A fully escorted 9 day Amtrak Tour featuring New Orleans, Galveston, Space Center Houston, San Antonio and Texas Hill Country.

• View Prices and Dates
• Highlights and Inclusions
• View Itinerary
• Tour Images

New Orleans • Galveston • Space Center Houston • San Antonio • Texas Hill Country



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

• Travel 926 miles on Amtrak’s City of New Orleans, the train made famous in the song sung by Arlo Guthrie. All train meals are included.
• Galveston is where Texans go for fun in the sun. This Gulf of Mexico resort combines a fascinating history with a contemporary dynamism. Gaslights, stately Victorian buildings and the clip-clop of carriages have revived Galveston’s late 19th Century popularity. The historic Strand District is where the city’s activity is centered “downtown”. Your historic Tremont House hotel is located in the heart of the Strand. You’ll embark on a sightseeing tour of this charming city and spend time at the Moody Gardens.
• At NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston you’ll discover the evolution of America’s manned space flight program through historical artifacts, hands-on exhibits and behind the scene tours.
• 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, Institute of Texas Culture . . . so much more) and optional free time.
• A full day to discover the rugged Texas Hill Country (L.B.J. Ranch, Johnson City, Fredericksburg and the Admiral Chester Nimitz Museum of the Pacific).

• Round-trip transportation by deluxe motor coach and rail.
• First class hotel accommodations for six nights.
• Reclining coach seat with leg rest on the train for two nights.
• 14 meals.
• Sightseeing tours of Galveston, San Antonio, the Texas Hill Country and admission into the Houston Space Center.
• Baggage handling, taxes, tips, etc.
• Services of a professional America by Rail Tour Director.

Day 1: En Route
Texas Winter Getaway members will travel from various Eastern and Midwest cities to Chicago on one of a number of Amtrak trains or by air. Your New Orleans-bound travelers will meet their Tour Director in Chicago’s Union Station throughout the afternoon. At approximately 7:30 p.m. you'll board the Amtrak train made famous in the song, The City of New Orleans, departing at 8:00 p.m. Relax in your comfortable reclining coach seat with leg rest. Roomettes or upgraded Bedrooms are available at an additional cost. All dining car meals are included. You’ll want to head to the dining car for a hearty, full-course dinner. (D)

Day 2: New Orleans
You’ll be rolling through the Mississippi Delta area this morning. We’re scheduled to arrive in the Crescent City by 3:20 p.m.

Our home in New Orleans is the Hotel Provincial, a charming New Orleans-style hotel in the famous French Quarter. You’re in one of the most attractive cities in the world. Take full advantage of all there is to see, to do and to taste. (B, L)

Day 3: New Orleans/Galveston
Following a Continental breakfast this morning, you'll embark on a two-hour sightseeing tour of New Orleans. The tour will include the St. Louis Cemetery III where the above ground burial system will be explained; beautiful City Park, the Lakefront area; the uptown section with its antebellum and new homes; Tulane University; Audubon Park; and the French Market.

The tour will end at the Amtrak station at 11:00 a.m. At 11:55 a.m. your tour members will depart New Orleans on the famous Sunset Limited. You’ll travel 363 miles through the Bayou Country of southwest Louisiana and across southeast Texas to Houston. Your arrival is scheduled for 9:50 p.m.

You’ll transfer 47 miles south to Galveston, a city of 60,000 located on the Gulf of Mexico. It is the most popular seaside resort in Texas. Your hotel for the next two nights is the famous Tremont House. Nestled in the heart of Galveston Island’s Strand Historic District, the Tremont House combines old world charm with European elegance. The hotel is within walking distance to countless shops, restaurants, galleries, historic attractions and just a trolly ride to Galveston beaches. (CB)

Day 4: Galveston
This morning you'll enjoy an hour and a half, 17-mile narrated tour around the Island City on the Galveston Sightseeing Train! This fun ride covers both Old and New Galveston including Seawall Boulevard, the remains of Fort Crockett, historic homes, Rosenberg Library, churches, the downtown business district, the shrimp fleet, Jean Lafitte’s home, Moody Mansion, the Bishop’s Palace, Ashton Villa and dozens of other places of interest. This afternoon you'll visit one of Galveston’s major attractions, the Moody Gardens. Three glass pyramids are the centerpiece of this 242-acre resort complex. The 12-story Aquarium at Moody Gardens showcases 8,000 specimens of marine life from the oceans of the South Atlantic, North and South Pacific and the Caribbean. Inside the Rainforest Pyramid are streams, waterfalls, a Mayan colonnade, thousands of exotic plants, tropical fish and birds from the rain forests of Africa, Asia and South America. The Discovery Pyramid offers traveling exhibits that explore the world of science.

