Sunflowers and the ‘Show Me’ State – Exploring America’s Heartland (10th, 11th & 12th)

Come aboard for this journey through the beating heart of the country, namely the states of Missouri and Kansas, that covers everything from culture, presidents, history and naturally, FOOD! We’ll listen to live jazz at the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City, ponder the legacy of segregation and the brave fight for civil rights at the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka, and scale the monumental Gateway Arch that commemorates westward expansion of the United States in St. Louis. We’ll ponder the legacy of Presidents Truman and Eisenhower at their respective presidential libraries, learn how to get rich (hopefully) at two of the nation’s Federal Reserve Banks and uncover the mystery behind the largest pre-Columbian settlement in North America at Cahokia Mounds. Throw in visits to the stunning and at times whimsical art collections at the Saint Louis Art Museum and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, an evening dinner cruise on the mighty Mississippi River, riding the train along the Missouri River across the state and a campus tour of Washington University in St. Louis, and we’ll definitely work up an appetite to indulge in some of the best BBQ in the world. Don’t worry, we’ll have plenty of opportunity to burn off those calories on walking tours of both downtown St. Louis and Kansas City. All aboard!