Route 66 And Treasures of the Midwest

DAY 1

Perrysburg, OH: Your adventure begins with meal and rest stops as needed and at your expense enroute to Perrysburg, Ohio for a late afternoon arrival and check in at the Hilton Garden Inn Toledo Perrysburg (419-873-0700) for a one-night stay. Guest rooms feature a microwave, mini refrigerator, coffeemaker, and hairdryer for your convenience. Hotel amenities include an indoor pool, fitness center, onsite restaurant and complimentary Wi-Fi. Dinner tonight is on your own with the remainder of the night to relax or get acquainted with fellow passengers.

DAY 2

Chicago to Pontiac, IL: After breakfast included at the hotel, you depart for Chicago, Illinois. Your first "Roadie" experience is for lunch included at the famous Del Rhea's Chicken Basket. Following lunch, you visit the iconic starting sign of Route 66 at Michigan and Adams Street in downtown Chicago for a photo opportunity. Afterward, you pick up the old road and make your way to Joliet, IL, for a visit to the Historic Rialto Square Theatre. Known as the "Jewel of Joliet", this historic vaudeville movie theatre is considered one of the most beautiful theatres in the nation. The day continues with a visit to Odell to see the beautifully restored Historic 66 Standard Oil filling station before arriving in Pontiac, Il, widely known as the "Route 66 Mural City", for check-in at your host hotel for the night, the Hampton Inn Pontiac (815-844-4400). Hotel amenities include an indoor pool, fitness center, and a business center. Guest rooms feature a mini refrigerator, coffeemaker, hairdryer and iron/ironing board. Dinner is included at a local restaurant with Route 66 style entertainment and followed by return to the hotel to turn in for the night.

DAY 3

Pontiac to Springfield, IL: Start your day with breakfast included at the hotel. You then check-out and depart for a trolley and mural tour around Pontiac. Dive more into the history and beauty behind the amazing paintings and their significance. Next, admission is included to enjoy the Route 66 Hall of Fame and Museum. Learn the incredible history of Route 66, view memorabilia, see images and photos and hear a few great stories about the glory days of the Mother Road. Your travels continue along Route 66 with several stops including an old jail, a giant robot and other unique and unusual attractions. Mid-day, you arrive at the Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield, where you have lunch on your own and enjoy admission to the museum. The afternoon features a tour of Springfield, including a stop at Lincoln's Tomb and the Cozy Dog Drive-In, the birthplace of the corn dog. Your day begins to wind down as you check into your host hotel for the night (TBA).

DAY 4

St. Louis, MO: Wake to a delightful breakfast buffet included at the hotel before check-out and departure for St. Louis, Missouri. Along the way, you stop to see the world's largest ketchup bottle in Collinsville before your visit to the historic Chain of Rocks Bridge. Lunch is included at a local restaurant while in St. Louis, and you will also enjoy a sweet treat at the famous Ted Dewes frozen custard on your way to check in at the Drury Plaza Hotel St. Louis at the Arch (314-231-3003) for a two-night stay. The Drury welcomes its guests with amenities including an indoor pool & whirlpool, a fitness center and business center with complimentary Wi-Fi, and well-appointed guest rooms featuring a microwave, mini refrigerator and hairdryer. Dinner is included at a local restaurant followed by return to the hotel.

DAY 5

Exploring St. Louis: Begin your day with a breakfast buffet included at the hotel before your trip reaches a new height in experiences with a one-of-a-kind tram ride 630 feet to the top of the iconic Gateway Arch for incredible views stretching 30 miles in every direction, and before you leave enjoy admission to explore the Museum Under the Gateway Arch (formerly the Museum of Westward Expansion) covering 201 years of history with an emphasis on St. Louis' paramount role in that era. Lunch is on your own and at your expense before you depart for admission and a tour included at historic Anheuser-Busch Brewery. (PLEASE NOTE: ALL GUESTS ARE REQUIRED TO WEAR FLAT, CLOSED-TOE SHOES FOR THE TOUR. SANDALS, HIGH HEELS OR SOFT-SOLED RESIN SHOES (i.e. CROCS) ARE NOT PERMITTED. NO BAGS LARGER THAN 8X10X8 AND NO BACKPACKS OF ANY SIZE ARE PERMITTED.) Your afternoon as a group ends with a tour of the stunning Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis where you learn about its rich history, inspiring architecture, and transcendent art. You then return to the hotel to enjoy dinner on your own and at your expense, as well as time to explore St. Louis on your own or enjoy the hotel amenities.

