Tag: US Quilting Tours

Day 1
New Orleans LA

Afternoon check-in to the historic “Maison Dupuy” hotel located just blocks from Jackson Square and Bourbon Street in the French Quarter. (B)

**For an evening of fun we suggest Mulate’s, enjoy Cajun food, live music and dancing. Mulate’s serves as the ideal
introduction to Cajun Country.

Day 2
New Orleans LA

Breakfast at “Vacherie” located close to the hotel and then depart on a walking tour of the French Quarter with your guide. Lunch aboard the “Natchez” for a steamboat cruise on the mighty Mississippi with a live jazz band. Afternoon at leisure. New Orleans, the home of the Francophone Creole and the Anglophone American has over 85 square blocks designated as a National Historic District. Much to see, Jackson Square to Bourbon Street world famous restaurants such as Paul Prudhomme’s, Emeril LaGasse or Arnaud’s..take your pick! Exploring the French Quarter by night is a must, visit a jazz or blues club for the best local music or listen to a street musician who plays for tips . (B, L)

Day 3
New Orleans LA – White Castle LA

This is your last morning in New Orleans, breakfast at Vacherie then checkout. Depart from New Orleans then drive along the banks of the “Ole Miss” passing the “Great River Road Plantation Parade”. Today’s visit is the “Oak Alley Plantation” – “The Grand Dame of the Great River Road.” Imagine Scarlet O’Hara having barbecue at Twelve Oaks Plantation and charming the red headed Tarleton boys – Oak Alley fulfills that visual image. What a beautiful way to spend a fall day than at one of the most spectacular settings in the old south. Tour the mansion, the slave quarters and the civil war encampment. Enjoy a luncheon buffet and then explore on your own. Depart in the afternoon for Nottaway Plantation located in White Castle for your overnight accommodation. (B)

Day 4
White Castle LA – Lafayette LA

Enjoy a plantation style breakfast then depart for the heart of Cajun Country. Travel the back-road’s of Louisiana through swamp lands and tall cypresses trailing Spanish moss, vast expanses of sugarcane and small communities with old cajun style cabins.

Arrive in Lafayette and meet your “Cajun” guide, Danny Bonaventure who is of Cajun descent and has over 35 years experience. Danny is well qualified to help you appreciate some of the treasures that this region has to offer.

Visit Vermillionville a heritage and folk-life park that brings to life the early days of Cajun and creole settlers in Louisiana (mid-1700-late 1800s).
Costumed crafts people and artisans conduct demonstrations of their talent. Several historic homes and numerous artifacts from the time period are laid out as they would have been if someone were living there.

Check in at the Drury Inn & Suites your home for the next two nights. Freshen up then depart for dinner at Prejean’s Cajun Restaurant with live Cajun Music and delicious authentic Cajun/Creole food. (B)

“laissez les bons temps rouler” – “Let the Good Times Roll”.

Day 5
Lafayette LA

Breakfast then depart for Henderson Louisiana for your morning adventure into the Atchafalaya Swamp Wilderness. You are accompanied by a naturalist expert where you will see birds, alligators and other animals in this unique environment with its beautiful nature. A peaceful and beautiful tour by boat in one of the worlds natural wonders. Truly a tour for your “bucket list”.

Enjoy a leisurely lunch in at one of Lafayettes local eateries.

Your last stop today is to J & B Quilting Fabric located in Sunset a few miles north of Lafayette. Dinner tonight at the “Cracker Barrel Country Store” located right next door to your hotel. (b)

Day 6
Lafayette LA – Houston TX

FULL DAY AT THE QUILT FESTIVAL
Depart Lafayette after breakfast for the two hour drive to Houston, Texas. Upon arrival in Houston you will go directly to the quilt show at the George Brown Convention Hall. You have been registered for the show and will have your tickets in hand.

Lunch on your own at one of the many food courts located in the convention hall.

