Day 1
INDIANAPOLIS:
Early this morning we begin an exciting
journey to the central United States. During the next fifteen
days we will be seeing some of the country’s most famous
attractions! Today we travel through Tennessee and Kentucky
en route to Indiana and our overnight accommodations
south of Indianapolis.
Day 2
CHICAGO • 360° CHICAGO • DINNER - OLD FEED
MILL RESTAURANT:
Today we travel north to the Queen
City of the Great Lakes, Chicago. We visit the 360 Chicago
Observation Deck which offers breath taking views of Chicago
from 1,000 feet above the famed Magnificent Mile. We’ll see
the Water Tower and the D.L. Moody Bible Institute and church
before we depart Chicago. We overnight in the Wisconsin
Dells for the next two nights. Dinner tonight is a special treat
at the Old Feed Mill Restaurant. (D)
Day 3
HOUSE ON THE ROCK • WISCONSIN DELLS BOAT TOUR
• DINNER:
This morning in nearby Spring Green we visit
Alex Jordan’s unbelievable House on the Rock. Some folks
say it’s bizarre, others call it unique & fascinating. Perched
high on a sixty-foot chimney of rock, it overlooks the breathtaking
panorama of the valley some 450 feet below. The
“House” is the original structure of what is now an extraordinary
complex of rooms, streets and gardens. Discover exhibits
and collections found nowhere else in the world, including
the largest carousel in history, electric symphonies that fill
up whole rooms, nostalgic gaslight streets of the 1800’s, and
collections of every imaginable kind. This afternoon we enjoy
a boat ride through the beautiful Upper Wisconsin Dells. We’ll
embark on a scenic journey through majestic sandstone
bluffs that cradle the mighty Wisconsin River and hear the
legends of brave settlers and fearless Indians. Dinner is
included tonight. (D)
Day 4
TOUR OF MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL • MALL OF AMERICA:
This morning we travel northwest through the beautiful
farmlands of Wisconsin to the twin cities of Minneapolis and
St. Paul. This afternoon on our city tour we’ll learn why there
are two cities here instead of just one. We’ll also discover how
these two cities got their names. We’ll visit beautiful Minnehaha
Falls and see the beautiful restoration of Harriet Island and
hear about its history. This evening we’ll discover and explore
the world’s premier retail and entertainment complex, the Mall
of America! Here in the world’s largest shopping mall you’ll
find over 500 stores in this premier retail and entertainment
complex. If you’ve heard fantastic stories about the West
Edmonton Mall in Alberta, Canada, this one is even more
unbelievable. We spend the night in the Minneapolis area.
Day 5
HJEMKOMST CENTER • BISMARCK:
We depart the
Minneapolis area this morning headed for North Dakota.
This afternoon we visit the Hjemkomst Center. We get an up
close look at the Hjemkomst Viking Ship, a full-scale replica
viking ship and the Hopperstad Stave Church. Next we enter
the wide-open spaces of North Dakota, bound for Bismarck.
Day 6
CHATEAU DE MORES STATE HISTORIC SITE • LITTLE
BIGHORN BATTLEFIELD NATIONAL MONUMENT •
BILLINGS:
Marquis de Mores, a wealthy Frenchman, established
the town of Medora and named it for his wife. He busied
himself establishing a stagecoach line and beef packing plant
as well as experimenting with refrigerated railroad cars. We
will see these old buildings, the ruins of the packing plant,
and a 26-room mansion filled with French furnishings. Now
we enter the Big Sky Country of Montana. We visit Little
Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, the scene of Custer’s
“last stand” where Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer and 215
men were killed by Sioux and Cheyenne warriors on June 25,
1876. We continue to Billings, the largest city in Montana,
for our overnight.
Day 7
CODY • LUNCH AT IRMA’S • BUFFALO BILL CENTER OF
THE WEST • OLD TRAIL TOWN • RODEO:
Today our travels
lead us south into the Cowboy State of Wyoming to Cody for
a two night stay. We’ll have lunch today at Irma’s located in
Buffalo Bill’s original hotel. We visit the Buffalo Bill Center of
the West. It includes the Buffalo Bill Museum, with personal
belongings of the great show-man; Winchester Arms Museum,
a complete collection of the Winchester Firearms Company;
the Whitney Gallery of Western Art, and the Plains Indian
Museum. You’ll agree that this is one of the finest museums
of its kind! You’ll also enjoy the Old Trail Town, reconstructed
on the site of Old Cody City. Buildings include a saloon,
general store, museum, cabins and blacksmith shops. Tonight
we attend the Cody Rodeo. (On the September departure,
a visit to the Cody Cattle Company Dinner Show replaces
lunch and the Cody Rodeo.) (L)
Day 8
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK:
This morning we travel
north to Yellowstone National Park, America’s first and
largest National Park. We’ll see Old Faithful, then venture
into an area of the park which stands on a broad, elevated
plateau 7,800 feet above the level of the enclosed tableland.
