A fully escorted 11 day Amtrak Tour featuring San Antonio, Texas Hill Country, Tucson and San Diego.

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San Antonio • Texas Hill Country • Tucson • San Diego


Call 877-929-7245 for rail fares and schedules
from your city to and from Chicago.

• San Antonio’s old Spanish flavor, multi-cultural heritage and numerous parks and plazas make it one of America’s most picturesque cities. Enjoy extensive sightseeing in San Antonio (Alamo, Riverwalk, Mission San Jose, Mexican and Farmers Market.)
• A full day to discover the beautiful Texas Hill Country (LBJ Ranch, Johnson City, Fredericksburg and the Admiral Chester Nimitz Museum of the Pacific.)
• Tucson is Arizona’s oldest city and its second largest. Attractions will include the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Mission San Xavier Del Bac and Old Tucson Studios. The studios were the location for more than 300 movie and television productions.
• San Diego is a paradise on earth. It’s one of America’s finest cities and California’s historic birthplace. Your sightseeing tour includes downtown’s renowned Gaslamp Quarter, the Embarcadero, Balboa Park, Old Town, and the famed Hotel Del Coronado. The San Diego Zoo is one of the finest in the world.
• This fabulous tour includes over 5,000 miles of scenic, fun-filled rail travel, including the Texas Eagle, the Sunset Limited and the Southwest Chief.

• Round-trip transportation by rail departing from and returning to Chicago.
• Private Roomette bedroom sleeping accommodations on the trains for four nights ($595 additional per person for an upgraded Bedroom).
• First-class hotel accommodations for six nights.
• 22 meals.
• Extensive sightseeing including San Antonio, Texas Hill Country, San Diego and admissions to the Nimitz Museum, LBJ Ranch, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Old Tucson Studios and San Diego Zoo.
• Baggage handling, taxes & tips.
• Services of a professional America by Rail Tour Director.

Day 1: En Route
Our Escape to the Southwest Sunshine tour members will meet the Tour Director upon arrival into Chicago’s Union Station. The first-class Metropolitan Lounge will be your base in Chicago. The Sears Tower, the world’s tallest building is close by. Other Chicago attractions are a brief cab ride away.

At 1:00 p.m. you'll board the Texas Eagle prior to its 1:45 p.m. departure. Relax in your private Roomette bedroom sleeping accommodations. Upgraded Bedrooms, including individual shower facilities, are available at an additional cost. Enjoy a full-course dinner in the dining car.

You’ll want to spend time in the Sightseer Lounge where the glass windows rise from floor level to the ceiling. It is a great place to view the passing scenery. Water and coffee are available for sleeping car occupants in their car. (D)

Day 2: En Route
This morning your train rolls through eastern Texas in a straight line, due west, past small farms and pine forests. You’re scheduled to pause in Fort Worth this afternoon. You’ll have time for a brief trainside walk. You’re scheduled to arrive in San Antonio by late evening. Upon arrival, you'll transfer to your hotel, the Drury Plaza Hotel Riverwalk. (B, L, D)

Day 3: San Antonio
Your sightseeing guide will greet you this morning. S/he will share with us their knowledge of historic San Antonio. At 9:00 a.m. you'll embark on a San Antonio city tour by motor coach.

The high point of the morning will be a stop over at the Mission San Jose. Memorable activities this afternoon include a visit to the Alamo, a lobby tour of the historic Menger Hotel, the Spanish Governor’s Palace and the Mexican Market. Enjoy lunch (included) at the exquisite Menger Hotel.

The remainder of the day is free. You’ll want to spend time exploring the quaint shops and galleries along the world-famous Riverwalk. You’ll find many great San Antonio restaurants. (B, L)

Day 4: Texas Hill Country
This morning you'll head for the beautiful Hill Country of Texas made famous by the late former President Lyndon Johnson.

You’ll visit a very unique community, Fredericksburg. This fertile area was settled in 1846 by German farmers.

Fredericksburg was the home of WWII Admiral Chester W. Nimitz. The Nimitz Museum of the Pacific includes artifacts from the WWII Pacific campaign with accompanying historical descriptions. Enjoy an “on-your-own” lunch in Fredericksburg.

By mid afternoon you'll tour the expansive LBJ Ranch by motorized tram. You'll continue on to Austin, the capital of the great state of Texas where you'll enjoy an included buffet dinner.

Following dinner, you'll transfer to the Austin Amtrak station where at 7:10 p.m. you'll board the Texas Eagle. You’ll enjoy the same kind of accommodations and amenities you enjoyed between Chicago and San Antonio. (B, D)

Day 5: En Route
During the night your sleeping car was transferred to the Sunset Limited in San Antonio. All dining car meals are included today. By mid morning you'll be in the sparsely-populated Rio Grande Valley of West Texas. Tumbleweeds and arid lands surround your train. Your arrival into El Paso is scheduled for 5:10 p.m. Plan on a trainside stroll during your stop in El Paso. That’s Juarez, Mexico, across the narrow Rio Grande River. You’ll want to spend time in the Sightseer Lounge.

