You know Virginia is for lovers! If you love a beautiful vista, find excitement in history, get misty-eyed over military tradition, and delight in a dinner cruise, this tour will leave you ecstatic. We visit the Shenandoah National Park; tour Monticello, Historic Jamestowne, Colonial Williamsburg, and Pamplin Historical Park.  We also attend the Virginia International Tattoo and sit in premium seats! And we relax during a dinner cruise on the Spirit of Norfolk.

 

Included meals are denoted: Breakfast: B, Lunch: L, Dinner: D

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DAY 1                                                                                                                                     

We fly to Arlington, VA, and drive to our hotel in Manassas, VA, where we lodge for one night.

 

DAY 2              B                                                                                                         

Our day begins with a beautiful drive through Shenandoah National Park. We’ll visit the Dickey Ridge Visitor Center for a tour and a ranger talk and stop at several outlooks for some amazing views. After lunch, we make our way to Monticello, home of Thomas Jefferson, who designed, built, and called Monticello home for 56 years. We have two nights’ lodging in Richmond, VA.

 

DAY 3              B,L

We start today with an entertaining tour of the city of Richmond, which served as the capital of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War and is now a modern and progressive, but still charming, city. After, we head south to the Pamplin Historical Park, recognized as the most innovative Civil War history park in the country. Located on the site of the April 2, 1865 “Breakthrough at Petersburg,” the final battle of the Civil War, the Park’s 424 acres includes the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier, four award-winning museums, four antebellum homes, and living history venues. We enjoy a BBQ lunch at Pamplin before we head back to Richmond, where we tour the Virginia State Capitol Building, designed by Thomas Jefferson and Charles-Louis Clérisseau and based on the Maison Carrée in Nimes, France.

 

DAY 4              B,L

In the morning, we are at Historic Jamestowne, England’s first permanent settlement in America, founded in 1607. We visit the site on the James River where archaeologists have exposed the original foundations of the town. After lunch  at the Dale House Café, we spend the afternoon in Colonial Williamsburg, a 301-acre restoration of Williamsburg to its time as the Colonial capital of Virginia. We tour the royal Governor’s Palace, see period-furnished homes, dozens of craft shops with costumed craftsmen, and 100 other restored buildings that show us what America was like before the Revolution.

 

DAY 5              B,L

We continue our exploration of Colonial Williamsburg. We have the afternoon to discover the area on our own. After a full day, we savor our hotel in Williamsburg and enjoy an evening on our own.

 

DAY 6              B,D

We start today at the beautiful Norfolk Botanical Garden. We take a 25-minute tram tour and then have some time to explore on our own.  In the afternoon, we make our way to Scope Arena to attend the Virginia International Tattoo in premium seats! The Tattoo is the signature event of the Virginia Arts Festival. It is an awe-inspiring exhibition of military bands, massed pipes and drums, military drill teams, Scottish dancers, choirs, and much more. Presented in cooperation with NATO, it is the largest show of its kind in the United States with a cast of over 800 performers from several countries. We complete our exciting day with a dinner cruise aboard the Spirit of Norfolk.

 

DAY 7              B                                                                                             

On our last day in Virginia, we have time to enjoy the Military Aviation Museum, home to one of the largest private collections of World War I and World War II era military aircraft in the world. Most of the 63-plus aircraft have been fully restored and are airworthy. After this exhilarating stop, we fly home from Norfolk, with memories of all that we love about springtime in Virginia.

 

Itinerary subject to change