Join Papa Noel as he ushers in the holiday season along the Gulf Coast.
•3 nights in festive New Orleans
•Tour Houmas House and Laura Plantations along the Great River Road
•Attend the Krewe of Jingle Christmas Parade and Jingle Mingle Block
Party
•Visit Biloxi on the Mississippi Sound
•2 nights in historic Mobile, Alabama
•Tour the USS Alabama, historic Mobile churches and Carnival Museum
•Airfare to New Orleans/from Mobile
•12 meals – 3 dinners, 3 lunches, 1 brunch and daily breakfast
•Home pick-up and return
•Tour Director: Clayton Whitehead
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Day 1
Fly to New Orleans and check-into your tastefully restored hotel home, conveniently located just two blocks off Canal Street, the gateway to the French Quarter. The Carondelet Building was New Orleans’ first skyscraper at 14 stories tall. Oversized rooms, 10+ foot ceilings, tasteful furnishings and decor give your accommodations a distinctively Southern feel. Get your taste buds ready. A Welcome Reveillon Dinner begins your march through a city famous for its food.
- Hampton Inn Downtown – 3 nights
- Dinner is included this day.
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Day 2
Take a drive out the Great River Road to visit two historic plantation homes, each beautifully decorated for the season. Houmas House is the “traditional” white-columned mansion where lunch will be served—perhaps your first chance to enjoy Louisiana crawfish. Laura is an equally lovely, albeit more human-scale Creole manner house and the birthplace of the Uncle Remus tales. In the evening, join Chef Anne (who might just be the real Mrs. Clause) as she cooks up a traditional Cajun feast at the New Orleans School of Cooking.
- Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included this day.
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Day 3
The first Saturday in December is the official start of the Holiday Season in New Orleans as this is when Papa Noel rides into town. Have a free day to enjoy the “Krewe of Jingle” Christmas Parade and the Jingle Mingle Block Party, or explore the French Quarter and complete your Christmas shopping in one of the many shops and galleries. At sundown, visit historic City Park for Celebration in the Oaks, an amazing walk-through lights festival staged in a lush, botanical setting, followed by another memorable dinner.
- Breakfast and dinner are included this day.
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Day 4
Head due east to Mobile, Alabama, stopping along the way in Biloxi, Mississippi for brunch and a scenic drive along the surf.
- Marriott Hotel – 2 nights
- Breakfast and brunch are included this day.
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Day 5
Mobile is the site of the first Mardi Gras celebration in North America. Learn all about this festive tradition dating back to 1704 at the Carnival Museum. A lunch of Southern favorites is served “where the locals eat.” With a local preservation
architect as your guide, explore this historic port city and learn its story through visits to historic churches, renowned for their stained glass. You ARE in the “Bible Belt,” after all. In the evening, Bellingrath Gardens and its annual Magic Christmas in Lights awaits, including over 950 displays aglow in 3 million lights. The gardens as well as the historic home are host to these displays, and live music is offered nightly.- Full breakfast and lunch are included this day.
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Day 6
Visit the largest ship in the port, the battleship USS Alabama, where a traditional lunch will be served in the company mess. Then on to the airport for all that’s left of this Cajun Country Christmas is your return flight home. (FB,L)
- Full breakfast and lunch are included this day.
A Small Town Christmas
If you enjoy wonderful dining and nostalgic Christmas experiences then this is the trip for you! Discover the lights of Christmas tree lane at night, an old fashioned community parade where everyone comes out to watch, and small towns that have Main Streets decorated for Santa. And did we mention dining… at several of the Valley’s best restaurants? And there will be time for picking up a few unique gifts too in the shops along the main streets of the valley’s finest communities.
All Around California by Rail
Explore the Golden State by scenic rail adventure! Featuring four trips by train including a stretch of the Coast Starlight route by private railcar, SuperCoach III follows you throughout the tour so no need to worry about getting your luggage on or off the train! Limited to 32 passengers.
An Evening with Joan Rivers
Joan Rivers is a force of nature – one of the hardest working celebrities in the world. She has enjoyed an illustrious career spanning more than four decades in the entertainment industry and beyond, and as her recent accomplishments reveal, she’s as robust and hardworking as ever. Joan is an internationally renowned comedienne, Emmy Award-winning television talk-show host, Tony Award-nominated actress, bestselling author, playwright, screenwriter, film director, columnist, lecturer, syndicated radio host, and red-carpet fashion laureate. Above all things, however, Joan is a proud mother and grandmother.
6 Days · 12 Meals
Your trip includes all accommodations, airfare from Sacramento*, all listed activities and the services of a Sports Leisure Tour Director
*If applicable. Not traveling from Sacramento? Not a problem, just give us a call.
(916) 361 - 2051
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