You’re free this evening to explore the historic Strand district, once known as the “Wall Street of the Southwest.” This area is noted for its shops, restaurants and the country’s best known collection of iron-fronted buildings.

Day 5: Space Center Houston
Following an included breakfast, you'll board your deluxe motor coach and head north about 20 miles to Space Center Houston. The official visitor center of NASA’s Johnson Space Center tells the story of America’s manned space flight program through historic artifacts, hands-on exhibits, live presentations and behind-the-scenes tours.

Visitors can try on space helmets, touch a moon rock and climb aboard computer simulators to retrieve a satellite, land the space shuttle and walk on the moon.

A guided 90-minute tram tour will include Mission Control, the Space Shuttle Training Facility and other NASA laboratories.

You’ll enjoy an “on-your-own” lunch at the Space Center then reboard your motor coach for the four-hour trip west to beautiful, exciting San Antonio.

Our hotel for the next three nights is the delightful Drury Inn. The Drury is conveniently located on the famous Riverwalk, convenient to restaurants and shops. You’re free this evening to discover this wonderful city. (B)

Day 6: San Antonio
A Drury “Quick-Start” breakfast is included each morning in San Antonio.

At 9:00 a.m. you'll meet a knowledgeable sightseeing guide and embark on a day-long San Antonio city tour by deluxe motor coach. Memorable stops this morning will be Mission San Jose and the Institute of Texas Culture.

A high point of the San Antonio tour will be the exquisite lunch at the historic Menger Hotel. You’ll see the bar where Teddy Roosevelt signed up members of his famed Rough Riders. Memorable activities will include a visit to the Alamo, the Spanish Governor’s Palace and the Mexican and Farmer’s Market.

The remainder of the day is free for you to rest, shop or further explore this magnificent city. You can spend more time at the Mexican and Farmer’s Market. Shop for turquoise and other products. (B, L)

Day 7: Texas Hill Country/San Antonio
This morning you'll head for the beautiful Hill Country of Texas made famous by the late former President Lyndon Johnson.

This morning 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.

This afternoon you'll visit the Lyndon B. Johnson ranch. A 90-minute tour includes a reconstruction of the farmhouse where LBJ was born, a one-room Junction School, the LBJ show barn, the “Texas White House” and the grave of former President Lyndon B. Johnson in the family cemetery.

You’ll return to your San Antonio hotel by late this afternoon and enjoy dinner at one of the fine Riverwalk restaurants (included). (B, D)

Day 8: En Route
You’ll check out of your hotel this morning and transfer the short distance to the San Antonio Amtrak station and board the Northbound Texas Eagle. Relax in your conformable reclining coach seat or optional private room. You’ll find the same amenities you enjoyed on your way to New Orleans.

Throughout the day you'll experience a variety of landscapes ranging from Hill Country to plains to the pine forests of eastern Texas. You’ll be able to stretch your legs in Fort Worth at mid-afternoon. There will be time for card games in the lower lounge area and for reminiscing with fellow tour members about what you saw and what you did the past week. (B, L, D)

Day 9: En Route
St. Louis’ magnificent Gateway Arch should be on the left side of your train when you depart there about 8:30 a.m. The rest of the morning and early afternoon you'll roll northward through the Illinois capital, Springfield, and other small towns of the Great Plains. Your arrival into Chicago is scheduled for mid afternoon. (B, L)

   

   

   

 Departure Dates:

• March 9 - 17

 Per Person Rates:

• $1,995 Price per person (based on double-occupancy)
• Single add $955

 Per Person Sleeping Accommodation Upgrade Rates:

• Roomette Bedroom $230*
• Upgraded Bedroom $375*