DAY 6

Birthplace of Route 66 - Springfield, MO: After breakfast included at the hotel, you depart to visit the captivating murals in Cuba, MO. Enjoy a brief local tour of Cuba featuring 14 outdoor murals that depict scenes from local and national history, including visits from Harry S. Truman, Amelia Earhart and Bette Davis. Lunch will be on your own and at your expense during your travels to Springfield, famously known as the birthplace of Route 66. Upon arrival, you have admission included to the Springfield History Museum on the Square, where you can delve into the nostalgia of Route 66 through one of the largest timelines and maps in the country, eight dedicated galleries on three floors, learn about this first Wild West shoot-out site, and a chance to sit in a turquoise blue '57 Chevy Bel Air convertible. Late afternoon, you check into the Best Western Route 66 Rail Haven Motel (417-866-1963) for one night. Step back in time for an authentic piece of American road trip history! We intentionally chose the Best Western Route 66 Haven to give you a true taste of classic, mid-century Mother Road nostalgia. While it isn't a 5-star luxury resort - we fully embrace that it offers a charming, retro atmosphere that modern high-rises simply can't replicate. Clean, comfortable, and packed with old-school Route 66 spirit, this one-night stop is all about the experience and capturing the genuine soul of the open road. Enjoy complimentary coffee and wireless internet access throughout the property, and guest room amenities include a microwave, mini refrigerator and hairdryer. Dinner tonight is included at a local restaurant with the remainder of the night to relax and unwind.

DAY 7

Oklahoma's Route 66 Gems: Enjoy breakfast included at the motel before departing and continuing your travels which include "Tow-Tater," the tow truck that inspired "Tow Mater" in the movie "Cars" and a brief visit to Ed Galloway's Totem Pole Park, the oldest and largest example of a folk-art environment containing original, highly decorated creations. Lunch will be on your own and at your expense prior to your included visit to the Will Rogers Museum and Memorial. This afternoon, admission is included to the Will Rogers Museum that celebrates the life and legacy of this performer, actor and humorist located in Claremore, Oklahoma. The afternoon features a photo opportunity at the Big Blue Whale in Catoosa, Oklahoma, the Big Round Barn in Arcadia, Oklahoma, followed by a stop at POP's in Arcadia, where you can see a 66-foot-tall soda bottle and explore a store with over 500 different flavored bottled sodas. The day concludes with check-in at (TBA). Dinner this evening will be on your own before you retire for the night.

DAY 8

Oklahoma City to Amarillo, TX: Following breakfast included at the hotel, you depart for Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum. Admission and a tour are included to honor and remember the victims of the April 19, 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building that changed this city and our nation forever. Later in the morning, you depart for Elk City with lunch on your own and at your expense along the way and followed by a stop at the National Route 66 & Transportation Museum for a self-guided experience. After witnessing numerous artifacts, antique cars and rare historical documents that capture the spirit of Route 66, you depart for Amarillo, Texas, but not before making a stop in Groom, TX, to see the iconic Tower Conoco Station and U-Drop Inn Cafe. Early evening, you check in at the Drury Inn & Suites Amarillo (806-351-1111) for a two-night stay. Hotel features include an indoor pool & whirlpool, well-equipped fitness center, business center with complimentary Wi-Fi, and well-appointed guest rooms offering a microwave, mini refrigerator and hair dryer for convenience. Dinner this evening is included at a local favorite featuring a challenge fit for a "Big Texan".

