🦅 Expedition 2026 — Trip Guide

The Great American History Loop · Oct 2–11, 2026 · Farragut, TN ↔ Washington, D.C.

Family of 5 (Jordan, Natalie, Madeline, Shields, Fenton) · updated Sep 14, 2026
Day-by-day itinerary
Fri Oct 2 — Drive & Shenandoah
Day Depart Farragut ~10:30–11 AM (Eastern). Optional Natural Bridge flex stop en route.
Night Raphine / Lexington, VA — Comfort Inn & Suites
Sat Oct 3 — Founders & first settlement
AM Monticello — 10:45 AM family tour (grounds first)
PM Drive to Williamsburg; Historic Jamestowne (~2–5 PM)
Night Williamsburg
Sun Oct 4 — Recreation
Day Busch Gardens Williamsburg — full day (Howl-O-Scream daytime)
Night Williamsburg
Mon Oct 5 — Colonial Williamsburg
AM Colonial Williamsburg
PM Drive to Eastern Shore via Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel
Night Chincoteague
Tue Oct 6 — Island heritage
AM Pony Express nature cruise 9:30–11 AM (Curtis Merritt Harbor, Dock #3); then Assateague wildlife loop & lighthouse
PM Beebe Ranch & Museum of Chincoteague (Misty)
Night Chincoteague
Wed Oct 7 — Capital transit
AM Drive north toward D.C.
PM Mount Vernon — Mansion tour 2:35 PM, then estate (self-guided audio tour)
Night Washington, D.C.
Thu Oct 8 — East Mall & Capitol Hill
AM Air & Space Museum (10 AM)
Mid Library of Congress (12 PM)
PM U.S. Capitol tour (2 PM); dinner at Old Ebbitt Grill
Night Washington, D.C.
Fri Oct 9 — National Mall
AM National Archives (10 AM)
PM Natural History; monuments & Lincoln Memorial (Bureau of Engraving if time)
Night Washington, D.C.
Sat Oct 10 — White House & out
AM Open / flex — pack, load
PM White House (1 PM); Udvar-Hazy (optional); drive south
Night Harrisonburg, VA
Sun Oct 11 — Return leg
Day Drive home to Farragut (~5h 30m); target arrival ~2:30 PM
Driving loop & key timing

Rough highway legs only; local driving not counted.

Leg / dateRouteMilesTime
Fri Oct 2Farragut → Natural Bridge (flex) → Raphine/Lexington~335~5h 00m
Sat Oct 3Raphine → Monticello → Williamsburg~190~3h 45m
Mon Oct 5Williamsburg → Chincoteague (Bay Bridge-Tunnel)~150~3h 00m
Wed Oct 7Chincoteague → Mount Vernon → D.C.~175~3h 30m
Sat Oct 10D.C. → Udvar-Hazy → Harrisonburg~135~2h 30m
Sun Oct 11Harrisonburg → Farragut, TN~360~5h 30m
TotalSix legs (+ local)~1,345+ local

Friday — catch Natural Bridge (flex)

Leave Farragut by ~10:30–11 AM to reach Natural Bridge ~3:15–3:45 PM. Monacan village staffed until 4:30 PM; trail closes at dusk (~6:45). Hotel is ~25 min north — no backtrack. Later start = see the arch, quieter village.

Saturday — Monticello → Historic Jamestowne

Monticello tour 10:45 AM (arrive by 10:15; leave Raphine ~8:15). Grounds first, house at 10:45. Depart ~11:45 → Historic Jamestowne ~2:00–2:30 PM (closes 5; free with Madeline's 4th-grade pass).

