Tour Description

Take a bite out of the Big Apple while gobbling up visits to historic and monumental sites like the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Empire State Building, 911 Memorial, Memorial UA 93 and the Liberty Bell. William Penn, founder of Philadelphia, was determined to leave the horrors of urban Europe behind, thus setting the stage for Philadelphia to be forever the City of Brotherly Love. You will be exposed to this birthplace of the Declaration of Independence and the home of our beloved Liberty Bell. For those who treasure our great nation, this carefully planned tour gives extensive information to our nation’s humble roots.

Day 1:

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Lodging: Drury Inn & Suites

We begin our awesome tour with a travel day. Our destination for the evening will be Indianapolis, Indiana. As you have come to expect with Making Memories tours, you don’t have to concern yourself with maps, directions, parking, vehicle maintenance, admittance fees or lodging arrangements – we handle everything. We pride ourselves on taking great care of you. Bring your bags and step-on to a great worry-free travel experience.

Day 2:

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Lodging: Hampton Inn

Meals: Breakfast

Eat a hearty breakfast as we head out for another full day of travel. To ensure there is no boredom, your travel specialist will prompt engaging activities along the way. Our experienced driver will stop every few hours to allow for ample stretching and even give you time for a brisk walk should you desire to do so. Tonight’s landing has us resting our heads in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. The Big Apple is preparing for us to arrive tomorrow!

Day 3:

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Lodging: Hampton Inn & Suites

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

This morning we arrive at Liberty State Park, a green oasis in metropolitan northern New Jersey. Stopping at this modern 1,122 acre urban park lets you take in the monumental visit you are about to have with the universal sign of freedom and democracy founded in our national monument, the Statue of Liberty. She was a gift of friendship from France in 1886. And today, we still enjoy the gift named after Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom. Experience an unforgettable visit to Ellis Island, where over 12 million immigrants experienced the Island of Hope, their first stop to new opportunities or the Island of Tears where families were separated and access to America denied. Between the years of 1892-1954, Ellis Island was America’s largest and most active immigration station. We return to the mainland to the famous Battery Park, the oldest public park in New York. This is the cradle of New York history and takes in 6 million visitors annually, of which you get to be among this year! After dinner we will depart to the most photographed building in the world, The Empire State Building. This once in a lifetime experience inside the world famous landmark will leave an everlasting memory in your mind. The New York Skyride sounds intimidating, but isn’t because it is a virtual tour simulator giving us an adventure across the skyline visiting over three dozen famous landmarks. As you fall asleep tonight in the Big Apple you will be dreaming of the many adventures you had today!

Day 4:

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Lodging: Hampton Inn & Suites

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

You’ll get spoiled with another relaxed start to our day. But don’t be fooled, the day is loaded with the hustle and bustle of New York City! This morning we will meet our step-on guide to show us the many unforgettable and famous sites that New York has to offer. Our tour will end and together we will walk to the somber and reverent 911 Memorial and Museum. After that, the day is yours! Making Memories is pleased to host your dinner at a local restaurant that evening and then to top off your evening we will take in a New York Broadway show.

Day 5:

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Lodging: Hampton Inn & Suites

Meals: Breakfast

Today is all yours as you take in all that New York has to offer. You might want to spend your time downtown in New York City, stop at Ground Zero, or take a cruise around New York Harbor to get a close up view of the Statue of Liberty. You could always stroll through Central Park or make your way to Rockefeller Plaza and take in the excitement of the NBC morning show. The day is yours to shop and explore!

Day 6:

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Lodging: Comfort Inn

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Today, we pack our bags and move on to the historic yet very current city of Philadelphia. We will officially be introduced to The City of Brotherly Love as we dine aboard Moshulu at Penn’s Landing, an AAA 4-diamond rated restaurant. Unique because it is the largest and oldest square rigged sailing vessel still afloat. Here, we meet our American Heritage tour guide who will introduce us to the awe-inspiring Liberty Bell, an iconic symbol of American independence. Can you anticipate the great respect hovering as you walk the passages of Independence Hall, where both the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were signed? Imagine, your feet will walk where George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and so many other great thinkers who formed our great nation walked. Our evening resting place is at the King of Prussia, PA.

Day 7:

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Lodging: Drury Inn and Suites

Meals: Breakfast

Today we eat breakfast, load the coach and begin our journey southwest toward home. We leave with much to reflect upon. We have one more encounter, however. On 9/11, the heroic actions of 40 passengers and crew aboard Flight 93 thwarted a planned attack on our US Capitol. At the site of, Memorial UA 93 we stop and take in this honored ground. We leave Stoystown, PA with much to be grateful for in spite of the many evils this world battles. Our nightly resting stop will be in Columbus, Ohio.

Day 8:

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Lodging: Drury Inn and Suites

Meals: Breakfast

Because we know every day is a treasure, we include a treasure of discovery in today’s travels. You’ll have a high-flying time appreciating over 300 aircraft and missiles on display at the official museum of the US Air Force on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Landing back on the coach, we will travel a bit and then break for lunch. The afternoon will find time flying as we gain an hour coming closer to home, as we end the day in Collinsville, Illinois.

Day 9:

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Meals: Breakfast

As our journey comes to a close it will have found us traveling over 2,800 miles. We’ve encountered hallowed halls, honored grounds and even the lights of a New York Broadway show. We edge closer to home with a fresh appreciation for the sacrifice of others giving us freedom to travel and the chance to forge Making Memories unique and special.