December 2-5 (Friday-Monday)
The KaLightoscope Christmas Tour
& Oglebay Park Festival of Lights
Ohio, Kentucky & West Virginia
The KaLightoscope Christmas Tour! Located in the heart of Louisville, Kentucky, this Christmas event is so magical and magnificent that it has been featured on the Travel Channel and was named as one of American Bus Association’s Top 100 events in 2015! This spellbinding, larger-than-life luminary display is handcrafted by more than 30 Chinese artisans from Zigong, China and displays over six miles of colored fabric to create a virtual fantasy land of themed holiday areas. The KaLightoscope Christmas Tour experience is sure to elevate the sights, sounds and colors of the Christmas season for you in a bold and wondrous new way! Don’t miss this tour!
Day 1
Welcome Aboard! Join Gunther Tours for a yuletide season get-away to see the sights, sounds and colors of one of the most unique holiday displays ever, the KaLightoscope Christmas. Settle back, relax and enjoy a holiday themed movie on our drive to Middletown, Ohio and our accommodations for the next two nights at the Drury Inn & Suites. A perennial favorite of Gunther Tours travelers, the hotel amenities include a refrigerator and microwave in your room, and each evening from 5:30 to 7:00 pm, the Drury Inn & Suites hosts a Manger’s Reception with free hot food & cold beverages for guests, including beer, wine and mixed drinks. Before checking into our hotel, we are treated to a delicious dinner at the Historic Golden Lamb Inn. This picturesque historic site may look familiar to you, it was used in the filming of “Harper Valley PTA” and “Milk Money”. (D)
Day 2
After a deluxe continental breakfast we depart for Louisville, Kentucky for a day of sightseeing. We begin with a visit to Schimpff’s Confectionary and Museum. Decorated for the holidays, Schimpff Confectionary, complete with a 50’s soda fountain and original tin ceiling, is one of the oldest, continuously operated, family-owned candy businesses in the United States. The old-fashioned candy jar, cases, and turn-of-the-century equipment transport you back to the good old days of home-made candy and real fountain drinks. Next we visit the Conrad-Caldwell House Museum, all decked out in yuletide finery for the holidays. This 1895 mansion is among the most ornate in the Old Louisville area with its beautiful carved stone, extraordinary interior, and parquet floors. Following a Christmas Tea and a self-guided tour at the museum, we depart for the Galt House Hotel, home to the holiday luminary experience KaLightoscope Christmas. See stunning luminaries that are delicately handcrafted by Chinese artisans in this holiday themed walk-through luminary experience. These imaginatively designed luminaries illustrating the story of Christmas are made with silk wrapped around LED lighting and range in size from 8-24 feet in height. You will be charmed by the magical interactions created by luminaries, performers, and 3D projection. Also, be sure to visit the Mistletoe Marketplace, where you will find distinctive Christmas gifts as you browse among the many articles offered for sale created by local and regional artists. After returning to our hotel in Middletown, Ohio, enjoy your Manger’s Reception with free hot food & cold beverages for guests, including beer, wine and mixed drinks. Tonight, we visit Light Up Middletown, and are entertained with a driving tour through a 100-acre park featuring spectacular displays of Christmas lights that illuminate the night sky in Southwestern Ohio’s largest holiday light show and festival. (B, L)
Day 3
After a deluxe continental breakfast we depart for Wheeling, West Virginia. Upon our arrival, we will check into the beautiful Oglebay Resort, the centerpiece of Oglebay Park, for the night. Later you’ll experience a wonderful Behind-the-Scenes of the Winter Festival of Lights program that includes a personalized behind-the-scenes look at the light show. Learn how the show got its start in 1985, where the ideas come from each season for new and refreshed displays, how labor intense the show is, (from set up to tear down) and other insider tidbits. After a delicious buffet dinner, step aboard our deluxe motor coach for a ride through Oglebay Park for its annual “Festival of Lights”. Our guided tour features a dazzling variety of Christmas lights and animated displays. Oglebay Park shines brightly with over a half million lights and more than 300 acres of displays. (B, D)
Day 4
After a buffet breakfast we depart for some self-guided touring at Oglebay Park attractions. We begin at Hilltop Shops and Gardens to do a little holiday shopping. Moving on, we visit the Oglebay Institute’s Glass Museum with displays of over 3,000 examples of West Virginia glass made from 1829-1939 on exhibition. Next we depart for the Mansion Museum, where extravagance abounds as you walk through the elegantly decorated rooms. Originally the home of Colonel Oglebay and his family, the mansion is furnished with many period antiques that create a Victorian era atmosphere. Next we visit the Winter Fantasy Events at the Good Zoo. Here we will enjoy a laser light show that is choreographed to Christmas music, see a model train exhibit with a special snow-covered section which is featured during the holiday season. Following lunch on your own, we depart for home reminiscing about the sights, sounds and colors of the stunning luminaries of your KaLightoscope Christmas and the dazzling variety of Christmas lights and animated displays of Oglebay Park Festival of Lights get-away. Happy Holidays! (B)
Included:
- Basic amenities
- 3 nights hotel accommodations
- 3 breakfasts
- 1 Christmas tea
- 2 dinners
- 1 Manager’s Reception
- Guided Tour of Oglebay Park Festival of Lights
- Attractions and admissions per itinerary, including:
- Schimpff’s Confectionary & Museum
- Conrad-Caldwell House Museum
- KaLightoscope Christmas
- Mistletoe Marketplace
- Light Up Middletown
- Behind-the-Scenes Festival of Lights
- Hilltop Shops and Gardens
- Oglebay Institute’s Glass Museum
- Mansion Museum
- Winter Fantasy Events at the Good Zoo
- Laser Light Show
- Driver, Escort and Step-on Guide Gratuities
Price | $689.00 Double/PP $639.00 Triple/PP $599.00 Quad/PP $869.00 Single |
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Deposit | $125.00/PP |
Balance Due | October 19, 2016 |
Depart | Return | |
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Gunther | 6:00 AM | 8:45 PM |
Carney | 6:45 AM | 8:00 PM |
Woodbine | 7:45 AM | 7:00 PM |