Annual Festivals

Cost: $255 per person, based on double occupancy, and includes coach transportation, hostess service, sit-down dinner at Phillips Seafood on Saturday, dinner buffet at the Cozy on Sunday, maps of downtown DC, admission to Mount Vernon, Arlington National Cemetery Tram Tour, drive-by tour of the Memorials at night, National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade, free time at the Japanese Street Festival, free time to visit the Smithsonian Museums, one nights lodging at the L'Enfant Plaza Hotel, and luggage service.

Mount Vernon was the beloved home of George and Martha Washington from the time of their marriage in 1759 until General Washington's death in 1799. He worked tirelessly to expand his plantation from 2,000 to 8,000 and the mansion house from six rooms to twenty one. Mount Vernon is the most popular historic estate in America. Located just 16 miles south of Washington, D.C. and 8 miles south of Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, the plantation rests on the banks of the Potomac River.

You will be invited to tour the Mansion house and more than a dozen outbuildings including the slave quarters, kitchen, stables, and greenhouse. Stroll four different gardens, hike the Forest Trail, and explore the George Washington: Pioneer Farmer site, a four-acre working farm that includes a re-creation of Washington's 16-sided treading barn. George and Martha Washington rest in peace in the tomb where wreathlaying ceremonies are held daily, and the Slave Memorial and Burial Ground is nearby.

The Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center and the Ford Orientation Center include 25 new theaters and galleries that tell the detailed story of George Washington's life. More than 500 original artifacts, eleven History Channel videos, and immersion theater experiences illuminate the remarkable story of the first American hero.

Arlington National Cemetery: Step into our nation's history and remember the American patriots, both humble and well-known, whose final resting place is in the wooded hills of Arlington. Tourmobile provides the only authorized riding tour through Arlington National Cemetery. Narrators will relate accounts of heroism and personal sacrifice as you ride through important sites. The tram will make 3 stops during the tour: the Kennedy Gravesites, Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers to see the Changing of the Guard, and Arlington House, the former home of Robert E. Lee.

National Cherry Blossom Festival: The National Cherry Blossom Festival is an annual two-week event that celebrates springtime in Washington, D.C. as well as the 1912 gift of 3,000 cherry blossom trees and the enduring friendship between the people of the United States and Japan.

In a simple ceremony on March 27, 1912, First Lady Helen Taft and Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador, planted the first two trees from Japan on the north bank of the Tidal Basin in West Potomac Park. In 1915, the United States Government reciprocated with a gift of flowering dogwood trees to the people of Japan. A group of American school children reenacted the initial planting in 1927 and the first "festival" was held in 1935, sponsored by civic groups in the Nation's Capital.

First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson accepted 3,800 more trees in 1965. In 1981, the cycle of giving came full circle. Japanese horticulturists were given cuttings from our trees to replace some cherry trees in Japan which had been destroyed in a flood. Today, more than a million people visit Washington, D.C. each year to admire the blossoming cherry trees and attend events that herald the beginning of spring in the Nation's Capital.

National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade: This is one of Washington's most exciting traditions! The Parade will be on Saturday, April 10 from 10:00am to Noon and is held rain or shine. The Parade runs along Constitution Avenue from 7th to 17th Streets, NW, and will be featured in a live simulcast on ABC. Giant colorful balloons, marching bands, and performers will burst down Constitution Arenue in an energy-filled spectacle of music and showmanship seen only once a year during the National Cherry Blossom Festival.

Japanese Street Festival: The Japan-America Society of Washington, D.C. presents the nation's largest Japanese street festival, stretching for six blocks through downtown D.C.! From sushi to origami, from sumo to sake. Japanese arts and crafts and products of all kinds - anime, manga and J-POP music. Traditional dances and dramatic taiko drums. If it's Japanese, it will be at their Festival!

Smithsonian Museums: You will have a chance to explore the world's largest museum complex! The Smithsonian consists of 19 museums, 9 research centers, and the National Zoo. The majority of the Smithsonian Museums are located on the National Mall. The 3 most popular museums are as follows:

• National Museum of Natural History: This Museum contains exhibitions on earliest human origins; development of world cultures; ancient and modern mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, insects and sea creatures. HIGHLIGHTS: Dinosaurs; history and culture of Africa; geology, gems and minerals; Hope diamond; Mammals Hall; Ocean Hall; Butterfly Pavilion; Insect Zoo.
• National Museum of American History: This Museum is devoted to the scientific, cultural, social, technological and political develpment of the United States. HIGHLIGHTS: Star-Spangled Banner, the flag that inspired the National Anthem; Washington's uniforms; Jefferson's desk; Dorothy's ruby slippers; family programs.
• National Air and Space Museum: This Museum includes 23 galleries, exhibiting hundreds of aircraft, spacecraft, missiles, rockets and other flight-related artifacts. HIGHLIGHTS: Wright 1903 Flyer, Spirit of St. Louis, SpaceShipOne, Apollo 11 Command Module, Hubble Space Telescope test vehicle.

L'Enfant Plaza Hotel: Discover the comfort and the unsurpassed convenience of L'Enfant Plaza Hotel. Nestled just steps from the National Mall, Smithsonian Museums, and the Monuments, this downtown Washington, D.C. hotel offers a truly unmatched location. Explore the wonders of the city by Metro Subway line - with a station directly below the hotel. Savor the vast array of nearby restaurants, shops, and historic sites. You will enjoy a restful stay within this elegany downtown D.C. hotel, offering a gracious service in an undeniably dynamic setting.