Our arrival into Tucson is scheduled for 11:20 p.m. Upon arrival, you'll transfer to the Hilton-Tucson East, your attractive home for the next two nights. (B, L, D)

Day 6: Tucson
A buffet breakfast is included this morning. Tucson is Arizona’s oldest city and its second largest. This morning you'll embark on a day-long tour of the city. Your stopovers will include the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and Old Tucson Studios. The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, exhibits more than 300 live animal species, including mountain lions, prairie dogs, Gila monsters, hawks, bighorn sheep and hummingbirds in natural habitats. Almost two miles of paths lead visitors through landscapes containing over 1,300 species of plants indigenous to the Sonoran Desert region; included are desert grasslands, cactus and desert gardens.

Erected in 1939, Old Tucson Studios is a replica of 1860s Tucson. It was the location for the movies “Arizona” and “Tombstone.” More than 350 films, TV episodes, series and commercials were filmed here. Highlights include stagecoach rides, live gunfights, stunt demonstrations, Western musical revues, the Town Hall and Film History Museum. (B)

Day 7: Tucson/San Diego
A buffet breakfast is included this morning. This morning you'll board your deluxe motor coach and visit the historic Mission San Xavier del Bac, one of Tucson’s major attractions.

Though founded by Jesuit Father Eusebio Francisco Kino before 1700, the present structure was built 1783-97 by the Franciscans. The missionaries were forced to leave San Xavier in 1828 but returned in 1911, and since that time have maintained old San Xavier as the main church and school of the Tohono O’odham Indian tribe.

Called the “White Dove of the Desert,” the structure is an impressive example of Spanish mission architecture. The domes, carvings, arches and flying buttresses distinguish it from other missions. The interior murals and the altar are especially noteworthy.

Following your visit to the Mission and an "on-your-own" lunch, you'll reboard your deluxe motor coach and travel due west 400 miles across the Arizona desert to San Diego. A stop for dinner will be made en route (included).

Our hotel for the night is the Best Western Bayside hotel. The hotel is conveniently located near Old Town, a section of this beautiful city that preserves the town’s Spanish-Mexican heritage. (B, D)

Day 8: San Diego
Breakfast will be included each morning in San Diego. This morning you'll strike out on a San Diego city tour. You'll get off your motor coach at the Cruise Ship Terminal, where you'll embark on a one-hour cruise of the fascinating San Diego Harbor. Your additional stopovers include: downtown’s famed Gaslamp Quarter, the Hotel del Coronado, the Embarcadero, Balboa Park and Old Town. These are just a few of the breathtaking sights on the popular narrated tour. Enjoy an “on-your-own” lunch at Seaport Village. The afternoon is free to explore nearby Old Town. (B)

Day 9: San Diego/En Route
Today is the day you'll visit the renowned San Diego Zoo, one of the greatest zoological gardens in the world. You’ll depart from your hotel at 10:00 a.m. First, you’ll take a tour of the entire zoo complex on a double-decker conveyance. You’ll have time to explore the zoo on your own and have lunch.

At 2:00 p.m. you'll transfer the short distance to the Amtrak station where you'll depart at 3:00 p.m. on a Pacific Surfliner. You’ll arrive in the Los Angeles Union Station at 5:45 p.m. At 6:45 you'll depart on the famous Southwest Chief for Chicago.

You’ll again enjoy the reclining seat with footrest, all train meals and other amenities experienced on the Texas Eagle and Sunset Limited. Enjoy a full-course dining car dinner upon departure. (B, D)

Day 10: En Route
You’ll want to take advantage of the fascinating scenery of Arizona and New Mexico which your train will pass through during the day.

You’ll have time for a train side walk in Albuquerque at noon. Native American vendors will have attractive jewelry for sale. (B, L, D)

Day 11: En Route
The Southwest Chief will roll across Northeast Missouri, a corner of Iowa, and all of Illinois before your late afternoon arrival in Chicago. Some tour members will change to trains bound for Midwest, Eastern and Southern home cities. Others will stay in Chicago and fly home tomorrow. (B, L)

   

   

   

 Departure Dates:

• February 10 - 20
• March 10 - 20

 Per Person Rates:

• $2,895 Price per person (based on double-occupancy)
• Single add $1150

 Per Person Sleeping Accommodation Upgrade Rates:

• Roomette Bedroom $565
• Upgraded Bedroom $1395