Welcome to Chicago! Famed for deep-dish pizza, historic jazz clubs and a thriving arts scene, the ‘Windy City’ is a bastion of both American industry and creativity.
Once you’ve checked into your hotel, you have the rest of today free to explore the Midwest’s de facto capital as you wish, ahead of your first tour activity tomorrow morning.
Arrival & Transfers:
Please book your flights to arrive at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) at any time today. Airport transfers are not included for your tour. The hotel is located approximately a 25-minute drive from Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD). Check-in on Day 1 is at 3pm.
Rise and shine for a morning spent discovering Chicago’s countless charms as you join your tour director for an introductory city tour. From the shores of vast Lake Michigan to the otherworldly reflections of Anish Kapoor’s Cloud Gate, the toe-tapping live acts of Blue Chicago to the exciting exhibitions of the Art Institute of Chicago, this city is brimming with cosmopolitan culture and colourful history.
Before the day ends, make sure to visit the famous Route 66 ‘Begin’ sign on East Adams Street, marking the starting point of your rolling tour to the American West.
Prepare to hit the open road today as you set off on your Route 66 retrospective. Your first stop: the Route 66 Association of Illinois Hall of Fame & Museum in the aptly named town of Pontiac – which shares its name with the beloved 20th century American automobile brand that was founded the same year as the ‘Highway of Dreams’. Featuring countless artefacts from this highway, the Hall of Fame highlights its outsized influence on American culture.
Exhibits follow the road’s history from inception in 1926, almost a century ago, through its 1950s heyday and on to its eventual decommissioning in 1985. Today, memorabilia from the ‘Mother Road’ are collected to illustrate the unique place that Route 66 holds in the American national identity.
Later, continue south to Springfield, Illinois and check in at your hotel for the evening.
Travel time: Driving – approx. four hours
Get to know Springfield’s lofty history as the capital of Illinois today when you pay a visit to the tomb of President Abraham Lincoln at Oak Ridge Cemetery. Headed by a stately obelisk, this grave marks the resting place for one of America’s most recognisable historic figures. Continue your journey with a trip to the Lincoln Home National Historic Site, where the former president lived from 1844 to 1861.
Visit the reconstructed village of New Salem, where Lincoln lived for six years in the 1830s, and learn about life 200-odd years ago through a cast of costumed interpreters. Later, travel onward to Saint Louis and check in at your hotel.
Travel time: Driving – approx. 4.5 hours
Known as the ‘Gateway to the West’, from which explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set off in 1804 to map the newly purchased western frontier of America, Saint Louis sits just south of the meeting point between the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. From sports fanaticism to live music heritage, this city is a true centrepiece of the Midwest.
Today, take a trip to the top of the 192-metre-high Gateway Arch – the tallest monument in the United States at over double the height of the Statue of Liberty. Soak up spectacular views from east to west as you peer down from this beloved Saint Louis symbol, then return to the ground for the rest of your day spent at leisure.
Your day begins at the National Museum of Transportation, charting the transit story of America for over 150 years. Wander through the open-air collection of historic locomotives, vintage cars and aircrafts, expanding your knowledge of the country’s travelling innovations.
Say goodbye to Saint Louis as you travel onward to another charming Springfield, this time in Missouri. Here, you’ll delve beneath the surface of the suitably titled Fantastic Caverns, hopping on a jeep journey past the stalactites and stalagmites of this impressive subterranean cathedral.
Tonight, spend a restful evening at your accommodation in preparation for another big day on the open road tomorrow.
Travel time: Driving – approx. four hours
Set out early today as you pass through Kansas en route to Oklahoma, pausing for a lunch break in historic Tulsa. Later this afternoon, arrive in the state capital, Oklahoma City, where countless settlers set up during the Land Rush of 1889.
Upon arrival, join an orientation tour to familiarise yourself with the city’s fascinating history, then retire to your hotel for the evening.
Travel time: Driving – approx. eight hours
Set your sights on the Texas panhandle and its oil-rich earth as you depart Oklahoma. Travel to Palo Duro Canyon State Park, the second-largest canyon in the United States, famed for its rugged landscape of steep cliffs and cinematic slopes. In fact, these hills are so dramatic that they even filmed the action-packed finale of ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’ here!
