Spouse/Family Tour at Mt. Vernon
Thursday, June 21, 2012
10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Cost included in registration

Travel back in time to the 18th century – to the life and times of the father of our country, George Washington. Mt. Vernon Estate sits on a grassy, shaded slope overlooking the Potomac River. Guests will walk through Washington’s home, tour the outbuildings where much of the dayto- day domestic activity on the plantation took place, and visit the plantation gardens, which demonstrate firsthand why Washington was considered the foremost horticulturist of his day.

Mt. Vernon also offers a new educational center for children that depicts Washington as an incomparable American hero who evolved from a young man of modest means into this country’s first and greatest president. Throughout your visit, you will observe the beautiful landscape that has been carefully and meticulously groomed for decades. Lunch will be on your own.

D.C. Day for Guests and Families Wednesday, June 2, 2012 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Cost included in registration ASTA participants will have complimentary shuttle access from the hotel to the Smithsonian Castle every hour from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 20. Once in D.C., there will be an ASTA shuttle making stops at the Smithsonian Castle, the U.S. Capitol and the National Portrait Gallery/Spy Museum. Maps will be provided for the series of Smithsonian Museums on the National Mall for periods when individuals may want to go exploring on their own. The last bus will depart from D.C. to the Gaylord at 5:30 p.m. Later that evening, ASTA will host its Welcome Reception at Oxon Hill Manor.   ASTA has arranged for special access tickets to A. U.S. Capitol and Visitor Center Tour 2:20 p.m. Up to 50 participants will be guided through the halls and prestigious rooms of the U.S. Capitol and learn about its architecture, history and those who work there. Participants should plan to arrive at the Capitol by 1 p.m. to enjoy the new food court, offering a wide variety of options prior to the tour. Lunch is not included. B. Operation Spy at the Spy Museum Through interactive exhibits with state-of-the-art audiovisual effects, film and hands-on components, the International Spy Museum traces the evolution of espionage through the people who practiced the profession and provides a context for visitors to interpret the role intelligence plays in current events. The Museum experience continues with a series of intimate galleries that trace the history of espionage and transport visitors to another time and place. ASTA guests will work a real case file and have to locate a missing nuclear trigger before it ends up in the wrong hands. Think of it as a live action spy adventure, only ASTA guests are the spy. This one hour adrenaline-fueled fest is no exhibit. No pressure. Just crack a few safes, decode some messages and interrogate a suspect double agent. Possibly jump into a helicopter. Each spy operative will have a chance to cross the border into an alternate reality. Your first mission you must first register with the ASTA embassy and then know the secret entrance to cross the border without being seen. Are you ready?

Optional Tours
Friday, June 22, 2012
9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

A. Hillwood Estate, Museum & Garden
$49 per person

Founded by American collector and heiress to the Post cereal empire Marjorie Merriweather Post, Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens is one of the premier art collector’s museums in the United States. Participants will explore the art-filled mansion, 13 acres of formal gardens, a working greenhouse, the Hillwood Café, and museum shop. The museum features the most comprehensive collection of Russian art outside of Russia and a world-renowned collection of eighteenth-century French decorative art and furnishings. Lunch will be on your own.

B. Educational Whirlwind Tour of the D.C. Monuments
$45 per adult and $25 for children ages 13 or younger

Become a part of our nation’s most historic landscape and feel history come to life as you see some of our country’s most beloved sites. As the tour makes its way to Capitol Hill, you’ll follow a route that offers splendid views of the monuments and famous sites along the Potomac River. You’ll be able to climb the marble steps of the Lincoln Memorial. From there, you will take a short walk to the somber setting of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial and other memorials. The tour will end with a stop on Pennsylvania Avenue to view the White House. As you approach the White House, you’ll learn about many of the famous buildings that surround you. Lunch will be on your own.