Arizona Winter Escape

Day 1

We begin our journey crossing through Pennsylvania & Ohio. Stops will be made for rest & lunch enroute to our overnight accommodations at the Drury Inn & Suites Columbus in Dublin, OH. Dinner is on your own this evening. You can enjoy the free Kickback dinner at the hotel at 5:30 PM or you can venture out to one of the restaurants nearby.

Breakfast Each Day

A continental or full breakfast will be included each day from Day 2 through Day 22.
A complimentary buffet breakfast is served at Residence Inn Phoenix/Mesa (Days 7 - 16) on weekdays from 6:00 AM to 9:00 AM and on weekends from 6:30 AM to 9:30 AM.

Day 2

We will continue our westward journey. Stops for rest and lunch will be made along the way. This afternoon we will visit the Gateway Arch and enjoy a tram ride to the top for a magnificent view of the city of St. Louis. Our lodging for this evening will be at the Drury Inn & Suites in Southwest St. Louis. Dinner is on your own this evening. You can enjoy the free Kickback dinner at the hotel at 5:30 PM or you can venture out to one of the restaurants nearby.

Day 3

This morning, we will depart for Tulsa, OK. Enroute, we will visit the US Army Engineer Museum in Fort Leonard Wood, MO. The museum offers a variety of gallery displays that present the history of American Army Engineering from World War II to the modern era. Afterward, we'll make our way to Tulsa with stops for lunch and rest enroute. Dinner will be on your own after we check-in to our overnight accommodations.

Day 4

Today we will visit the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum. This site honors the victims, survivors, rescuers, and all of those affected by the Oklahoma City bombing in April 1995. Stops for lunch and rest will be made as we continue to Amarillo, TX. Dinner will be on your own after we check-in to our overnight accommodations. You can enjoy the free Kickback dinner at the hotel at 5:30 PM or you can venture out to one of the restaurants nearby.

Day 5

Continuing southwest, we will continue to Albuquerque, NM where we will visit the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center prior to continuing to our lodging in Gallup, NM. Stops for rest & lunch will be made along the way. The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center is one the Southwest's largest repositories of Native American arts & crafts. Each pueblo maintains exhibits devoted to its own culture, enabling visitors to see firsthand what distinguishes one tribe's art from another's. Dinner will be on your own this evening.

Day 6

We will depart for Petrified Forest National Park where we will see the Painted Desert, an area of badlands that displays a variety of hues. Covered by a soft layer of earth, the desert's colorful erosion effects were created over the eons by mineralized water flows and mineral deposits. We will continue to Mesa, AZ, the location of our lodging for the next 10 nights. Stops for rest & lunch will be made enroute. Our lodging will be at the Residence Inn Phoenix/Mesa. This all-suite hotel features suites with a fully equipped kitchen with full-sized refrigerator/freezer, microwave, and oven, plus a dining area and living/sitting area. The Residence Inn's location has easy access to valley attractions, restaurants and entertainment. After checking-in to the hotel, you can enjoy the remainder of the afternoon and evening at your leisure.

Room Selection

At the Residence Inn Phoenix/Mesa (Days 6 - 16), you will reserve either a Studio Suite or a One-Bedroom Suite. Both suites are the same size and offer one queen sized bed and a pullout sofa.

Day 7

Today we will enjoy a guided driving tour of highlights of the Phoenix area to get you familiar with your "home" for the next 9 days! After free time for lunch on your own, we will visit the Heard Museum. This museum of native cultures & art offers exhibits and galleries that include contemporary, historical materials of Southwestern Native Americans, basketry, jewelry, pottery and Hopi Katsina Dolls. This evening is free to enjoy at your leisure. The driver will provide transportation to a local Walmart so you can purchase items for your stay at Residence Inn Phoenix/Mesa.

