Sweet Freedoms-Gettysburg,Hershey,Philly,Baltimore

Day 1

Day 1: Tuesday, May 30, 2023
Join us from the available departure location of your choice today, meet your friendly onboard host and driver, and then settle in as we make our way east. Enjoy rest and refresh breaks along the way, as needed, as a well as a stop for lunch, on your own.
We arrive at the Drury Inn Dayton North in Dayton, Ohio this evening in time to enjoy a welcome kickback reception at the hotel. Snacks, drinks and light dinner foods are included. If you’d like, you may also have dinner, on your own, at a nearby restaurant.

Day 2

Day 2: Wednesday, May 31, 2023
Enjoy breakfast included at the hotel this morning prior to checking out and departing for Ligonier, Pennsylvania. Have lunch, on your own, in downtown Ligonier before arriving at Fort Ligonier for a tour. Upon arrival at the fort, meet your guide for a historic tour of the battlefield, fort, and museum. Fort Ligonier is a British fortification from the French and Indian War located in Ligonier, Pennsylvania and served as a staging area for the Forbes Expedition of 1758. During the eight years of its existence as a garrison, Fort Ligonier was never taken by an enemy.
While at the fort, enjoy a George Washington: Forts and Failures That Led to Success tour! A soldier from the Virginia Regiment will welcome your group and share the riveting stories of young George Washington’s life on the Western frontier in 1758. You’ll learn about his Friendly Fire Incident, the closest the young colonel ever came to death. See the new Washington Gallery before heading into the Fort. Your visit ends with a serving of ice cream – George Washington’s favorite treat!
Stop for an included dinner at the Dobbin House Tavern this evening. Four score and seven years before the Civil War Battle of Gettysburg, Reverend Alexander Dobbin built a house to begin a new life in America for himself and his family. Today his home, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is a colonial restaurant where candlelit elegance, superior food in abundance, and gracious service bring back the sights, sounds and tastes of two centuries ago.
Check into the Best Western Gettysburg after dinner for the remainder of the evening free, on your own.

Day 3

Day 3: Thursday, June 1, 2023
After breakfast this morning depart for the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor’s Center. View one of the world’s largest collections of artifacts and memorabilia from the American Civil War. While at the museum, watch the film, A New Birth of Freedom. See the Cyclorama Center at the Gettysburg National Military Park. The center features a breath-taking panorama of Pickett’s charge measuring 356 by 26 feet. A sound and light program recreates scenes of the fighting.
Enjoy lunch, on your own, at the museum café. After, meet our Licensed Battlefield Guide who will board the motorcoach with us as we begin a driving tour. Gettysburg Battlefield is America’s largest Civil War Battlefield, containing more than 40 miles of scenic avenues. Over 1600 monuments and cannon dot the landscape in memory of those who fought and died here. The Northern and Southern armies met here in July 1863, and in three days of battle, left 51,000 casualties. President Lincoln dedicated the national cemetery on the battlefield in November 1863.
Next, visit the Dwight D. Eisenhower Home and Farm in Gettysburg. Purchased in 1950 after a 30-year military career which took Mr. and Mrs. Eisenhower around the world, Eisenhower used the farm as a weekend retreat and “temporary White House.” World leaders and foreign dignitaries visited here, and after his terms of office ended, the farm became his retirement home where he raised prize-winning Angus cattle and pursued other hobbies.
Return to the hotel and have time to rest and refresh before departing for an included dinner at the Hickory Bridge Farm Restaurant in Orrtanna this evening. Enjoy a comfortable, unique, upscale family-style dining experience located in a beautifully restored 165-year-old barn with family-style meals using fresh ingredients.

