| Tour Itinerary |
Day 1
LIGHTS UNDER LOUISVILLE:
Our Christmas
Around the World celebration
begins in Louisville, Kentucky. Each year
the Louisville MEGA Cavern is transformed
into an underground holiday
light spectacular for the Christmas season.
We enjoy a 30 minute ride through
part of 17 miles of underground passageways,
which features over 850 lit
characters with over 2,000,000 points of
light. It's the only underground light show
of its kind on the planet!
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Day 2
JINGLE RAILS • ITALIAN DINNER • PEORIA,
IL:
We begin today with a visit to
Eiteljorg Museum’s Jingle Rails, a journey
to the Great American West. The popular
locomotive wonderland presents
nine working model trains winding past
the local treasures of downtown Indianapolis,
including the Eiteljorg Museum,
Monument Circle, Union Station, the Indiana
State Fairgrounds and Lucas Oil
Stadium, where you hear veteran Colts
radio announcer, Bob Lamey, call a
game. The trains then head through the
national parks of the American West,
passing legendary sites, including grand
railway lodges, Northwest Coast Native
villages, and wonders both natural and
human-made: Mt. Rushmore, Grand
Canyon, Yosemite Falls, Old Faithful, the
Las Vegas Strip, Hoover Dam and much
more. Tonight we are treated to a traditional
Italian dinner at a local favorite. (D)
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Day 3
OMAHA, NE • MADRIGAL CHRISTAMASSE
FEASTE:
As we arrive in Omaha,
Nebraska, we hear the well-known
cry “Hear Ye! Hear Ye!” echoing through
the air. The Lord and Lady of Essex invite
us to join them for feasting music and
merriment, madrigal style. At this unique
and original form of “dinner theatre”
we return to the Renaissance years for
a festive holiday evening at an old English
Castle. Announced by fanfares and
accompanied by music, mirth and traditions,
the multi-course meal is designed
to delight and to celebrate Christmas. (D)
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Day 4
IRISH CHRISTMAS AT FATHER FLANAGAN’S
BOYS TOWN • CHRISTMAS
IN GERMANY LUNCHEON WITH MEN’S
CHOIR • CHRISTMAS AT UNION STATION
(DURHAM MUSEUM) • CHRISTMAS IN
GREECE HOLIDAY DINNER • A CHRISTMAS
CAROL:
Following breakfast, we visit
Boys Town to celebrate an Irish Christmas
at the Father Flanagan House. We make
our way to Omaha, Nebraska, our home
for the next three nights. Our first stop includes
a holiday program of singing and
food with our German Christmas lunch.
Here we’ll listen to German holiday favorites
by the men’s choir. Our Christmas
in Greece is at St. John’s Greek Orthodox
Church. Here we learn about Greek
holiday customs and traditions. We also
tour the elaborate church. We visit the
Durham Museum and celebrate Christmas
at Union Station, one of the top holiday
destinations in the region. While here
we enjoy a Greek holiday meal accompanied
by traditional Christmas songs
performed in Greek by members of the
church choir. It just isn’t Christmas without
A Christmas Carol. Experience Omaha’s
favorite holiday tradition as Ebenezer
Scrooge takes us on a life-changing journey
filled with costumes, music, beautifully
crafted sets and special effects second
to none. (L, D)
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Day 5
MORNING TORTS AT LITHUANIAN BAKERY
• LAURITZEN BOTANICAL GARDENS
HOLIDAY POINSETTIAS • JOSLYN
ART MUSEUM CAFÉ • MORMON TRAIL
CENTER GINGERBREAD HOUSES • DINNER
- SPAGHETTI WORKS • HOLLAND
CENTER CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION:
Today
we continue at the Lithuanian Bakery.
Here we learn about the bakery items
and traditions of the Lithuanian country
of Eastern Europe plus learn about this
family-run business and how it was started.
Have your cameras ready as we
visit Lauritzen Botanical Gardens where
we view a display of over 7000 beautiful
poinsettias. We have lunch on our own
at the Café in Joslyn Art Museum. The
three-level museum interior comprises
some 38 marbles from around the world
and includes stone from Italy, France,
Germany, Belgium, and Morocco. A sign
of the holiday season is the annual gingerbread
house display at the Mormon
Trail Center. We have an included dinner
at Spaghetti Works before we celebrate
the magic of Christmas with Broadway
singers and tap-dancing Santas performing
Christmas classics and contemporary
favorites at the Holland Center. (D)
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Day 6
ARABIA STEAMBOAT MUSEUM • NATIONAL
WWI MONUMENT • ST. LOUIS,
MO:
Our around celebration continues
this morning in Kansas City. When the
mighty Steamboat Arabia sank near
Kansas City in 1856, she carried 200 tons
of mystery cargo. Lost for 132 years, its recovery
in 1988 was like finding the King
Tut’s Tomb of the Missouri River. Our visit
includes a short movie and we see the
treasures recovered from the Arabia.
Then, we visit the National World War I
Museum at Liberty Memorial. Since its
opening in 2006, more than two million
people have visited the museum, including
Former Vice President Dick Cheney,
General Colin Powell, President Barack
Obama (as a presidential candidate in
2008), and actor Kevin Costner. We overnight
in St. Louis Missouri this evening.
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Day 7
NASHVILLE, TN • EXPLORE OPRYLAND
RESORT • DINNER:
We travel on to
Nashville, Tennessee, this morning, heading
to the magnificent Opryland Resort.
As we explore, we marvel at lavish holiday
displays, including more than three
million twinkling lights and festive new
décor that will surely get us in the spirit
of this wonderful season! We will have an
included dinner before checking in to
our hotel. D
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Day 8
HOME:
On our journey home we reflect on all the different Christmas traditions we have learned about. Filled
with Christmas spirit we arrive home early
evening.
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