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Join us on a unique 8-day or 10-day luxury adventure tour of the beautiful sites in and around New Orleans, Louisiana. You'll travel on the historic Sunset Route aboard four restored cars from the golden age of rail travel.
On our fully escorted tours you'll visit stately antebellum plantations, and skim through some of Louisianas's famous bayous; home to alligators, Spanish moss, and exotic waterfowl. You'll also ride a floatplane on an aerial tour of the Crescent City and the Mighty Mississippi. New Orleans is famed for its cuisine and of course our tour will highlight the best New Orleans has to offer. You'll also get a taste of the city's famed Garden District when you ride the historic St. Charles streetcar, and a jazz cruise on an authentic stern wheel steamboat will give you a unique perspective on the modern city from a relic of the past. You'll also be able to take part in the French Quarter Festival revelry that is occurring right outside your hotel!
When we arrive in New Orleans your luggage will be transferred to the Historic French Market Inn, a historic hotel property that is in the city's famed French Quarter. This fine hotel will be our home for the next 5 nights.
OUR VINTAGE PRIVATE RAILCARS
Colonial Crafts, a 1949 Pullman sleeper-lounge built for the Pennsylvania Railroad. In addition to an inviting and spacious lounge Colonial Crafts features 3 double bedrooms sleeping two, each room with an annex containing toilet and sink, and a drawing room accommodating up to 3 guests, again with annex containing toilet and sink. Guest amenities include a large shower, and beverage service in the lounge.
Silver Rapids, a 1948 Budd roomette-bedroom sleeper, also built for the Pennsylvania Railroad as its contribution to the California Zephyr equipment pool for transcontinental service. Silver Rapids features eight roomettes accommodating one person each, and six double bedrooms, each accommodating 2 persons. Bedrooms each have an annex containing a toilet and sink; roomettes have a sink in the room. If two couples or a family are traveling together two rooms may be opened ensuite. A shower room has been added. Limited hot and cold beverage service is available.
Silver Lariat, a 1948 Budd Vista-Dome coach built for the California Zephyr, converted to a diner-lounge. 24 deeply cushioned seats in the dome and 42 reclining chairs on the lower level provide a comfortable setting for meals aboard the train as well as for sightseeing.
Silver Solarium, a 1948 Budd Vista-Dome sleeper-lounge-observation car built for the California Zephyr. The observation lounge in the boat-tail of the car is a pleasant place to enjoy the passing scenery as we hurry on our way through the west. Silver Solarium accommodates 24 guests in its Vista-Dome. Sleeping accommodations include 3 double bedrooms, each accommodating 2 guests, and 1 drawing room, accommodating up to 3 guests. The drawing room and bedrooms each have an annex that includes toilet, sink and shower. Under the dome is a bar, which is an excellent spot to gather for a late-night libation.
THE ITINERARY
DAY 1 WEDNESDAY APRIL 15: (D) We depart Los Angeles at 2:30 PM in our private railcars, which are on the rear of Amtrak's Sunset Limited. Settle in to this hotel on wheels and enjoy afternoon hors d'Oeuvre and cocktails on our ride eastward into the vast desert. Along the way, we pick up more guests in Pomona, Ontario, and Palm Springs. Dinner will be served as we enjoy a spectacular sunset in the Coachella Valley. Guests wishing to retire after dinner will find that their rooms have been made down for the night. Be sure to set your watch ahead one hour before you retire, as we will be entering Mountain Daylight time during the night.
We enjoy late afternoon and sunset from our domes as we travel through the Coachella Valley.
DAY 2 THURSDAY APRIL 16: (B-L-D) Morning finds us approaching El Paso, and a waiting breakfast buffet, offered between 7 and 9 AM local time. We'll cross the Continental Divide at Alpine, and be sure to set your watch ahead again one hour. Near Del Rio the train passes by Langtry, home of Judge Roy Bean's Saloon and courthouse, where he dispensed 'Law West of the Pecos'. We then cross the Pecos River on a high bridge shortly before arriving at Del Rio. After leaving Del Rio we leave the West and enter the South through the Texas Hill Country. We arrive in San Antonio around 10:30 PM for an extended servicing stop.
We travel eastbound across the vast emptyness of West Texas
DAY 3 FRIDAY APRIL 17: (B-L-D) Today those guests flying to New Orleans will be arriving and checking into the hotel. Back onboard the train, early birds will find us arriving in Houston, and the Bayou country of East Texas and Louisiana. The New Orleans skyline comes into view shortly before we cross the mighty Mississippi River on the famed Huey P. Long Bridge. New Orleans Union Station is a very short ride from our hotel. If The Sunset Limited is ontime we will arrive at 4:00pm. We'll enjoy a 'Welcome to New Orleans" dinner while our luggage is transferred to the hotel. After dinner, keys in hand, we retire to our rooms for the night. The French Quarter Festival is in full swing just outside the hotel windows, and revelers might want to join in.