Day 4

Day 4: Friday, June 2, 2023
Enjoy breakfast included at the hotel this morning prior to checking out and departing for Hershey’s Chocolate World in Hershey. Step inside a sweet experience for your senses, where there’s chocolate in the air and dessert is always on the menu. Sip milkshakes, become a chocolatier, be a kid in a candy store ... all at Hershey's Chocolate World! Learn the fascinating process of chocolate making on a simulated factory tour ride. Guests walk through a tropical jungle where cocoa beans are harvested, then they follow the cocoa bean’s journey to a boat dock where beans are loaded onto ships headed for America. From there, visitors climb aboard the ride and enter the simulated factory tour.
Admission includes the Hershey’s Adventure 5 experience and the 4-D Chocolate movie, Hershey Trolley Works and Create your own Candy Bar. Dream up your perfect candy bar and watch it come to life, from flowing chocolate to solid bar. Choose your ingredients and design a personalized wrapper! Make your selections and pull the levers as you follow your creation along the conveyor belt! You’ll also enjoy a lunch, included, at Hershey with a meal deal that includes an entrée, cookie and a drink.
After lunch, arrive at Valley Forge Visitor’s Center and check-in for a group tour. Enjoy a Ranger-led tour of Valley Forge and its story of the Continental Army in the winter.
Later this afternoon, check in to our hotel in Cherry Hill, New Jersey and have time to rest and freshen up before departing for dinner at Spasso Italian Grill.

Day 5

Day 5: Saturday, June 3, 2023
Have breakfast at the hotel and then meet our guide for a Historic City tour of Philadelphia. (Please Note: This is a walking tour and requires a lot of physical activity.) History comes alive as we walk in the footsteps of our Founding Fathers along brick walkways and cobblestone streets in William Penn’s “Green Countrie Towne,” Philadelphia. This city, which served as the capital of the colony of Pennsylvania, the capital of Colonial America, and the Federal capital from 1790-1800, has a history that is unrivaled in America. In an area known as “America’s Most Historic Square Mile,” our tour includes:
Carpenter’s Hall where the delegates gathered for the First Continental Congress.
The State House of Pennsylvania known today as Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were signed.
The Liberty Bell, America’s most cherished artifact cast in honor of the 50th Anniversary of Penn’s Charter of Privileges.
The President’s House in Philadelphia served as the “White House” from 1790 to 1800 while Philadelphia was the capital of the United States. Today, you can visit the site on Market Street for the newest addition to Independence Mall – a commemorative exhibition entitled “The President’s House: Freedom and Slavery in the Making of a New Nation” on an open-air footprint of the original house, one block north of Independence Hall.
Ben Franklin’s Gravesite in Christ Church Cemetery.
Betsy Ross House, home of the Quaker seamstress who legend maintains, made our first flag and whose home is an excellent example of an 18th-century working class residence.
Elfreth’s Alley, the oldest continuously occupied residential street in America
Christ Church, the Anglican Church established in 1695 where many of the Patriots of the Revolution worshipped
Franklin Court Print Shop and Museum, a working tribute to the accomplishments of the greatest American of the 18th century
Enjoy lunch at McGillin’s Olde Ale House after our city tour. McGillin’s opened in 1860, around the same time the Liberty Bell cracked. Enjoy a cup of homemade Kettle Soup, a Philly cheesesteak and brownie! Meet Ben Franklin while you are there!
Visit the Faith & Liberty Discovery Center. See, hear and feel history as you discover the forgotten inspiration behind the founding of our country. Explore the relationship between faith and liberty in guiding the formation of our country, see how that relationship still guides us today, and interact with our country’s history in new and surprising ways in a self-guided, personal experience.
Depart on a city tour of Philadelphia and see some of Philadelphia’s most photographed places such as the Love Statue in Love Park, the Rocky Balboa Statue, and much more! Return to the hotel to rest and refresh.
Enjoy dinner tonight at Moshulu. The “legendary” Moshulu is indeed the world’s oldest and largest square-rigged sailing vessel still afloat. She is in fact the one and only restaurant venue on a Tall Ship today in the world. Built by William Hamilton & Co., Port of Glasgow, Scotland in 1904 for the G.J.H. Siemers Co. of Hamburg, Germany as the four-masted barque Kurt, this “state-of-the-art” sailing ship was the finest and latest of man’s achievement in the world’s shipbuilding industry for the construction of bulk or packaged cargo sailing ships.

