Mid-Day Arrive in Washington, DC and meet by your Colonial Connections Escort at Arlington National Cemetery.
2:00pm-4:00pm Tour Arlington National Cemetery. Arlington Mansion and 200 acres of ground immediately surrounding it were designated officially as a military cemetery June 15, 1864, by Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton. More than 260,000 people are buried at Arlington Cemetery. Veterans from all the nation's wars are buried in the cemetery, from the American Revolution through the Persian Gulf War and Somalia.
The Tomb of the Unknowns is one of the more visited sites at Arlington National Cemetery. The Tomb was completed and opened to the public April 9, 1932. There are three unknown servicemen buried at the Tomb of the Unknowns. (NOTE: Should your school like to include a wreath laying ceremony, please contact the National Cemetery directly to set up)
4:00pm-6:00pm Photo stop at Iwo Jima Memorial on way to the Tidal Basin including stops at the Jefferson and FDR Memorials.
6:30pm-7:30pm Group dinner provided at Magill’s Famous Pizza and Buffet.
8:00pm Check into your Washington, DC area hotel. All properties used by Colonial Connections have an indoor pool and interior corridors for added security.
10:00pm-4:00am Hotel security provided. Colonial Connections Escort goes off duty.
Day 2
AM Continental breakfast provided at hotel. Colonial Connections Escort rejoins group.
7:30am Depart for a full day of touring around our Nation’s Capital.
8:00am-10:00am Today’s touring starts with a photo stop and walk to our country’s three branches of government: The White House (executive), US Capitol Building (legislative), and Supreme Court (judicial). (Note: Private tours of any of the branches of government must be arranged directly through your congressman or senator.)
10:00am-1:15pm Found on the National Mall, guests can choose to visit any of the Smithsonian Museums that interests them at their own leisure such as the American History, Natural History, Air and Space or the new American Indian Museums.
1:15pm Lunch provided at the Ronald Reagan Building Food Court. The Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center facility brings together federal, state and regional trade resources, international trade related businesses and services to convey the United States' recognition of the importance of trade in linking countries and communities.
2:00pm-4:00pm Visit the Newseum. This 250,000-square-foot museum of news offers an experience that blends five centuries of news history with up-to-the-second technology and hands-on exhibits. The exterior’s unique architectural features include a 74-foot-high marble engraving of the First Amendment and an immense front wall of glass. The Newseum features seven levels of galleries, theaters, retail spaces and visitor services. It offers a unique environment that takes museum-goers behind-the-scenes to experience how and why news is made.
4:30pm-5:30pm Visit The National Archives. Of all the documents and materials created in the course of business conducted by the United States Federal government, those that are important for legal or historical reasons are kept and stored at the National Archives. Its holdings date from the 18th century to the present and include the famous Charters of Freedom - the original Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. These valuable records are preserved and are available to the public to view.
6:00pm-7:30pm Visit Fashion Centre at the Pentagon Mall to shop and have dinner (provided) before returning to the hotel.
8:00pm Return to the hotel.
10:00pm-4:00am Hotel security provided. Colonial Connections Escort goes off duty.
Day 3
AM Continental breakfast provided at hotel. Colonial Connections Escort rejoins group.
7:30am Depart for another full day of touring our Nation’s Capital.
8:00am-9:30am Walk by the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall and get an up close and personal view of the WWII, Vietnam, Lincoln and Korean Memorials.
9:30am-10:30am Visit the Washington Monument. Dedicated in 1885, the Washington Monument offers a great view of the National Mall at a height of over 555 feet.
10:30am-12:00pm Tour the Holocaust Museum. The museum presents a comprehensive history of the Holocaust through artifacts, photographs, films, oral histories, and filmed eyewitness testimonies. The group will visit one of the museum’s main attractions: Remember the Children: Daniel’s Story.
12:00pm-1:30pm Lunch provided at the Old Post Office. Ranked as one of Washington’s top eight attractions, the Old Post Office Pavilion is equally a part of DC’s vibrant revitalizations of the area and a living legend of its storied past.
2:00pm-3:00pm Tour The National Cathedral. The National Cathedral is the sixth largest cathedral in the world and the second largest in the United States. The Cathedral welcomes nearly 700,000 visitors and worshipers annually and is “intended for national purposes, such as public prayer, thanksgiving, funeral orations, etc., and assigned to the special use of no particular Sect or denomination, but equally open to all.” Docents provide 40-minute guided tours that include information about the architecture, mission and history of the Cathedral.
3:30-5:00pm Visit the International Spy Museum. The International Spy Museum is the first and only public museum in the United States solely dedicated to espionage and the only one in the world to provide a global perspective on this all-but-invisible profession. It features the largest collection of international spy-related artifacts ever placed on public display. The stories of individual spies, told through film and state-of-the-art exhibits provide a dynamic context to foster an understanding of espionage and its impact on current and historic events.
5:30-7:00pm Dinner provided at Union Station. Completed in 1908, this magnificent structure is considered to be one of the finest examples of the Beaux-Arts style of architecture. Architect, Daniel Burnham designed the building to be monumental in every respect and to serve as a gateway to Washington, DC. A food court, dine-in restaurants and numerous shops are located throughout the complex.
7:00-8:00pm After dinner, as darkness descends, the group will be taken on a “windshield tour” of Washington, DC to view the lighted monuments and buildings one final time.
8:30pm Return to the hotel.
10:00pm-4:00am Hotel security provided. Colonial Connections Escort goes off duty.
Day 4
AM Continental breakfast provided at hotel. Colonial Connections Escort rejoins group.
8:00am Check out of hotel and load luggage on motorcoach.
9:00am-12:00pm Tour Mt. Vernon. Mount Vernon was the beloved home of George and Martha Washington from the time of their marriage in 1759 until General Washington's death in 1799. A spectacular view of the Potomac River from the Mansion's piazza transports visitors back in time. Stroll through the gardens and tour the Mansion house and more than a dozen outbuildings including the slave quarters, kitchen, and stables.
The Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center features 23 gallery and theater experiences – many of them with interactive technology – that illuminate the detailed story of Washington’s life, including his military and presidential careers. More than 500 original artifacts, eleven History Channel videos, and immersion theater experiences illuminate the remarkable story of the first American hero.
12:00pm Group departs for return home with lunch and/or dinner stops en route on their own. Colonial Connections Escort departs.
$387 per person quad occupancy, based on 10 or more occupied rooms.
Note: Price does not include ground transportation.
Mid-Day