Your hotel is located just a few blocks from the convention hall. After spending the day at the show you will check-in to the Springhill Suites Hotel. Freshen up and then transfer to “Maggianos” a top rated Italian Restaurant for a farewell dinner. (B)

Day 7
Houston TX - International Quilt Festival

LAST DAY AT THE QUILT FESTIVAL
The International Quilt Festival Houston is one of the premier quilting trade events in America with over 60,000 visitors each year.Talented quilt artists are present in huge numbers at this convention.There are over 500 varieties of quilts represented not to mention quilting machines, sewing tools, fabrics and over 22 special exhibits. Enjoy a full day at the show.

Return to hotel and overnight.(B)

Day 8-Houston TX – Home

Full American Breakfast at the hotel. If time allows take a cab from the hotel to The Galleria for shopping or relax at the hotel. Group transfer provided to George Bush Intercontinental Airport for your return flight home. (B)

Day 1
Atlanta GA - Marietta, GA

Your Tour starts at the Country Inn & Suites in Atlanta Ga., just a few miles from Marietta, Ga. your home for the next two nights. Arrival transfer is on your own by taxi or shuttle. We can arrange a private transfer for you if requested.

Relax in your room after check-in or explore your surroundings before meeting your tour escort and fellow travelers in the hotel lobby to provide a opportunity for tour members to get acquainted with each other.

Dinner is suggested at “Folks Southern Kitchen”…located near hotel in Windy Hill.

Day 2
Marietta, GA

Credit: Historic Ebenezer Church

Breakfast Buffet at the hotel. Today’s excursion is a Sunday service at the “Ebenezer Baptist Church” where Martin Luther King once was the Pastor. Depart church service for Marietta, Ga and lunch at the “Marietta Diner”.

After lunch visit “Tiny Stitches” a unique quilt shop where quilters come to find the best selection and highest quality of fabric in the southeast. Find a wide variety of fabric choices – batiks, seasonal, bright florals, flannels, wovens and novelties. This large 5000 sq. ft. store further features the latest in quilting patterns, books and notions in a warm and welcoming environment.

If time allows go to Stone Mountain Georgia Park named for the vast monolith at its center. Etched into the rock’s side, the Confederate Memorial Carving depicts Civil War generals Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee, plus President Jefferson Davis.

Return to hotel to refresh and relax before departing for dinner at “Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen” for a welcome dinner. Joining you this evening is Marti Michell, a internationally acclaimed quilt expert. Marti will give a “trunk show” for you after dinner. (B, D)

Day 3
Atlanta GA-Griffin GA

Credit: Amish Country Quilts

Buffet breakfast at the hotel then checkout. Depart for Griffin, Georgia for a full day workshop at “Shades Textiles” (Shades Textiles is a exhibitor at major international quilt shows in both Tokyo and Houston). Stacey Michell, the pioneer in developing the “Hawaiian Quilt” will conduct two private workshops – “2 for 1 Hula Lesson” – learn how to trace, cut and fuse a Hawaiian design quilt. After lunch have a” fabric dying class” that produces designs perfect for a Hawaiian style applique quilt. All working kits and materials will be furnished.

Overnight in Grffin at the Country Inn and Suites. Checkin and relax before departing for “J. Henrys Steakhouse” for dinner. (B,L)

Day 4
Griffin GA-McDonough Ga-Carrollton GA

Credit: All People Quilt

Breakfast at hotel then take the short drive to McDonough, for a visit to “A Scarlett Thread” the largest sewing and quilt shop in Georgia. The owner, Karen Taylor will greet you with her warm southern hospitality. The displays in this store are built vertically and lit by natural light through the many windows that shows off the vast inventory of more than 7,500 fabrics. Enjoy lunch at McDonoughs local “Cracker Barrell” restaurant.

Depart for a Carrollton, Georgia, home of the “Southeastern Quilt and Textile Museum.” The museum is the only museum in Georgia singularly dedicated to quilting and textiles.  Check in at the Best Western Plus. Transfer to Adamson Square in Carrolltons historic district, where you have time to visit the shops and have dinner.