D.C. map — by day
National Mall Potomac Tidal Basin Capitol Hill NoMa Downtown N 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Home base
Home base — Airbnb, 237 K St NE
Thu Oct 8 — East Mall & Capitol Hill
1 Air & Space (10 AM) · 2 Library of Congress (12 PM) · 3 U.S. Capitol (2 PM) · 4 Old Ebbitt (dinner)
Fri Oct 9 — National Mall
5 National Archives · 6 Natural History · 7 Washington Monument · 8 Lincoln Memorial · 9 Bureau of Engraving
Sat Oct 10
10 White House (1 PM)
Gold ring = booked. Off map: Mount Vernon (~16 mi S), Udvar-Hazy (~26 mi W).
Lodging (booked)
Hub / datesPlaceCost / conf
Raphine/Lexington
Oct 2–3		Comfort Inn & Suites Raphine–Lexington (free cancel to Oct 1)$315.46
59242974
Williamsburg
Oct 3–5		Bluegreen Patrick Henry Sqr (Ascend) (free cancel to Sep 30)$353.10
58757610
Chincoteague
Oct 5–7		Comfort Suites Bayfront (non-refundable)$302.06
58738548
Washington, D.C.
Oct 7–10		Airbnb "Beautiful 3BD Home," 237 K St NE$944.53
HMCMND94RN
Harrisonburg
Oct 10		Holding — book last-minuteTBD

Booked lodging total: $1,915.15

Tours & tickets (booked)
  • booked Monticello — Sat Oct 3, 10:45 AM, 5 tix · $96 · order 20260913-12828110
  • booked Busch Gardens — Sun Oct 4, 5 guests (1 all-day dining) · $502.10 · order 202609135134116
  • booked Assateague Pony Express cruise — Tue Oct 6, 9:30–11 AM, 5 · $318 · order GGWWRP · Curtis Merritt Harbor, Dock #3, arrive 10–15 min early · 24-hr cancel
  • booked Mount Vernon — Wed Oct 7, Mansion tour 2:35 PM · $98.40 · order 6818808 (DCWEB20)
  • booked Air & Space — Thu Oct 8, 10 AM, 5 passes · free · order SXN-YHN-SL33
  • booked Library of Congress — Thu Oct 8, 12 PM, 5 passes · free · order 470760301
  • booked U.S. Capitol tour — Thu Oct 8, 2 PM · 1122 Longworth, 15 min early, no food/large bags
  • booked National Archives — Fri Oct 9, 10:00–10:15 AM, 5 · $5 · order 471008366
  • booked White House tour — Sat Oct 10, 1 PM, 5 guests

Walk-in / no booking

Historic Jamestowne (free w/ 4th-grade pass), Natural History, Bureau of Engraving (Oct walk-in), National Mall monuments & Lincoln, Beebe Ranch, Natural Bridge (flex).

Budget

All-in estimate ≈ $5,670 · lodging ~$2,185 · admissions ~$1,323 · fuel ~$300 · food ~$1,400 · parking/incidentals ~$400.

Admissions — booked (actual)

Monticello$96.00
Busch Gardens (incl. ~$130 dining)$502.10
Assateague Pony Express cruise$318.00
Mount Vernon$98.40
National Archives$5.00
Jamestowne, Air & Space, LoC, Capitol, White Housefree
Subtotal booked$1,019.50

Admissions — estimated / optional

Colonial Williamsburg (not booked)~$190
Assateague pass + Beebe Ranch~$57
Natural Bridge (flex)~$42
Udvar-Hazy parking (optional)~$15
Subtotal est/optional~$304

Two items ran over estimate: Busch Gardens (+~$127) and the Pony Express cruise ($318 vs. a ~$135 placeholder — a premium small-boat nature cruise).

Open items & deadlines
  • Colonial Williamsburg — buy day-of Oct 5 (deferred for illness flexibility; CW doesn't sell out, and its refund needs 72-hr notice anyway).
  • Harrisonburg exit night (Oct 10) — holding for last-minute flexibility.
Cancellation cutoffs
Williamsburg free-cancel — Sep 30
Raphine — Oct 1
Pony Express cruise (24 hrs out) — Oct 5

Fixed anchors

U.S. Capitol tour — Thu Oct 8, 2:00 PM · White House tour — Sat Oct 10, 1:00 PM · Home by Sun Oct 11.