A land of movie stars, gold rushes, redwood forests and astonishing beauty, California has captured the imagination of the world ever since Americans first trekked westward to this golden state. Come along as we tour this amazing state with stops at the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas and so much more along the way!

Day 1 – Bryant, AR – We travel through Kentucky and Tennessee to Bryant, AR, with a stop at the Casey Jones Village in Jackson, TN, on the way. Overnight in Bryant.

Day 2 – Fort Worth Stockyards – Abilene, TX – After an included breakfast, we continue our way west into Texas, stopping at the historic Fort Worth Stockyards for shopping and sightseeing. Experience a taste of the Old West, including a live cattle drive, in this historic stockyard. We overnight in Abilene

Day 3 – Alamogordo, NM – After an included breakfast, our destination today is Alamogordo, New Mexico, where we will see the amazing emptiness and barrenness of New Mexico. Then we will enjoy the beauty of the Sacramento Mountains. Overnight in Alamogordo.

Day 4 – White Sands National Park– Saguaro National Park – Tucson, AZ – After an included breakfast, we will visit a great natural wonder, the great wave-like dunes of gypsum sand found at White Sands National Park. After lunch on our own, we visit Saguaro National Park, a forest of stately saguaro cactus standing like sentinels guarding the desert floor. These majestic plants can live more than 200 years and grow as tall as 30 to 40 feet. We have a chance to see these enormous cacti, silhouetted by the beauty of the magnificent surrounding desert. We overnight in Tucson, Arizona.

Day 5 – Heritage Square – Palm Springs – Walk of Stars – Los Angeles, CA – After an included breakfast, we will make a photo stop at Heritage Square, where you will see some of the well-preserved Victorian homes once inhabited by the early settlers of Phoenix. This afternoon, we will stop in the pretty resort town of Palm Springs, We will see the Walk of Stars while we are here. The stars embedded in the sidewalk pavement honor various people who have lived in Palm Springs. We continue to the Los Angeles area, where we spend the next two nights.

Day 6 – Warner Brothers Studio – Hollywood & Stars’ Homes Tour – After an included breakfast, two very special things are on our agenda for today. Much of our morning will be spent at the fabled Warner Brothers Studio. In small groups, riding on special golf carts, we will tour this amazing complex of production facilities and costume shops, back lots, and much more. There is also time for lunch, shopping and browsing. This afternoon we take a narrated tour of Hollywood; where we will see many stars’ homes, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Sunset Strip, Graumann’s Chinese Theater, the famous Hollywood sign, and equally famous Rodeo Drive. Overnight same hotel.

Day 7– Solvang – Hearst Castle – San Simeon – Breakfast is included this morning. Leaving L.A. this morning, we will spend some time in beautiful Solvang, an authentic Danish village. Solvang’s windmills, thatched roofs and cobblestone streets make lunch and shopping here a very pleasant experience. This afternoon, newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst’s Castle overlooking the Pacific Ocean will garner our attention as we enjoy a guided tour of his estate; with some free time included there as well. We overnight in nearby San Simeon, California.

Day 8 – Big Sur State Park – San Jose, CA – Breakfast is included this morning. The Big Sur, which has been called “The Greatest Meeting of Land & Sea,” is a 90 mile stretch of rugged and awesomely beautiful coastline between Carmel to the north and San Simeon to the south. After lunch on our own, we continue to our overnight accommodations in San Jose.

Day 9 – Old Sacramento – Merced, CA – After an included breakfast, we travel to California’s capital city of Sacramento, where we will visit Old Town Sacramento. Go back in time as you walk along the boardwalk sidewalks for some lunch and shopping. This afternoon, we visit the California State Railroad Museum. We’ll see restored locomotives and cars, some dating back to 1862, as we learn how the railroads shaped the culture and economy of the West. We continue to Merced, where we overnight two nights.

Day 10 – Yosemite National Park – Breakfast is included. This very special day of our tour is dedicated solely to enjoying some of the wonders of Yosemite National Park. To that end, we have scheduled an exciting, guided tour in the park to see Yosemite Valley, Yosemite Falls, Half Dome, El Capitan, Tunnel View, Bridal Veil Falls and more. Overnight same hotel.

Day 11 – Treasure Island – Las Vegas, NV – After an included breakfast, we head to the shimmering, dazzling lights of Las Vegas, where we spend two nights at Treasure Island, located on the strip. Created on the desert floor, this amazing city that never sleeps is packed full of glamorous hotels and resorts. A ride after dark will allow us to see the famous strip in all its glittering glory.

Day 12 – Las Vegas Leisure Day – Today is at leisure to do whatever most appeals to you. Sleep late, then lounge by the pool, explore some of the magnificent, themed hotels along the Strip, go shopping, or schedule an optional show. Overnight same hotel.

Day 13 – Hoover Dam – Grand Canyon, AZ – This morning, we visit the Hoover Dam, hailed as one of the greatest engineering feats of all time. Next, we continue east to Grand Canyon National Park, riding along the rim of the canyon to take in the magnificence of this amazing natural wonder. We overnight two nights in Grand Canyon.

Day 14 – Grand Canyon Leisure Day – Today, the powerful and inspiring landscape of the Grand Canyon will overwhelm our senses with its immense size and incredible beauty. We will spend the day at leisure taking park shuttles to see the things that most interest us. Overnight same hotel.

Day 15 – Painted Desert – Petrified Forest National Park – Albuquerque, NM – A great day of touring lies ahead as we travel through the Painted Desert to visit the unusual Petrified Forest National Park in northwestern Arizona. We overnight in Albuquerque.

Day 16 – Old Town Plaza – Amarillo, TX – After an included breakfast, we stop at Albuquerque’s historic Old Town Plaza for sightseeing, shopping, and lunch on our own. This area is about is as close as you can get to Mexico, with adobe buildings full of authentic food and merchandise from south of the border. We travel to Amarillo where we overnight.

Day 17 – Oklahoma City Bombing National Memorial – Springfield, MO – After an included breakfast, we continue east through Oklahoma. We stop at the Oklahoma City Bombing National Memorial, created to honor those who were killed by the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. We overnight in Springfield, MO.

Day 18 – Home – After an included breakfast, we arrive home with memories of the great state of California, and a better understanding of so many places different from our own.

Meals Included: 13 Breakfasts