As we draw closer to New Orleans we can see from our private rail cars many lakes, rivers and swamps.
The Sunset Limited crossing the cotton fields of Louisiana in the 1950's and the same train 50 years later under the Amtrak banner, passing through New Iberia, Louisiana. Later in the day The Sunset Limited brings our private rail cars into New Orleans crossing over the mighty Mississippi River and dropping into the city, as we see in the photo above of a Southern Pacific steam pulled passenger train pulling hard towards the crest of the bridge.
DAY 4 SATURDAY APRIL 18: (L) Today is a leisurely day. Following breakfast, our tour guide will take us on a history tour of the French Quarter. Among other sights, we'll see the French Market, Jean Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop, Jackson Square and St. Louis Cathedral.
Lunch will be at the Cajun Cooking School, where we will attend a cooking demonstration by a well-known local chef.
Following lunch we'll visit the Historic New Orleans complex, which houses literary and artistic treasures highlighting the cultures that shaped New Orleans from its founding to the present day. The rest of the afternoon and evening are free. Breakfast and dinner are on your own. Consider taking a ride on the historic St. Charles Streetcar line through the lovely Garden District.
Be sure and take a ride on street car system.
DAY 5 SUNDAY APRIL 19: (L) After breakfast (on your own) we'll board a motor coach bound for the River Parishes and a glimpse into antebellum life. We'll visit famed Oak Alley Plantation, and enjoy lunch here.
Then it's on to the Creole world, at Laura Plantation, which grew sugar cane starting around 1805. The one-hour guided visit details true-life stories of Creole women, slaves, and children.
We wrap up our adventures today with a two-hour Swamp Tour in an airboat. Along with exotic species of birds and plants unique to the swamps we could see alligators and the remains of a logging operation dating from the early 1900's. You may even get a chance to hold a baby gator, or meet a nutria face to face! Back in New Orleans, dinner is on your own.
DAY 6 MONDAY APRIL 20: (L) Today we'll board a float plane for an aerial tour of New Orleans, and swing over the French Quarter and the Superdome before proceeding up the meandering Mississippi and the bayous. We'll visit LaFitte, named for the pirate, located on the Bayou Barataria. We'll also visit the Victoria Inn and Gardens, built on the growing fields of a bayou plantation. An authentic 'boil' lunch will be served on the inn's veranda, and time to explore the extensive gardens before heading back.
This afternoon, we'll also visit the Mardi Gras World Museum, which houses some of the more notable and whimsical Mardi Gras props. If you like you may dress up in authentic carnival costumes.
We visit the Mardi Gras Museum in New Orleans
DAY 7 TUESDAY APRIL 21: (L-D) This morning is relaxed. You might want to enjoy coffee and bagettes at world-famous Cafe du Monde, and take a morning stroll on the streets of the Quarter. Lunch and a river cruise at 11:30 AM will be aboard the stern wheel steamboat Natchez. After the lunch cruise, you'll have more time to visit the shops in the French Quarter.
"Farewell to New Orleans' dinner is at Arnaud's Restaurant which will be a fitting salute to our visit to the Crescent City.
Today we take a lunch cruise on board the Steamboat Natchez
DAY 8 WEDNESDAY APRIL 22: (L-D) Guests traveling with us on the train will board the shuttle to Union Station at 11:00 AM. Guests that are flying home will be taken from the hotel to Louis Armstrong Airport in Kenner to board their flights.
Luncheon will be served shortly after boarding the train. We'll enjoy a glass of crisp Chardonnay as we cross the Mighty Mississippi at the beginning of our journey west. Cocktails, hors d'Oeuvres and dinner will be served as we head into the sunset and begin our 1,000 mile trek through Texas. A last chance to stretch our legs for the evening will occur during our stop in Houston, about 9:15 PM.
DAY 9 THURSDAY APRIL 23: (B-L-D) Morning finds us departing the South and entering the West, as we approach Del Rio. Shortly after lunch you'll want to set your watch back one hour, at Alpine, where we enter the Mountain Time Zone. As we depart El Paso we'll cross the Rio Grande on a high bridge and travel a route that will take us to within 30 feet of Old Mexico in places. Set your watch back an additional hour when you retire tonight, for when you wake up you'll be in California and back on Pacific Time.
The Silver Solarium waits on the rear of the westbound Sunset Limited
in El Paso at Sunset.
DAY 10 FRIDAY APRIL 24: (B) Early birds will enjoy the ride out of the Coachella Valley past wind farms and over Beaumont Pass into the Los Angeles Basin. Our arrival in LA is scheduled for 10:10 AM.
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