See Roses and Gardens for the New Year
July 18th, 2017
It might seem a little early to be making New Year’s plans while the temperature is sweltering outside, but a July 29 deadline is coming up soon for our 6-night, 7-day trip to sunny southern California.
The Huntington Library’s Children’s Garden.
Credit: Huntington Library
This trip is a Collette Vacations tour with garden add-ons engineered by Lowee’s Group Tours and me. It’s scheduled for Dec. 28, 2017, through Jan. 3, 2018. We thought it would be an excellent time to see that part of the country during the week between Christmas and New Year’s when it’s often freezing and snowy around here.
The highlight is prime seating at Pasadena’s New Year’s Day Rose Parade with a tour backstage the day before seeing the rose floats in the final stage of assembly.
But we’re also going to visit two superb, elaborate Los Angeles gardens – the Huntington Library with its 12 theme gardens (Japanese Garden, California Garden, Chinese Garden, Rose Garden, Desert Garden, Australia Garden and more) and the Getty Center Gardens, which are impressive formal gardens that have been called a “sculpture in the form of a garden.
The Getty Center gardens.
Credit: Getty Center
Both places also have museums and art galleries in addition to two of the finest public gardens in California.
We’ll top off the Los Angeles visit with a walking tour of famous (and infamous) landmarks in Hollywood and a New Year’s Eve gala with live entertainment and Champagne. Then it’s off to San Diego for part two of the trip.
We’ll spend a day seeing the highlights of that city, which has about as perfect of a climate of any place I’ve ever been – 70s day in and day out all year long. San Diego stops include the Gaslamp Quarter with its array of restaurants, Balboa Park (home to the famous San Diego Zoo), Coronado Island, and Old Town San Diego where the city began.
The trip tentatively flies out of Baltimore-Washington International airport and costs $3,844 per person double, including airfare, Westin and Omni hotels, admissions, the Rose Parade seating, a tour manager, and seven meals.
The full itinerary with signup details is posted on the Lowee’s website.
Here’s a day-by-day look at this trip:
Day 1, Thur., Dec. 28: Fly to Los Angeles and spend the first afternoon touring the Huntington Library – both inside and out.
Day 2, Fri., Dec. 29: Hollywood day. Join a local guide who will show us assorted well known Hollywood landmarks, including going inside many of them. We’ll then hop back on the bus for a drive down Sunset Boulevard and a stop at the Hollywood Farmers Market.
We’ll see what goes on behind the scenes during rose float-building.
Day 3, Sat., Dec. 30: Head behind the scenes to see the Rose Parade float-builders putting the finishing touches on their 2018 parade creations. We’ll also go to Bandfest, which is a performance by selected bands from around the country that will be playing in the parade.
Day 4, Sun., Dec. 31: Drive to LA’s Brentwood neighborhood for a morning visit to the J. Paul Getty Center with its impressive gardens and art collection. Then get ready for a New Year’s Eve Gala Dinner Dance with live entertainment to ring in the new year.
Day 5, Mon., Jan. 1, 2018: We’ll catch the Rose Parade from our prime seats in the morning, then head to San Diego, a city graced by 70 miles of Pacific Ocean beaches.
Day 6, Tue., Jan. 2: Spend the morning touring San Diego’s highlights with a local guide, then have the afternoon to yourself to explore whatever catches your fancy in the city. A farewell dinner is included this evening.
Day 7, Wed., Jan. 3: Fly back from San Diego. Or sign up for an option of tacking on an extra two days on your own in Las Vegas before flying home from there.
The Las Vegas extension is $449 additional.
More information and booking is available by calling Lowee’s Group Tours at 717-657-9658 or toll-free 1-888-345-6933 or by emailing CKelly@Lowees.com.