Continuing its history of developing innovative tour programs, Tauck is offering new itineraries that focus on American history, including the Civil War. Tauck’s new Most Hallowed Ground Civil War itinerary was designed by Tauck and acclaimed documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, and offers all-inclusive 11-day guided visits to Civil War battlefields that include Gettysburg, Antietam, Petersburg and Appomattox, as well as other historic sites in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia. Other new historical itineraries are planned for New Orleans and national parks throughout the U.S.
According to Tauck CEO Dan Mahar, popular interest in the Civil War is surging this year due to increased awareness surrounding the 150th anniversary of the war’s start this year.
“In February, we introduced a one-time Ken Burns Civil War event that we’ll operate in May in Washington, D.C., and it completely sold out in just 10 days,” said Mahar. “Interest in the new Most Hallowed Ground tour should be even higher. Burn’s film on the Civil War is currently reairing nationwide on PBS, so we fully expect appreciation for Ken’s perspectives to only increase in the coming months.”
Tauck will offer departures of the Most Hallowed Ground itinerary in September and October of 2011. The tour begins in Washington, D.C., and concludes in Richmond, VA, and is priced from $3,980 per person, based on double occupancy, plus airfare. Included in the price are all accommodations, most meals, admission to all sites and attractions, entertainment, airport transfers, luggage handling, and more.
Hotel accommodations include three nights at the Mayflower Renaissance in Washington, D.C., overnights at the Wyndham Gettysburg and Big Meadows Lodge in Shenandoah National Park (VA), two nights at the Omni Charlottesville Hotel, and three nights at The Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, VA.
Throughout the Most Hallowed Ground tour, guests will benefit from Ken Burns' personal insights as presented during a series of video vignettes that will air aboard the motorcoach while en route to various sites. These exclusive short features will include all-new interview footage with Burns, as well as special highlights from his groundbreaking series “The Civil War.”
Besides partnering with Burns on the new Civil War tour and the Washington, D.C., Civil War event, Tauck is also working with the filmmaker to offer a one-time, five-day event in New Orleans that will explore the evolution of jazz and feature a keynote address from Burns. This event is scheduled to take place from Oct. 5-9 and is priced from $3,490 per person, based on double occupancy, plus air.
In addition, Tauck has teamed with Burns and his longtime collaborator Dayton Duncan to launch a new Spirit of the Desert: The National Parks of the Southwest tour. The 10-day itinerary is priced from $4,390 per person, based on double occupancy, plus air, and explores the themes of the Burns/Duncan documentary, “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea.”
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