Route 66 – America’s Mother Road

Fly to Chicago, where you will be met by your guide and taken to your hotel for a two-night stay.

Today, we enjoy an included tour of the city of Chicago, home to several of the highest buildings in the world! And, among them there is the Amoco Building, John Hancock Building and the impressive Willis Tower, commonly referred to as the Sears Tower, reaching 1,450 feet high and boasting 110 floors! It was even the highest building in the world without its antennas until March 1996.

You’ll then discover Lake Michigan, one of the five Great Lakes of North America. The lake covers such a vast area – being around 500 km long and up to 190 km wide – that you might think you were at the seaside.

This afternoon we take a cruise to see the city – in particular its renowned architecture – from a different angle. Free time to stroll about the streets in the afternoon.

We depart Chicago and embark on our road trip along the world-famous Route 66.

At McLean, we stop at the Dixie Truckers Home, a truck stop built in 1928, open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year! This is a perfect opportunity to admire superb US trucks.

We travel on towards Springfield, founded by trappers and traders in 1818, it had been the capital of the state of Illinois since 1837. The city is entirely devoted to the cult of Abraham Lincoln who lived, practiced law and was a representative in Springfield from 1837 until his Presidency. We include a tour of his home, now a museum, before continuing to St. Louis for an overnight stay.

Today we include a tour of St. Louis. Just south of the Missouri-Mississippi confluence, St. Louis has long been a major river port, railroad hub, and industrial centre. It was once one of the largest cities west of New York.

We include a photo stop at the Gateway Arch. This 630-ft high stainless steel arch, commemorating westward expansion, is part of the Jefferson National Memorial and symbol of the city.

We continue across the rolling hills of Missouri as we head to Joplin for an overnight stay.

Today we travel across the state of Kansas, making a lunch stop in Tulsa, before arriving this afternoon in Oklahoma City.

It was here on the 22 April 1889, tens of thousands of settlers surged forward in the Great Land Run to grab their piece of glory and stake their claim on part of the two million areas of unassigned land then opened for settlement. Not surprisingly, Oklahoma City became known as ‘the city born in a single day’.

You will be taken on an included sightseeing tour of the town where you will see the State Capitol building and the Centennial Land Run Monument.
The monument commemorates the opening of the Unassigned Land in Oklahoma Territory with the Land Run of 1889. The frenzied energy and emotion from one instant during the run is captured in bronze by artist Paul Moore. The sculpture is one of the world’s largest bronze sculptures featuring 45 heroic figures of land run participants, frozen in motion as they race to claim new homesteads.

Finally, we end the day with a visit to the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum before continuing to our hotel for an overnight stay.

Today you will depart the plains of Oklahoma towards the Lone Star State, Texas.

En route, we will make a stop in Clinton where you can learn the history of Route 66 – ‘the Mother Road’ – before continuing on to Amarillo.

Founded in the 1880s, Amarillo has experienced many things, from civil war battles to the creation of many millionaires from the ‘black gold’ oil mining in the area.

This evening we offer an optional steak dinner* at the famed Big Texan Steak Ranch. We stay overnight in Amarillo.

We start the day with a photo stop at the world-famous Cadillac Ranch, a fascinating sight in which 10 Cadillacs are partially buried in a single file.

We then continue on to the ghost town of Glen Rio, where you can stand with one foot in New Mexico and the other one in Texas.

We continue to Tucumcari, where you will follow the Mural Trail, viewing many of the 100-plus murals painted across this small town before a visit of the New Mexico Route 66 Museum.

Later we continue to Albuquerque for a two-night stay.

We spend today in Santa Fe, a city that has long been a centre for arts and culture.
The city and the surrounding areas have a high concentration of artists who have visited over the decades to capture on canvas, and in other media, the natural beauty of the landscape, the flora and the fauna.

One of the most well-known New Mexico-based artists was Georgia O'Keeffe, who lived for a time in Santa Fe.
We include a visit of the adobe Palace of the Governors, one of the nation’s oldest landmarks.

Following the tour you will have time at leisure to wander the historic streets of old Santa Fe, visit the Loretto Chapel or O’Keefe Museum.

This morning we make our way towards the state of Arizona, visiting the Petrified Forest along the way.
A result of silica being slowly crystallized into quartz, preserving the tree trunks into petrified wood, today, the wind and water continue to carry away sediments, causing buried trees to surface. Incorporated in the park is the Painted Desert, vast and dry badlands, scattered with buttes and mesas.

We continue west to Flagstaff for a two-night stay.

This morning we visit the Grand Canyon, a superb geological phenomenon where we walk along the South Rim to see one of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring natural wonders of the world.

The Grand Canyon is the result of millions of years of wind and water erosion creating an endless expanse of shapes, colours and impenetrable shadow, with the Colorado River flowing over a mile below the canyon rim.

During the day an optional scenic helicopter tour of the canyon will be available. We have free time at the Grand Canyon before returning to Flagstaff at the end of the day.

Today we head to Las Vegas, stopping en route in the delightful town of Seligman.

Founded in 1895 on the old Route 66, Seligman retains all the character of the old road and a visit to the town is a trip back in time to the days when Route 66 was the Main Street of America.

We arrive this afternoon in Las Vegas for a two-night stay.

Today we have a full day at leisure to indulge in all that Las Vegas has to offer. Try your luck in one of the world-famous casinos, enjoy a spot of shopping in one of the many malls or you can simply relax by the pool.

We begin our day with a drive across the Mojave National Preserve. Natural features include the Kelso Dunes, the Marl Mountains and the Cima Dome, as well as volcanic formations such as Hole-in-the-Wall and the Cinder Cone Lava Beds.
Impressive Joshua Tree forests cover parts of the preserve and the Cima Dome and Shadow Valley forests are the largest in the world.

On our arrival into Los Angeles, we first stop at the Griffith Observatory to get some of the best views of Downtown Los Angeles, as well as the famous Hollywood Sign, a landmark and American cultural icon.

We then continue to Hollywood for a walk down Hollywood Boulevard, home to the legendary Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, where you will find the handprints of famous stars in the cement.

We will stay for two nights in Los Angeles.

This morning we include a sightseeing tour of downtown Los Angeles, the historic Mexican district and Olvera Street and the nearby Union Station.

We continue the day with a stop in Beverly Hills where you will have free time to walk along Rodeo Drive.

This afternoon we transfer to Santa Monica, the official terminus of Route 66, where we will have a brief orientation tour, followed by time at leisure to enjoy the Pacific Ocean. Walk along the boardwalk, or do some shopping.

We will return to our hotel at the end of the day.

Enjoy the morning at leisure before transferring to the airport for your return flight.

Arrive back in the UK.