Just a short walk from Adamson Square is the Quilt and Textile Museum where you will have a tour of the quilts they have on display. Next just a few short blocks away you will meet with the South Georgia Quilt Guild and participate in their monthly meeting. The Guild members will shower you with some southern hospitality and QUILTS!!! (B)

Day 5
Carrollton GA – Montgomery, AL - Selma, Al

Checkout of  hotel after breakfast for the short drive to Carrollton.   Meet our local guide for a two hour tour of this historic area. Depart from Carrollton then continue the journey south, along Interstate Route 85, until we cross the Chattahoochee River into the State of Alabama.  The “Deep South” doesn’t get any deeper than Alabama. This is where cotton was king and where the Confederacy was born.

Arrive in the Alabama capital, Montgomery, and head directly to the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts.

Have a delicious lunch in the Museum Cafe overlooking the lake. After lunch meet your docent for a private showing of African American Quilts. Proceed to Selma and check in at the Holiday Inn Express Selma –  then meet with Jo Taylor in the lobby for a guided tour of Selma.(B)

Day 6
Selma AL-Camden AL-Mobile AL

US Embassy Canadavia Flickr/CC BY 2.0

Full breakfast in the hotel. Travel today to Camden and Gee’s Bend just 40 miles south of Selma. Cross the Alabama River to the Boykin side of the river for a visit with the famous “Gee’s Bend Quilters”. Gees Bend is a isolated African American hamlet where the quilting tradition goes back to the 19th century when it was a cotton plantation owned by Joseph Gees. In the post-bellum years and into the 20th century the Gees Bend women made quilts to keep themselves and their children warm in the unheated shacks where they lived. View their quilts, listen to their stories. Cross the Alabama River on the 12 p.m. Gees Bend Ferry to Camden. Proceed to the Gaines Ridge Dinner Club for a lunch full of southern hospitality – a la “Gone With the Wind.” After your meal the owner/manager, Betty Kennedy, an avid quilter invites you to her log cabin house for a view of her magnificent and unique collection of quilts.

Proceed to “Black Belt Treasures.” Enjoy a hands-on print-making workshop with quilting designs. by using a simple print-making technique to take home for a memory quilt, all supplies are provided. After workshop browse the beautiful arts center.

Continue to Mobile Alabama and overnight in Mobiles historic district at the charming boutique hotel The Malaga Inn – located just a few blocks from Dauphin Street referred to by some as “Mini Bourbon Street” with its many bars and restaurants. (B)

Day 7
Mobile AL - New Orleans, LA

Breakfast and checkout of the hotel then meet your local tour guide in the lobby for a tour of one of America’s oldest cities. Mobile has two of the oldest churches in the South: The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, actually proclaimed a Minor Basilica by Rome, of which there are only 64 on Earth, and Christ Church Episcopal Cathedral, which houses the finest collection of antique stained glass windows in the nation. See 600 square blocks of historic districts containing over 6,000 listings on the National Register of Historic Places and five antebellum museum homes.

Travel along the scenic coastline of the Gulf of Mexico. Pass the towns of Pascagoula, Biloxi and Gulfport before stopping for lunch at “Shaggy’s” a popular beachside Gulfport eatery.

Drive along Lake Pontchartrain in the direction of New Orleans. Arrive in New Orleans one of America’s favorite cities. Proceed to the famous French Quarter and check in at Hotel Maison DuPuy ***1/2 located just a few blocks from Bourbon Street and Jackson Square. The hotel features the distinctive tropical French Quarter courtyard. Evening at your leisure to enjoy all that the French Quarter has to offer.(B)

**For an evening of fun we suggest Mulate’s for dinner. Mulate’s serves genuine Cajun food, Cajun music and dancing. This is the place to go – Mulate’s serves as the ideal introduction to Cajun Country. (B)

Day 8
New Orleans LA

Breakfast at “Vacherie” located close to the hotel and then depart on a walking tour of the French Quarter with your guide. Lunch aboard the “Natchez” for a steamboat cruise on the mighty Mississippi with a live jazz band. Afternoon at leisure. New Orleans, the home of the Francophone Creole and the Anglophone American has over 85 square blocks designated as a National Historic District. Much to see, Jackson Square to Bourbon Street world famous restaurants such as Paul Prudhomme’s, Emeril LaGasse or Arnaud’s..take your pick! Exploring the French Quarter by night is a must, visit a jazz or blues club for the best local music or listen to a street musician who plays for tips . (B, L)

