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Treasures of America
Pennsylvania's Amish, Quilts & Countryside
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April 5 - 11, 2010
April 12 - 18, 2010
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Tour Highlights
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- 6 Nights Deluxe Accommodations in Washington DC & Lancaster, PA
- Private Tour of Washington DC
- Private Tour of Historic Philadelphia
- Visit to Jinny Beyer's Shop
- Dinner with an Amish Family
- Admission to Longwood Gardens
- Admission to Lancaster Quilt & Textile Museum
- Private Lecture with Rachel Pellman
- Amish Country Shop Hop
- A Quilting Bee with the Amish & Mennonite
- Admission to Winterthur Museum
- Baggage Handling
- 9 MEALS; 6 Breakfasts, 3 Dinners
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Per Person Rates |
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$1,180
- Per Person Double Occupancy
$450 - Additional for Single Accommodation
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Arrival and Departure Information |
Day
1
Arrival in Washington DC. Hotel check-in is 3:30 p.m. Baggage storage is available for early arrivals. Our welcome meeting begins at 7:30 p.m.
Day 7
Return transportation to Philadelphia International Airport is included. Please plan for transportation departures from Philadelphia Airport after 4:00 p.m. |
Detailed Itinerary |
Treat yourself to a glorious week this spring exploring the brilliant countryside of Pennsylvania Amish country, Washington D.C., and the Brandywine Valley. From Amish fabric shops tucked away on country lanes, to the fabulous shop of Jinny Beyer, and the opportunity to purchase Amish made quilts- you’ll shop to your heart’s content. From a simple home-cooked meal with an Amish family to the fabulous opulence of Winterthur Museum and Longwood gardens, you’ll discover the many treasures of this fabled countryside.
Day
1 - Welcome to Washington D.C.
Our tour begins in Washington, D.C. where our starting hotel is conveniently located. Our Welcome Meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. allowing for convenient arrival time and dinner on your own. This evening we’ll meet our friendly tour director and traveling companions who will share this memorable journey with us. (Welcome Meeting)
Day 2 - Springtime in Washington D.C.
This morning we’ll tour Washington D.C, a most spectacular site in spring. Profusions of daffodils, jonquils, tulips, and azaleas embellish the parks and avenues. A glorious, living patchwork of color and beauty...is waiting to welcome us!
Our expert guide will familiarize us with places like the U.S. Capitol Building, the White House, and the famous monuments of Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln.
Afterward enjoy time on your own to explore this exciting city. Perhaps you’ll choose to visit the Museum of Natural History for a peek at the Hope Diamond. Or let your spirit soar as you observe Lindbergh’s airplane the Spirit of St. Louis at the Air and Space Museum.
Afternoon finds us visiting the fabulous shop of Jinny Beyer. What a treat it will be to explore Jinny’s colorful selection of fabrics, books and sewing implements…and perhaps to say hello to Jinny herself!
Our day comes to an end as we arrive at our resort hotel in the heart of the Amish country… the perfect home away from home for the rest of our tour. Just unpack and relax! (C. Breakfast)
Day
3 - Plain & Fancy
This morning we’ll greet noted Pennsylvania quilt historian Rachel Pellman. Rachel’s extraordinary talents are evident not only in her award-winning Country Bride Quilt series but also in her great ability to share stories about what it was like to grow up with the Amish.
This afternoon an exceptional opportunity awaits us as we join local Amish and Old Order Mennonite women in an old-fashioned quilting bee. The tradition of the “bee” is centuries-old, and for those participating, the layers of a quilt are being sewn together, but so too is conversation deepening bonds rooted in a unique lifestyle. It is here that struggles and dreams are revealed, along with news of someone’s need for a wedding quilt, of who has given birth and who has passed away. We have been invited to sit beside them, to participate, watch, learn, or just chat as these local ladies lead novices and experienced quilters in an age-old tradition. (Breakfast) (Dinner)
Day 4 - Delaware's Mansions & Gardens
This morning our journey takes us through the beautiful Brandywine Valley. Cradled in the lush woodlands, and rolling hills is Winterthur Museum and Gardens. The former estate of Henry Francis du Pont, over 196 rooms are furnished with the world’s greatest collection of antique furniture, textiles, and art. Bordering the mansion are 200 acres of shrub-lined lanes and towering trees that suggest an English park-style garden
Later our journey continues through the unspoiled countryside, catching glimpses of rolling farmland and horse farms. We soon arrive at America’s ultimate garden treasure—Longwood Gardens. We’ll enter this lavish du Pont estate, which is filled with opulent architecture, elaborately landscaped gardens, and sculptured topiaries that extend over 350 acres. Our private tour will include the extraordinary greenhouse where over 11,000 different varieties of plants thrive in spectacular settings. (C. Breakfast) (Dinner)
Day 5 - Lancaster Shop Hop
Today we’ll embark on a rare insider’s journey to this area’s favorite fabric stores. We’ll visit real Amish shops, some still gas-lit and some where buggies and their tethered horses wait nearby. Shops whose shelves are filled with low-priced calicoes and needlework supplies. And shops that feature regional specialties like Amish quilts, scherenschnitte, fraktur, and hand-made pretzels. (Breakfast)
Day 6 - Amish Bedcovers & Buggies!
Lancaster is also home to the Amish Quilt Museum, which showcases America’s only authenticated Pennsylvania-Amish antique quilts. We’ll enjoy a private tour of the Museum which is housed in a beautifully renovated, vintage building. Our guide will familiarize us with the various galleries offering temporary exhibitions, as well as a fascinating one-of-a-kind gallery. The centerpiece of the museum collection is the permanent exhibition of the world-famous “Esprit” quilt collection. Featured on the U.S. Postal Service’s Amish quilt stamp series, the collection reveals the tremendous range of techniques practiced by Amish quilt makers from the 1890s through the 1940s.
Later today we’ll be joined by our expert local guide who will accompany us on our journey through the Amish countryside. As our motorcoach wends its way through pastoral farmland, we’ll learn about a life unfamiliar to us. We’ll see farmers in wide-brimmed straw hats driving working mule teams, old-fashioned buggies carrying Amish women to market, and Amish children on their way to a one-room schoolhouse. And wait until you see the great places we found for bargain fabric—the Amish shop here too!
This evening we’ll join a true Plain family at their kitchen table to enjoy a home-made family-style dinner. This is not a restaurant made to look like an Amish house. It’s a real home where we are honored guests. (Breakfast) (Dinner)
Day 7 - A Glorious Farewell
This morning we’ll travel to Philadelphia where we’re greeted by an authentically costumed guide who will accompany our group through the historic streets of Olde Philadelphia. Back to an 18th century city with engaging trinity houses, stately brownstones, and pristine colonial gardens. We’ll explore historic places where the legends of liberty reside, places like the Betsy Ross house, the Liberty Bell, and Independence Hall. We’ll shop in the historic Reading Terminal Market, where Amish vendors have been gathering since 1892 to sell their produce, baked goods, and ethnic delicacies. (C. Breakfast) |
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