Marilyn Foster: Make time to celebrate America’s rich heritage

I can’t get enough of the beauty and history of this country. I never tire of hearing the tales that made us the country we are today. The history of the founding of America and those who created this great country comes alive when taking the Heritage of America tour offered by Collette Vacations.

On April 26, we’ll fly to New York City to begin our motorcoach journey of an area so steeped in history that you will think you are reliving the pages of your sixth grade American history textbook. For some of us, this can be a great — and needed — refresher course.

I’ve already taken this special tour and highly recommend it to anyone who “wants to celebrate America’s rich and varied heritage,” as stated in Collette’s brochure.

We’ll start off with two nights in the very heart of New York City staying at the iconic Sheraton New York Times Square, a hotel so conveniently located that you can walk everywhere. You’ll get the lay of the land of this great city with an overview tour of the some of the time-honored sights leaving time for you to explore on your own. You’ll have time to book a Broadway show, for how can you be in NYC without seeing a show! Just wait until you have breakfast at Ellen’s Stardust Diner! I loved my first trip to New York so much that I recently went back for a five-night in-depth tour offered by Collette.

Then, it’s off to the “birthplace of our nation” — Philadelphia. Here you will see the famed Liberty Bell and Independence Hall before traveling to Gettysburg to tour the site of this epic Civil War battle where President Abraham Lincoln gave his Gettysburg Address. You’ll spend two nights in Gettysburg so you can walk the battlefield at your own convenience, though you will have a tour of the fields as well. Dinner will be at one of the historic inns. You will be profoundly moved by what you see and experience in Gettysburg.

Then on to Harper’s Ferry and the Shenandoah Valley where you’ll pass through Shenandoah National Park via the scenic Skyline Drive of the Blue Ridge Mountains, overnighting in Charlottesville, Virginia. Then, it’s on to Williamsburg for two nights where there will be plenty of history lessons about the Revolutionary War and how life was during this time in 1770. Along the way, there’s a visit to Monticello, home of Thomas Jefferson.

Day 8 finds the tour in Washington, D.C., where the group will stay at the famous Omni Shoreham Hotel. You’ll enjoy a guided tour of the city along with a stop at the White House Visitor Center. There will be stops at the World War II, the Vietnam, and the Korean War memorials along with a visit to Arlington Cemetery to visit the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Kennedy grave site. A tour to Washington would not be complete without a visit to the Smithsonian. Of course, everyone must visit Mt. Vernon, the home of our first President George Washington. If we are lucky, this could be during cherry blossom time.

The trip ends in D.C. where you will fly home, or if you wish, extend your time in D.C. or add some extra days at the beginning in New York City. Generally, there is no additional charge for air, but you will be responsible for booking your own hotels. This is a 10-day tour that includes nine nights in great hotels, 13 meals, airport transfers from the Carson City Chamber to Reno Airport, airport transfers in New York and Washington, all touring, guides, lectures and more.

You’ll relearn so much of what makes our America great. The Collette tour managers are so well-versed in history and will bring to life the history that defines us yet today. All you need to do is relax and soak in all the history! Be sure to book before Oct. 26 to receive a $50 per person discount — that’s a meal in NYC!

Other Visit USA trips coming up in 2019 include Discover South Dakota departing May 17th — Ronni Hannaman just returned from there and stated it was truly an amazing part of these United States that should be on the travel bucket lists of all Americans! I wrote about South Dakota last month and am pleased she enjoyed it as much as I did.

For the 2019 Holiday tour, the Chamber is holding space for the Christmas at the AAA 5-Diamond Broadmoor Resort where two nights are spent at this beautiful resort and two night at the Crowne Plaza in Denver at the beginning of the tour. Only a two hour non-stop flight to Denver makes this an easy tour, departing on Dec. 11. You’ll tour Denver, see the home of the “Unsinkable Molly Brown,” have a dinner and show at the Candlelight Dinner Playhouse, visit the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs before touring the Garden of the Gods. At the Broadmoor, we’ll enjoy two dinners and the holiday show featuring Debby Boone, along with all the amenities of the resort.

For information on these tours and other planned tours, stop by the Chamber office at 1900 S. Carson St., or log on to www.carsoncitychamber.com to review the complete itineraries. I love traveling in America and know you will, too!

Marilyn is 89 years old and still loves to travel. She will be traveling to Croatia on Sept. 22 to tour the islands of Croatia on a yacht specially chartered by the Chamber.