Continuing along your westward ride, arrive in nearby Amarillo – an industrious former railroad town, with plenty of lively culture to offer in the present too.
Travel time: Driving – approx. five hours
Start the day with a trip to the eye-catching Cadillac Ranch art installation. Created in 1974 by art group Ant Farm and intended to pay homage to the thriving automotive culture of the United States, this sculpture comprises 10 Cadillacs, buried front-first in the earth, routinely graffitied in an ongoing act of interactive artistry.
Continuing across the border to New Mexico, you’ll arrive in quirky Albuquerque, where an orientation tour will show you the highlights of this Southwest city. This evening, check in at your hotel for a night at rest.
Travel time: Driving – approx. five hours
Today, spend your day at leisure, freely exploring the sunny city of Albuquerque. Whether you choose to learn more about deep cultural heritage at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, pay a visit to the Petroglyph National Monument to study the centuries-old sacred symbols carved into volcanic rock or grab a bite of quintessential smoky, spicy and satisfying New Mexican cuisine, the city has plenty to offer every kind of traveller.
Cross into Arizona today and start off with an exciting trip to Petrified Forest National Park. Here, you can witness the vibrant fossils of Triassic trees long gone, as well as the tumbling badlands of the Painted Desert, with its eye-catching buttes and mesas.
Later, ascend through ponderosa pines to the city of Flagstaff, situated at over 2,000-metres above sea level, where you’ll spend the next two nights.
Travel time: Driving – approx. six hours
Today is one for the books as you set a course for the one and only Grand Canyon. Cradling the powerful Colorado River, the Grand Canyon is one of the largest on the planet. Making the list of Seven Natural Wonders of the World, this expansive national park is home to the almost 450-kilometre-long canyon.
Whether you choose to wander the South Rim to watch the light play over the towering walls, watch a thrilling IMAX movie for a unique vantage point of the canyon, or hike part of the way into its depths, this is your chance to witness the Earth’s grandeur in one of its most beloved natural landscapes.
Travel time: Driving – approx. four hours
This morning, it’s a short drive west through scenic pine forests to Williams, one of the Arizona’s best known frontier towns. Continue through native Hualapai country to Kingsman for a short stop, then proceed to Las Vegas, Nevada, where entertainment is the name of the game. A dazzling mirage in the heart of the harsh Mojave Desert, Las Vegas offers extraordinary experiences for every type of traveller.
After checking in at your hotel, spend your evening however you please.
Travel time: Driving – approx. 4.5 hours
Today is yours for the taking, freely indulging in all the lavish leisure you choose. Wander the hypnotic Vegas Strip, full of bright lights and rousing entertainment, choose to attend one of a myriad of world-class theatrical performances or hit the Mob Museum for a thoughtful look at the Mafia’s involvement in the city’s development.
A true cultural touchstone, Vegas offers unlimited possibilities and a mesmerising array of buildings, from casinos such as MGM Grand, Caesars Palace and The Venetian, to pyramids and a miniature Eiffel Tower. Farther afield, the Pinball Hall of Fame sends you bouncing between vintage pinball machines, and Chinatown offers a glimpse at the Vegas of yore.
Wave goodbye to Nevada’s neon oasis and cross over into California, where you’ll stop at Barstow for a visit to the ghost town of Calico. Once a thriving silver-mining town, Calico was abandoned in the 1880s after silver’s decline in value. Now, it stands as an eerie monument to the former fantasies of the Old West, beautifully preserved to demonstrate the trappings of the mining communities of 150 years ago.
Continue through the rugged blanket of the San Bernardino Mountains on your way to Los Angeles. Here, you’ll finally reach the end of the road on your Route 66 adventure as you follow Santa Monica Boulevard all the way to the Pacific Coast. After stopping for a photo op at the End of the Trail sign, head south to Redondo Beach, a famously laidback surf community within the Los Angeles sprawl.
Check in at your hotel and spend your final evening at leisure around some of California’s most coveted beaches.
Travel time: Driving – approx. 5.5 hours
This morning, it’s time to say goodbye to your fellow road-trippers as your tour comes to a close.
Departure & Transfers:
Checkout on your final day is at 11am. Please book your flights to depart from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) at any time today. Airport transfers are not included for your tour. The hotel is located approximately a 25-minute drive to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).