in America. Today, the distillery produces small batch spirits on site using the same 18^th century methods and recipes that Washington employed. On the guided tour, you will get to see these features in action. Tastings are not included, but products are available for purchase on-site, including George Washington’s Signature Rye Whiskey, which in 2017 was named the Official State Spirit of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
• Depart 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.