Day 8

Today we will travel the Apache Trail, a perfect way to experience the beauty of the Sonoran Desert. The Apache Trail is Arizona's first designated "Historic Highway". Now a scenic byway, it was originally a footpath by which the local Apache Tribe traveled through the Superstition Mountains. During our tour along the Apache Trail, we will make stops at Superstition Mountain - Lost Dutchman Museum and Tortilla Flat, as well as a steamboat cruise on Canyon Lake. The Superstition Mountain - Lost Dutchman Museum exhibits revisit the Arizona Territory, documenting early settlers, native culture, geology, flora and fauna, mining and smelting, and all you want to know about the Lost Dutchman and his mine. Tortilla Flat has become a fixture of the Apache Trail since its inception in 1904. Not fire, drought, or bandits could destroy this hearty stage stop which holds onto its rich tradition through its architecture and unique decorating sense. Lunch is included in Tortilla Flat. If you get too warm, you can quite literally "saddle up" to the bar and enjoy a cold beverage to cool you down. This rugged landscape in the Sonoran Desert has been the jewel that some men were looking for with the most famous involving the Lost Dutchman Mine. Rumored to have found the largest gold vein in the west, German immigrant Jacob Waltz trusted his newly found gold deposit to no one, and the secret of its location was buried with him. If you have the "golden eye" maybe you can spot it while on tour! You'll be treated to a steamboat cruise on Canyon Lake by the famous Dolly Steamboat. As part of the six-mile narrated nature cruise, there may be opportunities to see bighorn sheep, bald eagles, and a host of other desert animals as well as unforgettable views of the 1,300 ft. volcanic cliff walls of Canyon Lake. Dinner will be on your own after returning to Mesa.

Day 9

This morning, we will visit Desert Botanical Gardens, which is devoted exclusively to arid-land plants. The paved Desert Discovery Trail will lead you through the garden. After free time for lunch on our own in Scottsdale, we will visit Taliesin West, the winter home & studio of architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Our tour introduces the complex and Wright's theories of architecture. This evening our driver will provide transportation to a local favorite, Jalapeno Bucks, for dinner on our own.

Day 10

After breakfast, we will depart for a day in Prescott. Surrounded by mountain ranges and nearly encircled by the Prescott National Forest, the town is now a resort community. After a driving tour of the highlights, you are free to enjoy lunch & shopping on your own. This afternoon we will visit Sharlot Hall Museum. Restored by poet & historian Sharlot M. Hall, the
mansion is filled with Native American and pioneer artifacts. Later this afternoon we will return to Mesa where you will enjoy dinner at your leisure.

Day 11

Today is a free day to enjoy Mesa at your leisure. For ideas of what to do in Mesa, you can visit visitmesa.com. The tour escort & hotel employees are other resources.

Day 12

We will enjoy a full day at the Arizona Renaissance Festival. This outdoor medieval park includes a 16-stage theatre, 50-acre circus, an arts and crafts fair, and Jousting Tournament all rolled into one! Lunch is on your own while at the festival. Dinner will be at your leisure after returning to the hotel.

Day 13

Today you are free to enjoy the day at your leisure. For ideas of what to do in Mesa, you can visit visitmesa.com. The tour escort & hotel employees are other resources.

Day 14

Our first stop as we head into the wild west is the White Dove of The Desert; one of the Southwest's best-preserved missions at San Xavier del Bac. Founded in 1692, the San Xavier Mission is still in operation and allows guests to marvel at the ornate craftsmanship showcasing both Spanish and Native influences. Original frescoes and statuary are still on display
within the mission for guests to admire as well. We'll head further south to Tombstone, the "Town Too Tough to Die." This town was home to the true men and women of the West. Outlaws, businessmen, miners, and cattlemen flocked to the area in the late 1870's for their chance to strike it rich. One of the most famous lawmen of Tombstone was Wyatt Earp. He and his brothers originally came to Tombstone as entrepreneurs; however, with the increasing unrest they needed to protect their investment in the mining industry and became lawmen. During our tour of Tombstone, we'll be able to stand on the very ground where Wyatt Earp stood during the shootout at the O.K. Corral, visit Big Nose Kate's Saloon, Bird Cage Theatre,
the museum at the Tombstone Courthouse, and the Boot Hill Graveyard. After a full day of touring & lunch on our own in Tombstone, we will return to Mesa. Dinner will be at your leisure.

