Whether you opt to swoop like flying squirrels through the lush canopy or tromp the wild woods far below, every Show-Me-State group travel itinerary should include a trip to Branson Zipline!

Their menu of expertly-designed world-class eco-adventures offers daredevils, mad-cap explorers and easy-going nature-lovers alike the ultimate sightseeing excursion. The activities require no previous experience and present visitors with an opportunity for a fully-customizable, multi-faceted, team-building outdoor fun-quest on one of the only themed zip courses in the world. Sail from platform to platform and traverse a series of “sky bridges” threaded through the fabled Ozark Mountain treetops as squirrels, armadillos, deer and other inhabitants of Wolfe Creek Preserve look on, a rapt audience to zippers’ aerial escapades.

Not down with dangling? Wend your way up Wolfe Mountain in an authentic Pinzgauer Swiss Army Troop Carrier. Once at the top, you’re cut loose with a guide to begin your descent down an Amish-built hiking trail. Your ears fill with fascinating fact, legend and lore as you thrill to the sight of guests “wooshing” by overhead; excellent photo ops here! Encounter and identify native flora and fauna and revel in the exquisite beauty of your natural surroundings, noting rickety old bridges and abandoned mining implements strewn about the wildflower-sprinkled woods. What stories they could tell!

A refreshment break at the half-way mark lets you pause to recharge and chat with fellow hikers or meet up with group members wrapping up a Canopy Tour before continuing down the mountain. Feel like yodeling?

The National Mall and Memorial Parks is visited by millions each year and is located in Washington, D.C. This location contains iconic historical landmarks. There are a variety of outdoor activities including: Golf, Tennis, and the Tidal Basin Paddle Boats. If you enjoy guided tours, there are a few options available including the following: talks, walks, runs, bikes and more. There are also several memorials and monuments for visitors to enjoy. These include but are not limited to: the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, the Jefferson Memorial, African American Civil War Memorial, Constitution Gardens, the Korean Veterans War Memorial, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and the World War II Memorial. The landscape of the National Mall is amazing and breathtaking. It features gardens, fountains, reflecting pools, cherry trees, and blossoms. There are botanical gardens that display thousands of tulips, pansies, and annuals in over 170 flower beds.

Madame Tussauds is located in Washington, DC. This location is a museum that gives visitors access to historical figures through up-close and personal interaction. They also have a Sports zone where people can play Golf or Baseball while standing alongside famous athletes. Guests can also mingle with some famous celebrities as well. Some themed rooms and Galleries include the following: The Presidents Gallery, the Civil Rights gallery, Behind the Scenes, Glamour Room, and the Media Room. The Presidents Gallery is an exhibit that displays all forty-four U.S. presidents. It is interactive, exciting, and educational all at the same time. The Gallery is comprised of fourteen highly themed and immersive rooms. The group will learn about the history of the United States of America through the lives of its iconic leaders. Behind the Scenes gives you a glimpse into the artistry known as wax sculpting. Visitors will learn about Madame Tussauds 250 year-old trade secrets in wax sculpting techniques that are still used in modern-day productions of so many life-like creations. You can see Madame Tussaud herself (in wax of course) sculpting the head of Benjamin Franklin. Finally take the step and become immortalized by dipping your hands in wax.

The Korean War Veterans Memorial is one of the most fascinating and sensitive of the memorials in Washington, D.C. and when visited at dusk, the Memorial becomes even more realistic. This awe-inspiring Memorial was built to honor the courageous soldiers who served in the Korean War, while paying particular attention to those who were killed, or missing in action, or those who were taken as prisoners of war. In it, 19 American soldiers are brilliantly depicted seven feet tall and making their way through Korea’s harsh terrain. These detailed statues are made of stainless steel, wear gear and clothing authentic to the Korean War-era, and appear to be walking into the wind. Your tour group will be astonished by the amount of realism the detail in this memorial brings to such a saddening topic. The Mural Wall is comprised of 41 panels and measures 164 feet long. It was ingenuously designed from 15,000 photographs of various different aspects of the War. The final product displays 2,400 etched images from all the armed forces. If your educational group tour chooses to visit the Pool of Remembrance, you will get the enchanting view of the peninsula-like area representative of the Korean peninsula and see lists of the statistics of the War. Lined in black granite and surrounded by shade trees, a plaque on the wall reads the famous words “Freedom is not free”. Visiting the Korean War Veterans Memorial will be one of the most inspiring and motivating things you do while visiting Washington, D.C.

