Washington D.C. Tours and Trips

This the first motor coach tour my sister and I have taken, and we were pleasantly surprised! I truly enjoyed myself and the tour was excellent! We wanted a tour of our Nation’s history for the 250th anniversary celebration, and this itinerary for the Historic Highlights tour checked off all the boxes - Washington DC, Jamestown, Mt. Vernon, Colonial Williamsburg, Monticello, and Philadelphia. I also enjoyed the Skyline Drive. Some specific comments: St. John’s Episcopal Church: The guide here was one of my favorites - he truly painted a picture of the Second Virginia Congress where Patrick Henry famously said, “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death.” Gettysburg: Our guide in Gettysburg was really brought Gettysburg to life. He could answer any and all of our questions with ease. Also one of my favorites. Jennifer: Was energetic, organized and knowledgeable. She made everything look easy, which is hard to do. Motor coach: Our motorcoach was modern, new and always clean – the motor coach driver kept everything in perfect shape. The biggest challenge was the footrests. I hit my shins a couple of times on them. I am surprised they did not have padding on them to protect taller people whose shins are VERY close to them. Overall: The timing for all entrances, ticket, and museums was impeccably organized and went smoothly – impressive. Hotels: Great selection. Wyndam Gettysburg: The air conditioner could only be on high, so when I slept it blew on my face, giving me a headache. I tried everything – putting pillows next to my side to block the air - and finally just put my feet at the head of the bed and slept that way so the air would not blow on my face. I should note we had two queen beds, and my sister had no problems in the bed closest to the bathroom. The bed itself was concave – I wish I took a photo of it but got busy and forgot. I did not get much sleep at this hotel! Philadelphia Marriott Old City: There was a prom party in the ballroom under our room. We could hear the loud beat until 1am. We called to complain, but they really did not care and there wasn’t anything they could do – apparently there wasn’t another room for us. Fortunately, we have a “fan” app on our phone, so we turned this on as loud as possible so we could fall asleep. But you should know that this could happen again. Perhaps ask for room NOT near or above the ballroom.

It was a true tour through all the important Revolutionary Sites that enhanced the 250th Anniversary Trip greatly. To be in Lexington, Concord, Valley Forge, West Point besides the major seeing the 4 main cities, and to think of all that happened there was wonderful. I am so happy we were part of the tour and with excellent local guides too.. So happy that we extended by 2 days and we were able to visit Smithsonian Museums WOW!

I have 2 favorites. Seeing Hamilton on Broadway and seeing the Women memorial in Washington D C. I was able to put my mother’s name and on a ribbon and put it on the window .

It was a great trip. We learned so much more about our beautiful country and its founders and what they faced when deciding to bring an idea to its full being. How blessed we are! The monuments, the countryside - all wonderful. And to top it off, I got to go see Hamilton in New York and have a special dinner on my birthday. All in all a memorable trip with Collette.

The tour schedule was somewhat busy but very worthwhile. Our tour guide Mike was super and the docents along the way were excellent expressing a multitude of meaningful, and sometimes emotional, American history. Some unexpected changes and surprises that occurred were handled calmly, well explained by Mike and those involved. We were kept informed and our opinions and suggestions were handled with respect. The accommodations and restaurants had interesting historical value and quality. A very memorable experience!

Inside tour of the capital was excellant. Our tour guide made sure it was a tour for our group making it extra special. It was very nice to have the bus provide transportation, less walking. Restaurants were excellant and varied letting you sample various cuisine. The hotel was going through renovations with a couple of days without elevator access to the first floor. Breakfast wasvery good especially when they had the cook to order olmlette station. The rooms were very nice size. I am marking the accommodations down because my bathroom was so small you could not open the door, it hit the toilet 1/2 way. Very awkward, you had to side in between toilet and vanity, then shut the door to use the facility.