Day 15

Today we will enjoy a tour of Agritopia Farm. This organic farm was designed to flourish in the urban setting and is recognized by the New York Times as the leading agri-hood in the country. The same-day harvest is sold on-site as well as being served at Joe's Farm Grill, where we will enjoy an included lunch. Later this afternoon, we will tour the Commemorative
Air Force Museum. Typically, the museum features 15 aircraft in the main exhibit area (representing WWI thru Vietnam eras) and six operational aircraft either outdoors or in the maintenance hangar. Dinner will be at your leisure this evening.

Day 16

This morning, we will check-out of our Mesa accommodations and travel north to explore the northern portion of Arizona. There will be free time for lunch on our own in Clarkdale before we board the Verde Canyon Railroad. This wilderness excursion through a red rock canyon along the Verde River is full of unusual geology, abundant wildlife, lush greenery, and Native American ruins. Our lodging for the evening will be in the quaint western town of Sedona which is surrounded by brilliant reddish sandstone and interesting formations. Dinner will be on your own this evening.

Day 17

Today we will enjoy a driving tour of Sedona featuring the sights of Tlaquepaque, Bell Rock, and Chapel of the Holy Cross. We will then depart for Gallup, NM, the location of our lodging for this evening. Dinner is on your own after check-in.

Day 18

After breakfast at the hotel, we will check-out and depart for our eastern journey back home to Pennsylvania. We will visit Petroglyph National Monument in Albuquerque, NM. This monument protects one of the largest petroglyph sites in North America, featuring designs and symbols carved onto volcanic rocks by Native Americans and Spanish settlers 400 to 700 years ago. These images are a valuable record of cultural expression and hold profound spiritual significance for contemporary Native Americans and for the descendants of the early Spanish settlers. Stops for lunch and rest will be made enroute to Amarillo, TX, the location of our lodging for this evening. Dinner will be on your own after check-in. You can enjoy the free Kickback dinner at the hotel at 5:30 PM or you can venture out to one of the restaurants nearby.

Day 19

We will depart for Oklahoma City. Here we will visit the National Cowboy Hall of Fame & Western Heritage Center, which preserves and interprets the heritage of the American West. Stops will be made for rest and lunch enroute to Tulsa, OK, the location of our overnight accommodations. Dinner will be on your own.

Day 20

Stops for rest and lunch will be made enroute to an attraction stop in Missouri. Our lodging for this evening will be at the Drury Inn & Suites in Southwest St. Louis. Dinner is on your own this evening. You can enjoy the free Kickback dinner at the hotel at 5:30 PM or you can venture out to one of the restaurants nearby.

Day 21

After breakfast at the hotel, we will depart for Indianapolis, IN, where we will visit Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site. Previously known as the Benjamin Harrison Home, this is the home of the twenty-third President of the United States. Our final night's lodging will be at the Drury Inn & Suites Columbus in Dublin, OH. Dinner is on your own this evening. You can enjoy the free Kickback dinner at the hotel at 5:30 PM or you can venture out to one of the restaurants nearby.

Day 22

We will retrace our first day's routing, with stops for rest & lunch enroute. Arrival back in Pennsburg is scheduled for early evening.

Please note

Our intention is to run each tour as originally planned and published. However, if deemed necessary to do so, Perkiomen Tours reserves the right to make changes to tour components, schedules or itineraries without prior notification.

Tips for Perkiomen motorcoach drivers and tour escorts are not included in the price of this tour. We feel that these gratuities should be extended on an individual basis and dictated by the level of service provided.

Motorcoach seating is assigned at the time of reservation but cannot be guaranteed. Although we do our best to keep each traveler in the seat assigned at the time of reservation, there are times that it is necessary to move seat locations. Please be sure to verify your final seat number(s) with your driver at the time of boarding. Historically, daily seat rotation was practiced on most multi-day tours. We have suspended this practice for a period of time. Seat rotation will be explained by your driver or tour escort if reinstated.

Perkiomen Tours recommends that you consider purchasing Travel Insurance for your tour. Travel Insurance is purchased directly by you from a third-party of your choice. One option is Travel Safe Insurance. You can purchase insurance directly from Travel Safe through our website. www.perkiomentours.com

To fully participate in this tour may require extended amounts of walking. There may be steps, inclines, uneven surfaces or extended periods of standing. Participants with physical limitation should take this into consideration.

B=Full Breakfast, L=Lunch