East Coast Swing

Day 1

Depart your home city for Washington, D.C., where your Joshua Expeditions tour director will meet you. Your first stop in the District will be the Smithsonian Museum, where you will have the opportunity to visit any of the museums open on this day. During the evening, following dinner in the city, your group will set out on a walking tour of the presidential memorials, including those honoring Lincoln, Jefferson and FDR. After checking into the hotel for the night, the group will take some time for devotions and reflection on this first day's experiences.

Day 2

The group will head downtown this morning for an exterior visit to the White House, where there will be time for photos and shopping among the local street vendors. You will enjoy lunch in the downtown area then head to Capitol Hill for an exterior tour of the Capitol Building before walking over to the Supreme Court. (You may have a chance to tour the interior if court is not in session). The afternoon will conclude with a visit to view the great architecture at the Library of Congress. In the evening you will again enjoy dinner in the city before setting out on a walking tour of the memorials commemorating World War II, and the conflicts in Korea and Vietnam. The day will close with a time of devotions at the hotel. (Optional interior tours of the White House and the Capitol Building may be available by contacting your local member of Congress.)

Day 3

Your day begins with a breakfast served at the hotel, followed by the first activity of the day — a visit to Arlington National Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. You will witness the awesome ceremony of the changing of the guard, as well as tour the grounds and visit the John F. Kennedy memorial and Arlington House. Before leaving Arlington, the group will drive by the Iwo Jima Memorial, which commemorates one of the most costly victories of World War II. Following lunch, your group will head out for a ministry project with a local agency where you will learn about the great needs of the less fortunate within D.C. communities. The group will then transfer to George Washington’s home of Mt. Vernon. With over 500 acres to explore, you will need the remainder of the afternoon to tour the site. Upon returning to Washington late in the day, your group will have dinner in the city and then close the evening with devotions at the hotel.

Day 4

Today you will enjoy a day trip to Charlottesville, Virginia, home of University of Virginia and Thomas Jefferson's Monticello estate. You will tour Jefferson's home and plantation, including the gardens and cemetery where he is buried, and then you will have some free time in Charlottesville to stroll through the university campus and downtown area. After dinner in the Charlottesville area, you will return to the nation's capital for devotions at the hotel.

Day 5

This morning your group will visit the National Archives where you will be able to view important documents that established the freedoms enjoyed by Americans. In the afternoon you will head over to the Holocaust Memorial Museum which honors the millions who lost their lives during the Nazis’ “final solution”. Following dinner in the city, the day will close with devotions at the hotel and preparation for the next day’s departure.

Day 6

This morning your group will depart D.C. and travel to Philadelphia where you will stop first to visit Franklin Institute Science Museum, known for its use of hands-on science techniques and demonstrations. Later, you will enjoy some time at Fairmont Park, one of the largest parks in the nation, and then make a stop at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where you will have the opportunity to do your best impersonation of Rocky at the top of the magnificent steps at the museum's entrance. The day will close with dinner in Philadelphia followed by devotions at your hotel.

Day 7

Today your group will continue exploring the city of Philadelphia, including such historic locations as City Hall, Congress Hall, Franklin Court and Christ Church in the Old City area. Following lunch, you will enjoy visits to the Betsy Ross House, Elfreth's Alley, and Independence National Historic Park, which includes the National Constitution Center, Liberty Bell Center, and Independence Hall. In the evening, the group will depart for New York City, stopping for dinner along the way.

Day 8

Following breakfast, your group will set out for a walking tour of Midtown Manhattan and the surrounding neighborhoods. You will also see St. Patrick's Cathedral and Rockefeller Center, home to NBC Studios and shows like 30 Rock and Today. In the evening your group will enjoy dinner in Times Square and then take a night tour of this famous "Crossroads of the World" before closing the day with devotions at the hotel.

Day 9

This day will begin with a visit to Ellis Island where you will learn about the thousands of immigrants who came to America looking for a better life. The return ferry will take you beside the Statue of Liberty to view the torch with seven points symbolizing the seven continents, and then your group will head to Ground Zero to tour this reverent site that memorializes the events of September 11, 2001. After spending some time in prayer, your group will embark on a walking tour of lower Manhattan, including Wall Street, the New York Stock Exchange, and Federal Hall, where George Washington gave his first inaugural address. Later in the evening, you will enjoy dinner in the city before closing the day with devotions at the hotel.

Day 10

On your final morning in NYC, the group will visit one of New York's world-renowned museums, like the Guggenheim or Metropolitan Museum of Art, and then you will enjoy lunch and free time in Central Park. Your group will depart for home later in the afternoon.