Cross Country Train Tour

Day 1 Vancouver to Seattle & Board Amtrak D Amtrak Coach

Welcome Aboard! A warm welcome onboard our luxury coach this morning by your professional tour director. Our leisurely travel through the Canada/U.S. border brings us to the Seattle Amtrak Station in the early afternoon. Upon arrival to the Seattle Amtrak Station, we enjoy a leisurely scattered lunch in downtown Seattle. The train is scheduled to leave Seattle at 4:45 PM. The Empire Builder features double-decker Superliner equipment. Relax in your selected private accommodation. All meals onboard the train are included. Enjoy a full course delicious dinner in the dining car as the Empire Builder climbs and winds through the Cascade Mountains. Be sure to visit the glass-walled lounge car to view Washington’s abundant natural beauty, from the extensive trails of Mount Rainier National Park to the dramatic Mt. St. Helen’s National Volcanic Monument and then into “Big Sky Country” in the state of Montana.

Day 2Enroute Amtrak Scenic JourneyB, L, D
Awake to the aroma of coffee prepared for you by your car porter. Look out at the panorama of snow-covered Rocky Mountain peaks as you prepare for a hearty breakfast in the dining car. Beverages are available for sleeping car occupants in their car. Settle back in your comfortable seat as our relaxing train journey continues through North Dakota past the rugged towns of Rugby and Devil’s Lake and into Minnesota, where we pass several hundred of the state’s 10,000 lakes. The romance of rail travel is alive and well as stunning vistas greet your every gaze. Life, as a traveler, includes stylish surroundings, personal service, culinary pleasures, and a relaxed pace that allows you time to enjoy every mile.

Train to Minneapolis & Coach to Kansas City

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Early rise and shine as our arrival into Minneapolis is scheduled for 7:30 AM (subject to change). Please prepare early to have a hearty breakfast in the dining car. We get off the train and identify our checked baggage to transfer to our motorcoach. We are welcomed onboard our luxury coach by our professional driver. Sit back, relax and enjoy the comfort of our modern motorcoach. Of course it is air-conditioned and washroom equipped for your comfort and enjoyment. We arrive to Kansas City, MO late afternoon and check-in to the Raddison hotel. Enjoy a full service hotel, as the rest of the evening is free to do as you wish.

Country Music Hall of Fame

Day 4

Kansas City to Branson, MO

3 Nts, CB, D
We welcome onboard our fellow fly/coach passengers joining the tour in Kansas City, MO. Enjoy the scenery and rolling hills as we travel south to Carthage, MO to visit the home of Precious Moments. Later on, our sing-along drive continues to the Mecca of Country Music, Branson, beautifully nestled in the wooded area of Lake Taneycomo. Be prepared for an exciting three-day stay as entertainment is the name of the game in this town! Join your tour director and driver for a delicious dinner prior to the show this evening. Enjoy the Andy Williams’ musical variety show filled with wholesome family entertainment. (Radisson or similar)

Day 5

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We leisurely enjoy Full American Breakfast this morning at the hotel. Later on mid-morning we attend a popular musical show. We enjoy an included lunch and some free time for shopping at the Imax Complex. This afternoon we enjoy the breathtaking performance of Jim Stafford, voted Branson’s “Best Entertainer” and “Best Personality”. Your appetite will be ready for a Delicious Buffet Dinner prior to arriving to the Shoji Tabuchi’s Show. After being seated in the theatre, take time to visit the most talked about restrooms and its pool tables. Enjoy extraordinary entertainment by this Japanese entertainer, known for his untouchable talents with the violin.

Day 6

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Join your tour director this morning for hot breakfast. This morning is free to rest, relax or perhaps attend the popular show of your choice. At lunch time meet your tour director in hotel lobby for delicious included meal. More excitement is reserved for the afternoon. After an included lunch, enjoy explosive laughter at the Yakov Smirnoff Show as well as be amazed with the Russian Dance Ensemble and Boris the Horse. After a Delicious Buffet Dinner you will finish this most memorable day at the Mickey Gilley Show. Jump right in as Mickey takes the audience through a musical medley of his string of Number One hits along with his top-rated, award-winning eight piece band.

Elvis Presley

Day 7

Branson to Graceland & Memphis, TN

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Early rise and shine as we leave early for Memphis, TN after a full American Breakfast. As we travel, beautiful landscapes of rich green forests and misty valleys roll by as we journey south through Missouri and Arkansas to the home of the Blues, Memphis, the birthplace of Rock ‘n’ Roll. We arrive to Graceland by mid afternoon depending on highway/city traffic. We visit Graceland, the colonial mansion of Elvis Presley and enjoy the Graceland Mansion Walking Tour. The interior of the home remains the same as when Elvis lived there, and many of the mementos and costumes from his amazing career are on display including the trophy room, which stores Elvis’ many gold records, jewellery, many awards and his personal mementos. Our home tonight in downtown Memphis is at the Holiday Inn Select (or similar).

