Day 1

Friday, December 4, 2026

After individual arrivals to Louis Armstrong International Airport (MSY), arrive to the Higgins Hotel & Conference Center, Curio Collection by Hilton. Enjoy lunch on your own in the city of New Orleans before meeting a representative of The National WWII Museum to begin your tour with a screening of Beyond All Boundaries. Narrated by Tom Hanks, this 4D film will take you on a journey through 
"The War That Changed the World" with archival footage and physical effects. 

After the film, join your museum host and fellow travelers for cocktails, canapes, and an introductory lecture from Jonathan Parshall, featured historian and author. Following the reception and lecture in the Higgins Hotel, enjoy a group dinner in the US Freedom Pavilion. During dessert, hear from special guest. Henry Sledge, the son of Eugene B. Sledge, a Pacific veteran of Peleliu and Okinawa, and author of With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa. 

Accommodations: The Higgins Hotel (R, D)

Day 2

Saturday, December 5, 2026

Begin your exploration of The National WWII with a private, early-access tour of the Arsenal of Democracy Gallery. After, enjoy a Curator's Collection: Out of the Vault Museum Experience. Hosted by a Museum Curator, the presentation will provide a behind-the-scenes look at the Museum's Pearl Harbor and Pacific Campaign artifacts not currently on display. 

Experience a Pearl Harbor Lunch box Lecture in the Paul and Madlyn Hilliard Research Library presented by a historian from The National WWII Museum's Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy. 

After today's touring, enjoy this time to explore the Museum at your own pace, take a ride on New Orleans's famous streetcar, or jump on the Hop On-Hop Off Bus for a guided tour of the city. 

Accommodations: The Higgins Hotel (B, L)

Day 3

Sunday, December 6, 2026

Today's touring will include a guided visit of the  Campaigns of Courage: Road to Tokyo Gallery. The exhibit joins the WWII narrative that visitors experience across the Museum's six-acre campus, with galleries that explore the road to war and then how the war was fought on the Home Front. Allied victory was an epic undertaking fueled by stateside industry, ingenuity, and the labor of millions of patriotic Americans. 

Finish this morning's touring with a special visit to the Kushner Restoration Pavilion to visit the Museum's patrol torpedo board, PT-305. Observe the fully restored vessel up close and learn of her wartime crew members and tours of duty. 

After a group lunch in the American Sector restaurant, join Museum staff for a privately chartered tour on the famous St. Charles Avenue streetcar line. For more than 165 years, the St. Charles Streetcar has transported residents and tourists alike along "The Jewel of America's Grand Avenue". During the tour, see the Anthemiom House, located at 4631 St. Charles Avenue, which was the headquarters of the Japanese Consulate from 1938 to 1941. On the morning of December 7, 1941, a mob estimated to be 2,000 people strong gathered outside the consulate, as consulate staffers emerged and began burning papers. 

This evening, join the group in the Louisiana Memorial Pavilion for a Mason Lecture to learn more about the attack on Pearl Harbor and America's entry into the war.  Afterwards, spend an evening at leisure in New Orleans. 

Accommodations: The Higgins Hotel (B, L)

Day 4

Monday, December 7, 2026

"A date which will live in infamy ... " 

Begin your final day at The National WWII Museum with a special commemorative program for the 85th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor in the US Freedom Pavilion. Then join tour historians for a final panel discussing the Pacific War from America's entry in 1941 to the Japanese surrender in 1945. 

Afterward, tour of the Museum's newest building: the Liberation Pavilion. During this tour, your museum guide will take you through the end of World War II, the Holocaust, the immediate postwar years, and the war's continuing impact today. You will also visit the Freedom Theater located on the third floor. This short film offers audiences a multimedia experience focused on what was a stake during World War II and the meaning of Allied victory. 

After an independent lunch and afternoon at leisure, spend your last evening in New Orleans with cocktails and a farewell dinner at Antoine's Restaurant. The oldest family-run restaurant in United States, Antoine's once had a dining space called the Oriental room. This room was originally designed with Asian motifs, and many large banquets and dances were held there until the attack on Pearl Harbor. As the United States rushed into the war following December 7, 1941, Antoine's closed the room for forty-year years. 

Enjoy a classic New Orleans dining experience with a jazz trio, then return to the Higgins Hotel. 

Accommodations: The Higgins Hotel (B, R, D)

Day 5

Tuesday, December 8, 2026

Breakfast at The Higgins Hotel / Hotel checkout by 12:00 p.m. / Complimentary access to Museum all day

(B)

NOTE: The components of the itinerary may be rearranged to accommodate scheduling and special events on select departures.

• Tour Historians Jonathan Parshall and Henry Sledge
• Behind the scenes access at The National WWII Museum with historians and curators
• 4-night stay at the Higgins Hotel
• 4 breakfasts at the hotel
• 2 lunches, 2 dinners, 2 private receptions
• Special access and seating at the 85th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor Commemorative ceremony
• Viewing of Beyond All Boundaries
• Freedom Theater experience
• Private Early Access Tour of the Museum
• Out of the Vault artifact experience
• Guided touring in all permanent exhibits
• Expressions of America sound and light show
• Complimentary 1-day pass to ride the Hop On Hop Off double decker bus
• 5-day access into The National WWII Museum