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Day 1: Friday, February 12 – Southward
Bound! This is a relaxing day with time to get
acquainted with your tour companions. Our group travels south into
Iowa where a noon meal is included in Sioux City. After traveling
through a portion of Nebraska and Kansas, we arrive to the hotel in
Topeka, Kansas. (L)
Day 2: Saturday, February 13 – Oklahoma
City! Continuing south into Oklahoma, a noon
lunch is included in Perry, Oklahoma. This afternoon we pause for
pictures at the State Capitol and Oklahoma City Bombing
Memorial before traveling to our accommodations in Dallas,
Texas. (B) (L)
Day 3: Sunday, February 14 – San Antonio
Livestock Show and Rodeo! Dallas has grown from a log
cabin on the Trinity River to a “city of culture.” Our day
begins in the historic district where we visit the J. F. K.
Memorial. The Citizens of Dallas felt so bad that our 35th
President was shot in their city that they raised the money to build
the memorial with no government help. We continue on to San Antonio
and after checking in at the hotel we attend the San Antonio
Livestock Show and Rodeo. (B)
Day 4: Monday, February 15 – King Ranch!
This morning we leave the big city of San Antonio and travel
south through the Wild Horse Desert. During the middle
1800’s, Richard King came to this area and saw the possibility of
creating a ranch in this desert terrain. It may look easy now, but
it took many years of hard work and smart business sense. Our
afternoon will be spent touring the King Ranch, known as the
largest privately owned ranch in the United States. Late afternoon,
we check into the Embassy Suites Hotel for a six-night stay. Every
morning they provide you with a cooked-to-order breakfast and a
manager’s reception each evening. (B) (L)
Day 5: Tuesday, February 16 – Valley
Heritage! Our first day in the Valley will be a
mixture of history, sight-seeing and fun! We have a full day
enjoying the Valley with stops at the Quinta Mazatlan, La
Lomita Mission and the Los Ebanos Ferry. Noon meal is
included at Chez LaBorde House. This afternoon is a self -
guided tour through the Museum of South Texas History in
Edinburg. Later return to the Embassy Suites in time for the
manager’s reception. (B) (L)
Day 6: Wednesday, February 17 –
Iwo Jima Memorial, Greyhound Races! Today
we explore the east coast of southern Texas, beginning with the
history of the flag raising on Iwo Jima and the role Texas
played in creating the famous memorial. Then it’s off to the
Greyhound Dog races. After a lunch buffet you’ll have ample time
to bid on your favorite dog and win big! (B) (L)
Day 7: Thursday, February 18 – South
Padre Island! This morning you’ll take a walk on
the wild side at the Gladys Porter Zoo. They have created a
“survival center” for more than 1900 mammals, birds, reptiles
and fish. Many of these are among the rarest on earth. Noon lunch is
included on South Padre Island before heading to the beach to
get our feet wet and look for shells. (B) (L)
Day 8: Friday, February 19 – Shopping in
Progresso, Mexico! It’s always fun to walk into
Mexico for a morning of shopping in Progresso; it’s
quite an experience to bargain with street vendors! This year you’ll
need passports or passport cards to cross the Mexican border. After
lunch, we visit Klemens Orange Grove for a hayride through
their orchard. You can pick your own fresh fruit and enjoy pie and
coffee. After a taste of their grapefruit pie, we return to our
hotel for a relaxing evening! (B)
Day 9: Saturday, February 20 – Tour an
Orange Grove! On our last day in the Valley we
visit the Don Wes Flea Market! This is one of the biggest
gathering spots on Saturday mornings. After time for shopping and
noon lunch, we tour the Shrine of San Juan. With all our
treasures we return to the hotel to try and find room for them in
our suitcases. (B)
Day 10: Sunday, February 21 – IMAX and
Alamo! This morning we say good-bye to the
Valley and head back to the colorful city of San Antonio!
Retracing our route we ride through the Wild Horse Desert.
Arriving to San Antonio we remember the “Battle of the
Alamo” at the IMAX Theater. Then walk across the street
to the scene of the Battle. The Alamo Mission is the first
Spanish Mission to be built in Texas and once was much larger. This
is where 189 brave Texans died defending the Alamo against Santa
Anna and his Mexican army of 4,000 soldiers. (B)
Day 11: Monday, February 22 –
Sightseeing in San Antonio! San Antonio is
called the birthplace of the Rough Riders; Teddy Roosevelt recruited
his men at the Menger Hotel. Mission City to the devout Mexicans;
this city has four missions along the Mission trail. And the
deathbed of heroes, which of course is the Alamo. While here we shop
for SAS shoes, visit the San Jose Mission, have a nice
lunch and a birds eye view of the city at the Tower of Americas.
Then we cruise the Riverwalk in a sightseeing boat. (B) (L)
Day 12: Tuesday, February 23 – We say
Goodbye to Texas! This morning our coach turns
toward home. In the last ten days, we have visited many highlights
of our second-largest state. Today our travels are through Oklahoma,
then spend the night in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (B) (L)
Day 13: Wednesday, February 24 – Tour
Steamboat Arabia! Today we leave Oklahoma and
travel to Kansas City, to visit the Steamboat Arabia. After
our tour, there is time to shop before continuing on to our hotel in
St. Joseph, Missouri. (B) (L)
Day 14: Thursday, February 25 – Hello -
Snow! Signs of snow may show up today and so
does the reality of Minnesota winters. It is sad to see a fun
vacation end but it is always nice to come home. (B)
TOUR COST PER
PERSON
Single $2,450 - Double $1,900
- Triple
$1,750 - Quad $1,600
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