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9-Nights Spectacular National Parks of Eastern USA

Eastern USA
9-Nights Spectacular National Parks of Eastern USA
Eastern USA
Insight Vacations
Vacation Offer ID 1556475
Reference this number when contacting our travel specialist.
Overview

Insight Vacations

Spectacular National Parks Of Eastern Usa
Discover the spectacular National Parks and eclectic cities of the Eastern USA on this 10-Day guided tour. Revel in wide open spaces, stunning landscapes, iconic city sights and enjoy a bounty of food, music and art. Starting in Washington D.C., enjoy the spectacular colors of Shenandoah National Park, taste signature wines at the Veritas Winery and reconnect with nature at New River Gorge National Park in West Virginia, America’s newest National Park. Take a behind-the-scenes tour of Citizen Vinyl Record’s press factory in Asheville, and explore the vast Biltmore Estate, America's largest privately owned home. Uncover the region’s fascinating history at the Oconaluftee Indian Village as you join a Cherokee cultural expert for a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience. Picnic in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and explore the intricate caves of Mammoth Cave National Park, ending your trip with a crescendo in Nashville, the toe-tapping home of country music.


Dining Summary
  • 3 Dinner with Wine (DW)
  • 9 Breakfast (B)
  • 3 Lunch (L)
Choice Highlights
  • Nashville: This truly unique park, Mammoth Cave National Park features the longest known cave system in the world. Join a Park Ranger for a tour of the intricate cave system and learn about thousands of years of human history and rich biodiversity that earned this park a title of UNESCO World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve.
  • Nashville: MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® with a visit to the National Museum of African American Music, the only museum dedicated to preserving and celebrating the many music genres created, influenced, and inspired by African Americans. For music lovers of all generations, this museum inspires, educates, and transforms the appreciation of American music all while celebrating the central role African Americans play in creating the American soundtrack.
Authentic Dining
  • : Join your Travel Director and meet fellow guests at a private Welcome Dinner with drinks at 18:00.
  • Asheville: Enjoy a fun and educational walking food tour of Asheville’s culinary favorites that spotlight the region’s signature farm-to-table, local flavors. Taking a seat at several acclaimed eateries, enjoy outstanding food and drink pairings, designed by some of Asheville’s most notable chefs, brewers, and mixologists.
  • Smoky Mountains National Park: Enjoy an intimate picnic lunch while overlooking the Smoky Mountains. The secluded Collins Creek picnic site sits near a scenic creek, and here you can relax, enjoy tasty delights and bask in nature’s beauty.
  • Nashville: Dine at one of the locals' favorite restaurants, Puckett's.
Insight Choice
  • Nashville: This truly unique park, Mammoth Cave National Park features the longest known cave system in the world. Join a Park Ranger for a tour of the intricate cave system and learn about thousands of years of human history and rich biodiversity that earned this park a title of UNESCO World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve.
  • Nashville: MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® with a visit to the National Museum of African American Music, the only museum dedicated to preserving and celebrating the many music genres created, influenced, and inspired by African Americans. For music lovers of all generations, this museum inspires, educates, and transforms the appreciation of American music all while celebrating the central role African Americans play in creating the American soundtrack.
Insight Experiences
  • Visit a pioneer mountain farm-village that lends voice to the people of Southern Appalachia through a recreated community complete with log cabins, barns, farm animals, churches, schools and gardens. There are over 250,000 artifacts of folk art, musical instruments, baskets, quilt and Native American artifacts. Feast on a full Southern Appalachian country lunch and enjoy authentic traditional bluegrass music from The Museum of Appalachia Band.
  • Shenandoah Valley: Taste signature wines, and enjoy a tasty farmhouse lunch, while overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains. With over 50 acres of vineyards, the Veritas winery is a must see for wine enthusiasts, producing an extensive range of complex and elegant wines. Epitomizing the true heart of Virginia, the huge estate was originally a horse and cattle farm, and was transformed into this stunning winery by husband-and-wife team Andrew and Patricia.
Make Travel Matter
  • Washington, D.C.: This striking museum has collected more than 36,000 artefacts that reflect history, politics, sports, arts and entertainment. Explore the richness and diversity of the African American experience, what it means to their lives, and how it helped shape this nation.
  • Cherokee: Be transported to the 1760s at the Oconaluftee Indian Village, as you discover living history. Learn the stories and lifestyle of the Cherokee with a Cultural expert, and together walk winding paths, flanked with traditional dwellings, work areas and sacred ritual sites. Here you can also interact with villagers as they hull canoes, sculpt pottery and masks, weave baskets and fashion beadwork. Your experience advances UN Global Goals 10 & 11 - Reduced Inequalities & Sustainable Cities and Communities
Top Rated Highlights
  • Asheville: The Biltmore Estate is America's largest privately owned home and is as magnificent today as it was more than a century ago. Your self-guided house visit spans three floors and the basement of the luxurious family home of George and Edith Vanderbilt. Explore the stories of the Vanderbilt family, their guests, and employees through displays of vintage clothing, accessories, art, and furniture.
  • Washington, D.C.: Take a city tour of the history lined streets of Washington, D.C. and learn about the proud heritage of

    Featured Destinations

    Daniels
    Shenandoah National Park

    Shenandoah National Park

    Shenandoah National Park lies astride a beautiful section of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which form the eastern rampart of the Appalachian Mountains between Pennsylvania and Georgia. The Shenandoah River flows west through the valley, with Massanutten Mountain standing between the river's north and south forks. Rolling Piedmont country lies east of the park. Skyline Drive, a 105-mile road that winds along the crest of the mountains through the length of the park, provides vistas of the spectacular landscape to east and west. The park holds more than 500 miles of trails, including 101 miles of Appalachian Trail, that follow a ridge crest or lead to high places with panoramic views or to waterfalls in deep canyons. Animals flourish among the rich growth of oak-hickory forest. In season, flora blooms along the Drive and trails and fills open spaces. Apple trees, stone foundations, and cemeteries are reminders of the families who called this place home. Shenandoah National Park has a world of beauty that can renew and bring peace to the spirit.
    Nashville

