The National Road, The Road That Built the Nation

10 Days, April 24th - May 3rd

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Before automobiles came into existence, Americans traveled their country by horse, or if you were lucky, horse and buggy. Or you rode a boat down the river. Or you walked.

President Thomas Jefferson recognized that if the fledgling country was to grow, it would have to move west. He authorized the first federal road. It was to run from Cumberland, Maryland, all the way to Vandalia, Illinois, giving settlers the opportunity to go over the Allegheny Mountains to the frontier of the west (which would have been Ohio territory in those days).

Authorized by Congress in 1806, the road was the vision of Jefferson’s Secretary of the Treasury, Albert Gallatin. Construction began in Cumberland in 1811, and within two decades over 200,000 people traveled the road annually. Ironically, it was the coming of the railroad that meant the temporary demise of the National Road. Trains moved faster. It wasn’t until the turn of the 20th century that the horseless carriage peaked our interest towards independent highway travel. The National Road was reborn. Named the Old National Pike, then US 40 and now partly covered by the interstate, it remains America’s original westward road.

Now you can retrace the tracks of America’s first westbound travelers, on this living history lesson from Baltimore to St. Louis. This is a truly American adventure, a look at the people and the places of our great land.

Quick Information

18 meals included
Round rip airfare – Sacramento/Baltimore and St. Louis/Sacramento
Expert step-on guides from The National Road and local communities
Beautiful accommodations, featuring two nights at The Turf Valley Resort outsde Baltimore and two nights at the Columbus Marriott Hotel
All day tour of the Kitchenaide appliances plant, along with some fun twists

Trip Itinerary

Day 1

Fly to Baltimore this morning, arriving in early evening. Our destination is near the airport and dinner will be waiting.
- Turf Valley Resort – 2 nights
- Dinner is included this day.
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Day 2

While our Classic Highway tours tend to skirt big cities, we need to pay homage to Baltimore this morning. We’ll offer a choice of activities. Baseball fans will want to visit the Sports Legends Museum & Babe Ruth Birthplace at Camden Yards. Others may prefer to tour The National Aquarium, on the Inner Harbor. Lunch is at your leisure in the Inner Harbor area.

As we work our way back to Ellicott City, we follow part of the Old National Pike. The National Road began in Cumberland. This is a “spur” if you will, a connector to the original road. History begins to unfold, and back in Ellicott City, you visit the B & O Railroad Museum. This is the oldest surviving railroad station in the country, completed in 1830.
- Full breakfast is included this day.
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Day 3

Our travels begin in earnest today, as we head for the official starting point of the National Road. The Museum of Civil War Medicine in Frederick explains how the horror of war actually advanced the cause of modern medicine. A visit to the local history museum gives you an idea of how people lived in the 1820’s, when the road was in its heyday. Lunch is an ethnic dining experience, at a Bavarian-style eatery. In Hagerstown, visit The Hager House, built by the town’s founder in 1739 over two springs to insure a stable water supply. The day’s final destination is Rocky Gap State Park, just east of Cumberland.
- Rocky Gap Lodge
- Full breakfast and lunch are included this day.
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Day 4

The National Road officially began in Cumberland, and its first title was, “The Cumberland Road.” Cumberland had been a strategic location during the French and Indian War and sat on the north branch of the Potomac River. Today, you pass through Cumberland and Frostburg, and you are officially on The National Road. We are joined by a National Road historian for the day as we journey through Uniontown (founded July 4, 1776), the birthplace of General George Marshall of World War II fame. Learn about the Underground Railroad, see an original “S” bridge and photograph one of the many Madonna of the Trail statues.
- Hilton Garden Inn Southpointe
- Full breakfast and lunch are included this day.
Day 5

The road passes through West Virginia for only 13 miles. Wheeling is the major city and its featured attraction is the majestic 1,010 foot long suspension bridge built in 1849. Its location on the Ohio River made it a critical commerce point for the National Road.

Into Ohio to New Concord, the hometown of a true American hero, John Glenn. Tour his home, decorated in a 1940’s-style. In nearby Zanesville (not named after Zane Grey), you’ll visit The National Road Museum, before heading on to Columbus.
- Marriott Hotel – 2 nights
- Full breakfast and lunch are included this day.
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Day 6

A great Sunday Brunch, the Ohio History Center, the Jack Nicklaus Museum, the home of writer James Thurber and an entire neighborhood of spectacular old homes are on today’s agenda. Founded in 1812, Columbus is a true National Road city.
- Full breakfast, brunch, and dinner are included this day.
Day 7

It’s a two-hour drive to the town of Greenville. A number of years ago, a Sports Leisure Mystery Tour came here to tour the Kitchenaid manufacturing plant. The tour and accompanying activities were such a hit, we’ve always wanted to return. Today, we’re back in the home of Kitchenaid. You’ll even get to make your own dessert in their test kitchens! And just for the record, The National Road didn’t pass by Kitchenaid.
- Dayton Homewood Suites by Hilton
- Full breakfast and lunch are included this day.
Day 8

Across Indiana today, following the route of US 40 and The National Road, we pass through dozens of small towns. Lots of photo stops, including a beautiful courthouse in Greenfield, original road in Dunreith and a great story about President Martin Van Buren in Plainfield. Welcome to America’s Heartland.
- Hilton Garden Inn – Terre Haute
- Full breakfast and lunch are included this day.
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Day 9

The population of the state of Illinois more than doubled between 1830 and 1840, because of The National Road. It was built to move people west, and west they came. Today, you’ll see the official end of the road in Vandalia, have a chance to photograph the world’s largest catsup bottle, stand atop an ancient Indian mound and drive through a covered bridge. The day ends in St. Louis, just over the Missouri River from Illinois. Your historic journey on The National Road, 824 miles of it, comes to an end. Your hotel is in the shadow of the Gateway Arch downtown.
- Drury Plaza Hotel
- Full breakfast and lunch are included this day.
Day 10

Lunch is in historic St. Charles, the point at which two explorers from another time, hired and encouraged by the same man who authorized The National Road, embarked on a remarkable journey. St. Charles was the official starting point for the journey of Lewis and Clark, and we’ll dine in a restaurant bearing their name, before heading to the airport for our flight.
- Full breakfast is included this day.