Adventurous groups exploring The City by the Bay will find this wonderfully historic hundred acre zoo neatly nestled against the blue Pacific-a veritable urban oasis, home to more than 1,000 exotic, endangered and rescued animals representing more than 250 species, lush with bountiful, tranquil gardens  each creatively showcasing a wide diversity of native and exotic plants. The conservation-and-wellness minded San Francisco Zoo, operational since 1929, currently features dozens of remarkable exhibits-favorites like the Lion House, offering behind-the-scenes view of a big cat management area and Hearst Grizzly Gulch – one of the largest naturalistic environments dedicated solely to grizzly bears where visitors can get face time with a couple of rescued grizzly sisters- provide amazing access and entertaining insight into the lives and times of hundreds of fascinating Zoo residents. A lively colony of extremely social Magellanic penguins thrive and prosper on delightful Penguin Island, while the rich biodiversity of Latin America is represented in the Puente al Sur (Bridge to the South) exhibit and features giant anteaters, (members of the last living group of animals to have evolved in South America when it was an isolated island continent) white-faced whistling ducks, black-faced swans, a Maguari stork and other species native to South and Central America. The expansive 3 acre Leanne B. Roberts African Savanna exhibit displays happily cohabitating giraffe, zebra, kudu and oryx; many African bird species including the crowned crane, ostrich, spur-winged goose and Marabou stork also find peaceful refuge here; the dramatic Savanna links directly to the Jones Family Gorilla Preserve where visitors can experience Western Lowland Gorillas in exceptional habitat. Snow Leopards and Slender-Tailed Meerkats, Kune Kune Pigs and Black Howler Monkeys, Fishing Cats, Red-Ruffed Lemurs and Capybaras are all waiting for you at the beloved San Francisco Zoo! Come, while away a morning; join the animals for breakfast and discover over 1000 reasons why this beloved attraction remains so popular with locals and tourists, alike!

Exploring America > U.S. Cities > San Francisco Tours

The Supreme Court of the United States is located near the U.S. capitol in Washington, D.C. Visitors can take advantage of programs including lectures given in the courtroom. There is a cafeteria available to the public that serves soups, salads, sandwiches and beverages. The group may also tour the building on their own. The Supreme Court was built from 1931-1935. The first courtroom session was held on Monday October 3, 1935. There are statues of justices made of marble for your viewing pleasure. The design of the Supreme Court was done by Cass Gilbert. The lectures are offered by trained Docents and last for 30 minutes. During this time, visitors of all ages will learn about the judicial functions of the Supreme Courte, history of the Building, and the architecture of the courtroom. The group is also encouraged to explore a variety of exhibitions found on the ground floor of the Supreme Court. They highlight the work of the nation’s highest Court, the lives of individual justices, and the architecture of the building. Current exhibitions include: The Supreme Court building: America’s Temple of Justice, In War and In Peace: The Supreme Court and the Civil War, Sandra Day O’Connor, First Woman Justice on the Supreme Court, The Power of Image: Charles Evans Hughes in Prints, Photographs and Drawings and Capturing Justice: Judicial Portraits by Augustus Saint-Gaudens.