    Nashville

    Nashville is the perfect destination for all kinds of visitors - from music lovers to history buffs to Southern lovers to sports enthusiasts and nature lovers. Nashville is the Country Music capital of the world. Have fun searching through the past or getting close to the Country Music stars of the present. Hike, bike, golf, go for a balloon ride and take tours guiding you through the history of country music. View homes of current stars including: Joe Diffie, Bryan White, Brooks & Dunn, Lorrie Morgan, George Jones, Reba McEntire, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, Alan Jackson, Marty Stuart, Dolly Parton and more. Find tons of historic sites from the Civil War dating back to the 1700s.
    Destination Guide
    Gatlinburg

    Gatlinburg

    Sitting at the edge of the Smoky Mountains, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and its neighbors Pigeon Forge and Sevierville form the busiest tourism hub in eastern Tennessee. The area is popular with vacationing families, and its many wedding chapels also draw couples.

    The towns owe their existence, in part, to the steady flow of visitors heading to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The park puts the focus on nature, but the gateway towns are much more about man-made attractions such as water parks, shrines to country-music performers, miniature-golf courses and music theaters.

    They're the type of high-volume travel destinations people either love or hate. You'll need a high tolerance for commercialization to enjoy them, but the attractions can be fun and the setting is beautiful.


    The highest-profile Gatlinburg attraction is the Ober Gatlinburg Ski Resort and Amusement Park. It sits high on Mount Harrison, and the preferred way of getting there is aboard the aerial tram that runs from downtown Gatlinburg.

    Winterfest is when Gatlinburg truly glitters, with 2 million lights illuminating the town. Spring's wildflower pilgrimage showcases the area's natural beauty. Other activities include skiing in winter, amusement-park rides and a bear habitat in the warmer months, and shopping year-round.

    In town, there's a large collection of attractions owned by Ripley's, including a Believe It or Not! Museum, a "Moving Theater" and the Aquarium of the Smokies. Among the many other amusement attractions in town, consider a visit to Mysterious Mansion, a haunted house with moving floors, secret panels and the like.

    Christ in the Smokies Museum and Gardens mixes sightseeing with religion, offering dioramas depicting biblical scenes. Downtown Gatlinburg is also the site of the prestigious Arrowmount School of Arts and Crafts, which offers classes in everything from woodworking and warm glass to paper and fiber arts and drawing, painting and sculpture. The galleries and gift shop are open year-round to visitors.


    Golfers will be pleased with the scenic and challenging golf courses in the area. And there's plenty of opportunity to shop for arts-and-crafts items. They're especially prominent during the Craftsmen's Fairs in July and October.

    Destination Guide
    Asheville

    Asheville

    Nestled firmly between the Great Smoky Mountains and the Blue Ridge Mountains, Asheville has many great qualities that attract a truly diverse population, hence the city's moniker: "Asheville: Discovery, Inside and Out."

    Although Asheville is nationally known for the Biltmore Estate, George W. Vanderbilt's palatial home built in the 1890s, it represents just one of the attractions the western North Carolina city has to offer.

    Since the railroads created easier access to western North Carolina in the late 19th century, swarms of people have been drawn to Asheville's magnificent beauty and hospitable climate. People-watching from one of the city's many outdoor cafes reveals its character more than any tour could: Among the constant flow of tourists, you'll see plenty of young professionals and hippies, retired couples, street performers and mountain folk.

    The number of attractions in Asheville is astounding for such a modest city. In addition to the Biltmore Estate, you'll find seemingly countless restaurants of almost every variety, museums, art galleries, theaters, cozy pubs, breweries, eclectic shops and pristine natural attractions. Nearby Pisgah National Forest is a favorite place for locals to squeeze in a weekend hike or simply relax in the woods.

    If you're strolling through downtown on a Friday night, you might happen upon an odd sight. In Pritchard Park, hundreds of people of every description, both young and old, gather to dance to the rhythms of a local drum circle. Strange as it might seem at first, it's sights like these that may just entice you to stay in Asheville for good.

    In September 2024, Asheville experienced widespread, destructive flooding when Hurricane Helene dumped massive amounts of rain in the mountains of Western North Carolina. The storm washed away homes, flooded businesses and destroyed infrastructure, including interstate highways and other roads. Recovery efforts are underway, but the damage to the city and surrounding communities was devastating, and it will take time to rebuild. Please confirm current conditions before making plans to visit the area.

    Destination Guide
    Washington D.C.

    Washington D.C.

    Washington D.C. is the nations capital and is full of things to see and do. See where the President lives or even where the laws are made; take a tour of the Capitol building and White House. Washington D.C. is situated perfectly between Virginia and Maryland which allows its visitors the convenience of great attractions and activities. There are tons of museums, historical landmarks, art galleries, monuments, and all the government buildings right in Washington D.C. for you to visit. For a little more excitement visit Busch Gardens, Water Country USA, and Six Flags America close by.
    Destination Guide

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    Valid Date Ranges

    May 2026
    05/09/2026 05/18/2026 $5,925 per person
    September 2026
    09/12/2026 09/21/2026 $5,975 per person
    Trip prices are per person, land only, based on double occupancy and reflect applicable discounts. Trip prices and discounts are subject to change. Airfare is additional. Tour prices, dates and itineraries are correct at the time of the website going live, however are subject to confirmation at the time of booking. Other restrictions may apply.

    All fares are quoted in US Dollars.