Visit the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River, see plunging
waterfalls twice as high as Niagara, and stroll wooden walk-ways by thermal steam vents, geysers, hot pools, and bubbly
paint pots of deep green and blue. We return to Cody by
way of Shoshone Canyon with its magnificent breathtaking
beauty. A box lunch is included today. (L)
Day 9
BIG HORN MOUNTAINS • DEVILS TOWER NATIONAL
MONUMENT • RAPID CITY:
Today we travel into the
Big Horn Mountains, where the land is rich and ideal for the
grazing of livestock. For years, rustling and border disputes
caused tension in the area. You’ll see cowboys riding the range
and perhaps even a chuckwagon or two. Before entering
South Dakota we see Devils Tower, the first National Monument
set aside for the American people by President Theodore
Roosevelt in 1906. This gigantic landmark, a volcanic neck,
rises 865 feet from the prairie like a tree stump. This evening
we check into our Rapid City hotel for a two-night stay. (D)
Day 10
BEAR COUNTRY USA • MOUNT RUSHMORE • CRAZY
HORSE • BLACK HILLS • DINNER:
After breakfast we
travel into the Black Hills of South Dakota to visit Bear Country
USA, a refuge for bears, wolves, bison, and many other wild
animals. Then we continue to Mount Rushmore, where Gutzon
Borglum began work on the project in 1927. We experience
Mount Rushmore, where the faces of four great presidents,
Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt, stand
out on a 6,000 foot mountain. We move on to Crazy Horse,
the dream of another man, Korczak Ziolkowski, a sculptor
who helped to fashion Mount Rushmore. Though Korczak
died in 1982, his wife and family have continued to pursue his
dream of carving the likeness of the great Indian Chief Crazy
Horse into the mountain. We travel back through the Black
Hills to our motel. Tonight you’re in for a real treat as we
have a relaxing and special dinner at the K Bar S Lodge. (D)
Day 11
WALL DRUG STORE • BADLANDS • CORN PALACE •
SIOUX FALLS:
You’ve heard about it and seen signs for
it, this morning experience it: Wall Drug! Here the Husteads
made a fortune advertising free ice water to tourists beginning
in 1936. You’ll have time for a snack or you may just wish to
roam the streets of the western railroad town of Wall. Wall
is the entrance to the Badlands, a multi-colored wasteland of
weirdly formed gullies, canyons, ridges and spires. We’ll make
a number of sight-seeing and picture stops. The famous Corn
Palace is next on our list. The Corn Palace is newly decorated
each year with 3,000 bushels of corn, grains and grasses
creating scenic murals. We bid farewell to Mitchell and travel
to Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Day 12
PATEE HOUSE MUSEUM • JESSE JAMES HOME •
KANSAS CITY:
Today our route takes us south through
Sioux City and Omaha. Continuing into the fertile plains of
Missouri, we make our afternoon stop in the historic town of
St. Joseph. Here we’ll explore the Patee House Museum, a
three-story museum featuring a collection of western lore,
personal items that once belonged to Jesse James, memorabilia
of the Pony Express, a huge steam engine, restored western
store fronts, and the history of western communication from
the telegraph to the telephone. We’ll also tour the home of
the infamous Jesse James. The James Home is located directly
behind Patee House, and was only two blocks away from
where the outlaw Jesse James was gunned down on April 3,
1882, by Bob Ford. The home contains a number of items
owned by Jesse James and his family including coffin handles
and a pin Jesse James wore in his death photo, as well as
numerous photos. We briefly cross into Kansas on our way
to Kansas City, Missouri.
Day 13
HARRY TRUMAN HOME OR MUSEUM • ARABIA
STEAMBOAT MUSEUM • ST. LOUIS:
This morning in
Independence, we visit the Harry Truman Home or Museum.
Each site displays artifacts of our 33rd president. We visit the
Arabia Steamboat Museum. Built in 1853, the Steamboat
Arabia sank in the murky waters of the Missouri River in 1856.
In 1989, the steamship and her cargo were rediscovered and
resurrected in a massive excavation project. Today we can
explore the past through this perfectly preserved time capsule.
We travel to the Gateway of the West, St. Louis.
Day 14
GATEWAY ARCH • LAMBERT’S THROWED ROLLS •
NASHVILLE:
This morning we marvel at the Gateway
Arch where we have tickets for the tram ride to the very crest
of the arch where you have a breathtaking view of St. Louis
& the Mississippi River Valley. We follow the Mississippi to
Sikeston, where an unforgettable meal awaits you at the world
famous Lambert’s Throwed Roll Café. Eat all the rolls you can
catch, along with heaping helpings of home-cooked vegetables
& mouthwatering meats. We cross the Mississippi where it
is joined by the Ohio, then continue to the Nashville area
for our final overnight stay. (L)
Day 15
HOME:
This morning is a good time to reflect on our
15 day journey. Your visit to the Dakotas and Yellowstone
is no longer a dream, it’s a memory that you’ll share for
years to come.