 
While on Nashville holiday, your group will not want to bypass an opportunity to visit and wander the lavish grounds of this magnificent Greek Revival plantation mansion, formerly home to one of the largest slave populations in Nashville history. The forty-five minute character-guided and narrated tour of the exquisite 1853 home and other plantation attractions including a dairy, mausoleum, stable, massive carriage house, garden and log cabin is an absolutely immersive experience not to be missed on your Tennessee sojourn. Hear the fascinating account of the renowned plantation’s rich past through the eyes of the aristocratic Harding and Jackson Family and the skilled laborers who invested heart and soul in the collective vision of making Belle Meade America’s Premier Thoroughbred Horse Farm. Once you’ve experienced the mansion and grounds in all their resplendent glory, enjoy a tour of the historic winery with an optional complimentary tasting. Afterward, a sumptuous brunch or lunch at The Harding House will charm your hearts with “Southern Plantation-Style” hospitality while tempting your taste buds with tantalizing menu offerings of regional favorites like Overnight Caramel rolls, Plantation Pancakes with warm maple syrup, Fried Green Tomatoes, Candied Pecan Spinach or Carriage House Cobb salads and South Carolina Low Country Shrimp and Grits all served with a unique Belle Meade flair. How about a warm slab of whipped-cream-topped Pecan Fudge Pie for dessert?
 

Credit Amiee Stubbs – Nashville Zoo

Sunny Music City isn’t just the birthplace of country music; it’s also the home of a fabulously progressive, conservation-oriented 188-acre zoological park -  a place “where animals, nature and fun converge” – and the stately Grassmere historic home, open for daily guided tours. The  Nashville Zoo swung wide its gates in 1991 and has since become the area’s #1 attraction, hosting nearly 750,000 visitors annually; its demographic is comprised of more than 6,000 fascinating residents – some 339 species – all thriving in healthy, happy and daily-enriched environments; special exhibits encourage guests’ participation in  a diversity of entertaining and educational interactive experiences. Highlights include the recently debuted “Kangaroo Kickabout” where adventurous “mates” step out on a zippy walkabout through red ‘roo stomping grounds, Critter Encounter – which tenders an opportunity to snuggle, feed and be photographed with super-affable residents, and “Lorikeet Landing”, where patrons treat resident winged rainbows to cups of nourishing nectar. The Zoo participates in myriad Species Survival Plan programs, and proudly persists at the forefront of Clouded Leopard Conservation efforts; with a little luck, you’ll have a chance to observe these stunning rare creatures, enjoy their unique lingo and meet the newest “Cloudy” babies! Need refueling? Snack huts and kiosks are conveniently located to ensure a well-fueled expedition; post-lunch, a train ride through uncharted territories, a turn on the wild animal carousel or a swing through the canopy on Soaring Eagle – the Zoo’s thrilling two-way zipline experience – lets you recharge while you rest those barkin’ dogs!

Groups on Nashville holiday will enjoy exploring this renowned Tennessee plantation, once the home of Andrew and Rachel Jackson. Some years after moving with his wife into the “Indian-fortified” two story log farmhouse he purchased from Nathanial Hays in 1804, (which he promptly remodeled to his considerably extravagant tastes and dubbed “Hermitage,”) Jackson enlisted a troop of skilled contractors, carpenters and masons to construct a new, federal-style, two-story brick mansion, as well as brick slave dwellings and a dazzling formal garden for his wife Rachel to enjoy. Today, Andrew Jackson – “Old Hickory” – is not only remembered as a hot tempered Scots-Irish rabble rouser and daring duelist, backwoods attorney, successful merchant, formidable General, the first Governor of Florida, American hero and the only US President to have ever paid off National Debt before departing office, but as a very wealthy and successful plantation owner who had more than 160 slaves working on the farm at the time of his passing. Guests of the meticulously restored and maintained Hermitage Plantation, once Jackson’s refuge from the public eye, are afforded a glimpse of the seventh president’s time on the “farm” (as he called it) where he pursued a most comfortable, self-sufficient existence as well as his life’s passion of raising racehorses. Wonderfully informative and fascinating tours let you study the mansion, wander the beautiful acreage and spectacular gardens, view the enslaved memorials and thousands of slavery-related artifacts and visit what remains of the original historic log home as well as the stately tomb where he and his wife Rachel are buried. Wagon rides and seasonal evening tours are also available.