Day 9
New Orleans LA - White Castle, LA

This is your last morning in New Orleans, breakfast at Vacherie then checkout. Depart from New Orleans then drive along the banks of the “Ole Miss” passing the “Great River Road Plantation Parade”. Today’s visit is the “Oak Alley Plantation” – “The Grand Dame of the Great River Road.” Imagine Scarlet O’Hara having barbecue at Twelve Oaks Plantation and charming the red headed Tarleton boys – Oak Alley fulfills that visual image. What a beautiful way to spend a fall day than at one of the most spectacular settings in the old south. Tour the mansion, the slave quarters and the civil war encampment. Enjoy a luncheon buffet and then explore on your own. Depart in the afternoon for Nottaway Plantation located in White Castle for your overnight accommodation. (B)

Day 10
White Castle LA - Henderson - Lafayette, LA

Enjoy a plantation style breakfast then depart for the heart of Cajun Country. Travel the back-road’s of Louisiana through swamp lands and tall cypresses trailing Spanish moss, vast expanses of sugarcane and small communities with old cajun style cabins. Your destination this morning is Henderson Louisiana for a truly unique adventure into the Atchafalaya Swamp Wilderness. You are accompanied by a naturalist expert where you will see birds, alligators and other animals in this unique environment with its beautiful nature. A peaceful and beautiful tour by boat in one of the worlds natural wonders. Truly a tour for your “bucket list”.

Lunch in Henderson at Pat’s Fisherman’s Wharf Restaurant. Continue on to Lafayette and check in to your hotel the Drury Inn and Suites your home for the next two nights. Afternoon at leisure.

After you have freshened up we will depart for dinner at Prejean’s Cajun Restaurant with live Cajun Music and delicious authentic Cajun/Creole food. (B)

“laissez les bons temps rouler” – “Let the Good Times Roll”.

Day 11
Lafayette LA

After breakfast meet your “Cajun” guide, Danny Bonaventure who is of Cajun descent and has over 35 years experience. Danny is well qualified to help you appreciate some of the treasures that this region has to offer.

Visit Vermillionville a heritage and folk-life park that brings to life the early days of Cajun and creole settlers in Louisiana (mid-1700-late 1800s).
Costumed crafts people and artisans conduct demonstrations of their talent. Several historic homes and numerous artifacts from the time period are laid out as they would have been if someone were living there.

Your last stop today is to J & B Quilting Fabric located in Sunset a few miles north of Lafayette. Dinner tonight at the “Cracker Barrel Country Store” located right next door to your hotel. (B)

Day 12
Lafayette LA - Houston, TX

Morning departure from Lafayette after for the two hour drive to Houston, Texas. Upon arrival in Houston you will check into the Springhill Suites Hotel (just a few blocks from the quilt show). Your day is at leisure until this evening where you will attend “Preview Night” of the International Quilt Festival. You have been registered for the show and will have your tickets in hand – Preview night is from 7pm to 10 pm. You can eat at one of the many food courts at the convention center if you have not already had dinner. (B)

Day 13
Houston TX (International Quilt Festival)

FULL DAY AT THE QUILT FESTIVAL

Enjoy breakfast then take the short walk from your hotel to the convention center for a full day at the “International Quilt Festival”.

The International Quilt Festival Houston is one of the premier quilting trade events in America with over 60,000 visitors each year.
Talented quilt artists are present in huge numbers at this convention. There are over 500 varieties of quilts. (B)

Freshen up and then transfer to “Maggianos” a top rated Italian Restaurant for a farewell dinner. (B)

Day 14
Houston TX - Home

Full American Breakfast at the hotel. If time allows take a cab from the hotel to The Galleria for shopping or relax at the hotel. Group transfer provided to George Bush Intercontinental Airport for your return flight home. (B)