Day 8

Memphis to Nashville, TN

2 Nts, B
This morning we are treated to a locally guided deluxe city tour of Memphis. After a scattered lunch in Memphis, we travel northeast to the “Music Capital of the World”, Nashville. Unpack your bags for 2 nights in Nashville, home of the legendary Grand Ole Opry. This evening, we have reserved seating for the Grand Ole Opry performance, the ultimate in the world of country music. (Guesthouse Inn or similar)

Day 9

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Our morning is scheduled for a locally guided three hour sightseeing tour of the “Music City”, U.S.A. We tour historic downtown Nashville, Music Row and its recording studios, and stop at the Old Ryman auditorium. We also drive by the homes of Country Music Stars and hear anecdotes of the entertainers we’ve grown to love. At 11:00 AM, we admit and spend a couple of hours leisurely at the Country Music Hall of Fame to educate ourselves on the history of Country Legends. It’s the heart of historic downtown Nashville. A wide variety of popular restaurants are located within walking distance of the Country Music Hall of Fame for lunch. Enjoy a leisurely scattered lunch here. At 2:30PM, we go to Opry Mills for a brief stop of shopping for our loved ones. This evening join your Tour Director for a visit to the Opryland Hotel to enjoy its laser show and dancing waters of the Cascades (subject to show performance).

Nashville to Pigeon Forge, TN

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Early rise and shine as we enjoy an included breakfast at the hotel. Our Easternly drive this morning brings us to Knoxville, TN. Our scenic drive through a landscape covered in such lush growth, that it makes you wonder how the early explorers such as Davey Crockett managed to traverse this region. Our destination is Pigeon Forge. It’s nestled in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. We spend the whole afternoon and early evening exploring and enjoying the 118 acres of Dollywood Theme Park. Enjoy a variety of thrilling rides, spectacular shows, acres of attractions, many crafts, and even the Dolly Museum. The rest of the evening is at your leisure. (Holiday Inn or similar)

Day 11

Pigeon Forge to Indianapolis, IN

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After an included breakfast, we say goodbye to Pigeon Forge and travel into the Bluegrass Sate of Kentucky, which is world renowned for majestic horse farms and million dollar horses. We travel through the state of Kentucky to Louisville, where we stop to visit Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, for a brief tour and coffee. Our further drive brings us to Indianapolis, Indiana late this afternoon where we check into the Crowne Plaza hotel for our overnight stay.

Day 12

Indianapolis to Chicago & Board Amtrak

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This morning after an included full American breakfast, we visit the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for one hour. We enjoy a 30-minute track tour and a 30-minute visit to the Hall of Fame Museum. At 10:00 AM, our leisurely journey takes us from Indianapolis to Windy City Chicago. We say goodbye to our Fly/Coach passengers and driver as we are dropped off at the Chicago Amtrak Union Station for an early check-in for our return train travel home. This afternoon, we board Amtrak and depart at 2:15 PM for our return journey to Seattle, WA. Once again, stretch out and relax, take a nap, read a book, play a game, enjoy a leisurely meal, or just watch the views glide by and daydream. Enjoy the same accommodations and amenities you experienced on the eastbound trip, including a signature item of regional cuisine each night of our journey, with skilled attendants on hand to see to your comfort. Enjoy the freedom to go at your own pace and move around as you wish.

Golden Christmas Tree

Day 13

Enroute Amtrak Scenic Journey

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The glass walled lounge and dining car are an excellent vantage point as stunning vistas greet our every gaze. We trace the paths of pioneers and intrepid explorers amidst Midwestern prairies, the vast plains of North Dakota and Montana and Idaho’s crystalline lakes. Relive explorations of 200 years ago as we follow portions of the Lewis & Clark expedition trail through North Dakota and Montana. Find alpine meadows, lakes and over a million acres of forests in spectacular Glacier National Park, Montana. The sights you see when traveling by train are unmatched by any other mode of transportation. Tracks were laid in the wilderness, along rivers and streams, up and down and through mountains.

Day 14

Return to Seattle, WA

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This morning enjoy a final dining car breakfast. We thank Amtrak dining car staff and cabin porters for their warm hospitality. We cross the Cascade Range by way of the seven-mile Cascade Tunnel, through forests of fir trees, and alongside the Puget Sound before arriving in Seattle, WA at 10:20 AM. Our journey on the Empire Builder comes to an end. We take the opportunity this morning to say a fond farewell to our fellow passengers as our Cross Country Train Tour comes to an end today. We disembark Amtrak in Seattle, WA and board our northbound Cantrail coach to return to Vancouver, BC. Welcome to Canada! Thank you for traveling with Pacific Gold Tours!