DAY 9

Amarillo Area Exploration: Start your day with a hearty breakfast included at the hotel before you board the motorcoach for a guided tour of Palo Duro Canyon State Park, often referred to as "The Grand Canyon of Texas" and is the second largest canyon in the country. Experience the canyon's rugged beauty and enjoy its colorful history. Next, you make a brief photo stop at Rex Randall - Big Texan statue that proves everything is big in Texas as it stands 47 feet tall. You then have lunch included at a local restaurant. Keep those cameras handy and prepare to stop at the midway point of Route 66 for a photo op before you make your mark on a quirky, yet ritual stop as the smell of spray paint hits you just shortly before arrival at Cadillac Ranch invented and built by a group of art-hippies from San Francisco. The day concludes with a Cowgirls and Cowboy's in the West Chuckwagon dinner show at Los Cedros Ranch on the rim of Palo Duro Canyon. You then return to the hotel to rest and relax for the night.

DAY 10

Amarillo to Hutchinson, Kansas: After breakfast included at the hotel, you depart for Liberal, Kansas for an included lunch. You then board the motorcoach and depart for Hutchinson, Kansas, to check into the Holiday Inn Express Hutchinson (620-259-8656) for one night. In-room amenities include a microwave, mini refrigerator coffeemaker and hairdryer. Guests can take a relaxing swim, recharge your body in the fitness center or connect with family or friends with complimentary Wi-Fi in the business center. After a hearty dinner included tonight, sit back, relax and enjoy private Western entertainment before you return to the hotel for the night.

DAY 11

Hutchinson to Kansas City, MO: Fuel up with breakfast included at the hotel before you embark on an unparalleled journey into the depths of an active salt mine that has been operational since the 1920s, tour the Strataca, Kansas Underground Salt Museum. (PLEASE NOTE: YOU MAY WANT TO WEAR A JACKET AS THE SALT MINE IS KEPT AT 68 DEGREES. YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO WEAR A HARD HAT PROVIDED. NO WEAPONS, TOBACCO PRODUCTS OR DRINKS OTHER THAN WATER ARE PERMITTED.) Descend 650 feet underground for this tour that provides a fascinating glimpse into the history and geology of salt mining, revealing stories that are as rich and layered as the salt beds themselves. Afterwards, lunch will be on your own and at your expense at the Kansas Cosmosphere and followed by an out-of-this-world experience at the Cosmosphere with a guided tour of this amazing space museum. A Smithsonian Affiliate, the Cosmosphere grew from just a planetarium to a 105,000-square-foot-facility housing a collection that tells the story of the Space Race highlighting both the triumphs and challenges of the era with impressive exhibits and interactive displays. Late afternoon, you depart for Kansas City and check in at the Drury Inn & Suites Kansas City Overland Park (913-345-1500) for an overnight stay. The hotel features an indoor pool & whirlpool, fitness center and business center with complimentary Wi-Fi. Spacious and comfortable guest rooms feature a microwave, refrigerator and hairdryer. Dinner is included at an area restaurant with the rest of the night to rest up for a day's travel tomorrow.

DAY 12

Kansas City to Indianapolis, IN: After a delightful breakfast included at the hotel, you depart for Indianapolis, Indiana with lunch on your own and at your expense along the way. Upon arrival in Indianapolis, you check into the Drury Inn & Suites Indianapolis Northeast (317-849-8900) for your last night's stay. Dinner is on your own and at your expense this evening after which you can enjoy the hotel's indoor pool & whirlpool, fitness center and business center with complimentary Wi-Fi. You may wish to retire early to your room which features a microwave, mini refrigerator and hairdryer.

DAY 13

Return Home: Your final day begins with breakfast included at the hotel, followed by your departure for home in the morning, concluding your memorable Route 66 adventure. Appropriate meal and rest stops at your expense will be made along the way home.

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***ALL WOLF'S TOURS - TIMES AND ITINERARY SUBJECT TO CHANGE**

B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner, DS=Dinner Show