second tour added

Almost Heaven, West Virginia 

October 22-26, 2024

You will enjoy dinner at a world-class resort that has hosted 26 US Presidents, celebrities and royalty from around the world!  Enjoy the elegance around you as you savor your meal and be on the lookout for any "special guests" that may be around. The second day tour the declassified Bunker at The Greenbrier that takes you behind the scenes and walks you through a fascinating period in the resort's history. Carved deep into the mountainside beneath the West Virginia Wing is an emergency Cold War fallout shelter. You will ride the Cass Scenic Railroad, the same line built in 1901 to haul lumber to the mill in Cass. Once you board the train, the real excitement begins. The great pistons of the carefully resorted Shay locomotive will start pulsing, driven by hundreds of pounds of steam pressure. As the train rounds the curve up Leatherbark Creek, you'll pass the Cass Shop, where the locomotives are serviced. You travel up the mountain toward the two switchbacks, which allows the train to reverse the steep grade. Finally the view opens to fields and Whittaker Station. You will have a "sack" lunch on the train as you journey up the mountain.  You will visit Cass Historical Museum  located in the Company Store Building, and founded by Kyle J. Neighbors.  The museum features items and artifacts of Cass. You can learn more about the trains, community spirit and history of Cass and the surrounding area. The history of Cass and the regions logging industry come alive before your eyes through railroad artifacts, train paintings and antiques.

This evening you will enjoy the Gandy Dancer Dinner and Show. The next day, you will experience the Greenbrier Wilderness Train.  This new train ride leaves from Cass, WV on a four hour excursion into the wilderness of the Greenbrier River Valley. Framed by forested hills on both sides of the river this remote, rugged, unpopulated region is home to Bald Eagles, Osprey, Black Bear and Coyotes. You may spot these species and others as you ride round trip between Cass and Durbin with a lunch onboard the train. This afternoon you cross into the next valley and find it filled with giant satellite dishes. This is the Green Bank Radio Astronomy Observatory intentionally located in one of America’s most quiet spots. Here our scientists are listening for sounds from space, and you will tour the facility.   Dinner at Graceland Inn.  Poised on the hillside of the beautiful campus of Davis & Elkins College, Elkins, WV, is Graceland Inn, a beautifully restored Victorian mansion. The Inn commands a twenty-mile view of the scenic mountains. Enjoy dinner and entertainment this evening at this beautiful

Venue.  Day 4 All aboard! It’s not an accident that West Virginia is known as the Mountain State and after riding and having lunch on the New Tygart Flyer of the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad scenic excursion trains, you will definitely understand why. You will enjoy stunning scenery, freeflowing rivers, historic sites, and a serene waterfall only accessible by hiking or train riding. The four-hour, 46 mile round trip has been called one of the most relaxing mountain wilderness train rides in the United States. This afternoon, enjoy a visit to Patsy Cline's Historic Home in Winchester, VA. Patsy resided here from 1948-53, longer than at any other house associated with her in the Winchester and Nashville areas, and she returned to it intermittently until her singing career began in 1957. The house serves as a proud testament to Patsy's love of family. Her devoted and influential relationship with her mother and their drive and determination launched Patsy's career. Dinner tonight will be at the historical George Washington Hotel in Winchester, Virginia. You will be dining at the hotel's private banquet room. After dinner, you will be taken back and entertained by a Patsy Cline tribute singer performing all Patsy's hits. Day 5, After breakfast, check out and depart for home with " Almost Home, West Virginia" memories

Package includes motor coach transportation, Three Scenic Trains,Cass Scenic Railroad to Bald Knob with Lunch, Greenbrier Wilderness Train with Lunch, New Tygart Flyer with Lunch, Greenbrier Bunker Tour, Cass Historical Museum & Showcase, Green Bank Radio Astronomy and House Tour, Patsy Cline Tribute Singer, Four Nights Lodging, Four Hotel Breakfasts, Observatory,  Patsy Cline Hometown, Three Train Lunches, Four Dinners, driver's gratuity and trip leader.

$1,684 pp double, $2,184 single

Bus departures

7:30 AM   Target, RT 70, Brick  

7:45 AM Exit 98 Park and Ride (cars can not park here overnight)

8:30 AM  Somerset Run  

8:00 PM  Approximate return