Day 6

Day 6: Sunday, June 4, 2023
Enjoy breakfast at the hotel this morning prior to checking out and heading for a tour of the National Constitution Center. This is the first museum in the world dedicated to honoring and explaining the U.S. Constitution through more than 100 interactive and multimedia exhibits, photographs, film, sculpture, text and artifacts. The National Constitution Center’s mission is to increase popular understanding of, and appreciation for, the Constitution, its history and its relevance to our daily lives. Watch Freedom Rising at National Constitution Center.
Enjoy lunch, on your own, at the Reading Terminal Market. One of America’s largest and oldest public markets, housed since 1893 in a National Historic Landmark building, the Market offers an incredible selection of locally grown and exotic produce, locally sourced meats and poultry, plus the finest seafood, cheeses, baked goods, and confections. You’ll find everything you need to create a memorable meal, from cookbooks, to table linens, to kitchenware, to fresh cut flowers and more. Plus, the widest variety of restaurants under one roof!
After lunch, visit the Museum of the American Revolution. Original artifacts, immersive settings, and dynamic theaters will take you on a journey from the roots of conflict to the outbreak of fighting, and from the bold Declaration of Independence through the long years of warfare and the creation of a new nation in our engaging galleries.
Arrive in Baltimore, Maryland this evening and check into the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel. Have time to rest and refresh before enjoying an included dinner at Phillip’s Seafood Inner Harbor.

Day 7

Day 7: Monday, June 5, 2023
Enjoy breakfast at the hotel this morning before departing for Ft. McHenry. This fort is a historical American coastal pentagonal bastion fort located in the Locust Point neighborhood of Baltimore. It is best known for its role in the War of 1812 when it successfully defended Baltimore Harbor from an attack by the British navy from the Chesapeake Bay on September 13-14, 1814.
Visit the USS Constellation later this morning. USS Constellation is a sloop-of-war, the last sail-only warship designed and built by the United States Navy. She was built at the Gosport Shipyard between 1853 and 1855 and was named for the earlier frigate of the same name that had been broken up in 1853.
Enjoy lunch today, on your own, in the Inner Harbor, then, begin boarding the Watermark Baltimore Harbor Cruise. Experience Baltimore’s most iconic sights from the water and enjoy engaging narrations and some of the best city views of downtown Baltimore!
Once we deboard back on shore, meet our local guide and begin a tour of Baltimore and its neighborhoods. One of America’s oldest cities, Baltimore grew up around its seaport. Its rich diversity of culture can be seen from the decks of historic ships, or on the streets surrounding the waterfront. Attractions surround the Waterfront promenade and are accessible either by foot, or water taxi.
Established during the colonial era, Fell’s Point is a neighborhood rich in history, attractions and colorful people. Known to many visitors as a lively entertainment district, it is enjoyed by its diverse residents as a very livable community where individuality is welcome.
Little Italy is one of Baltimore’s most famous ethnic communities. In addition to the wonderful aromas that permeate the neighborhood, you’ll find that locals and visitors alike truly enjoy chatting with the residents of this friendly Italian community as they sit on their steps welcoming you to Little Italy.
Mount Vernon Place Historic District is comprised of four rectangular parks – East and West Mount Vernon Place and North and South Washington Place. These garden parks, and the houses that line them, form the setting for the Washington Monument, the first major monument in the country to honor the first President, designed by Robert Mills in 1829.
Across the Inner Harbor is the historic hill called Federal Hill, a neighborhood on the historic register, adding warmth and charm to the downtown scene.
Baltimore City Hall, built in 1875, City Hall houses government offices and galleries.
Stop and/or drive by other noted or historic sites as time permits.
Return to the hotel this evening to rest and refresh before dinner. Enjoy an included dinner at the impressive Fogo de Chao Brazilian Steakhouse, an upscale Brazilian chain for all-you-can-eat meat carved tableside plus an extensive salad bar. Fogo de Chao is the old Southern Brazilian cooking technique of churrasco.
Return to the hotel for the evening with the remainder of the evening free, on your own.

Day 8

Day 8: Tuesday, June 6, 2023
Prior to checking out this morning, enjoy breakfast at the hotel, before departing for Dayton, Ohio. Enjoy rest and refresh breaks today, as needed, as well as a stop for lunch, on your own, before arriving at the Drury Inn Dayton to check in for your overnight stay. Enjoy a Kickback Reception with light dinner foods, snacks and drinks.

Day 9

Day 9: Wednesday, June 7, 2023
Enjoy one last breakfast with your fellow Trailways Travelers this morning before checking out and heading for home. Arrive home this evening with wonderful memories made!