Trips and Tours
These tours include round-trip passage aboard a deluxe, air-conditioned motor coach and a professional tour escort. Unless otherwise noted in the tour description, each tour will depart from and return to the GCC upper parking lot, located at the corner of Mountain Street and the Glendale 2 Freeway. A parking permit will be mailed to you one week prior to your tour date. Please arrive 10 minutes prior to departure time. Refunds (minus a 20% processing fee) for cancellations will only be given if the space can be resold by the office. You may send someone in your place with the permission of the office.
Fabulous Palm Springs Overnight
Experience a unique combination of quiet elegance and non-gaming excitement at the luxurious Spa Resort Hotel, Casino & Spa, located in the heart of downtown Palm Springs. This tour includes main-floor seating for a matinee performance of the ever popular holiday-themed Palm Springs Follies. Attend the weekly Palm Springs downtown street fair, located just steps from our hotel. Enjoy a sightseeing tour of Palm Springs, with a local guide. This narrated driving tour will take you on a wonderful adventure throughout Palm Springs and the surrounding areas highlights its history, geology and celebrities. A fun tour filled with entertainment and local history. A final itinerary, mailed to you prior to the tour, will confirm departure time and details. The tour price includes: 2 day/1 night motor coach tour, hotel accommodations, and baggage handling; ticket to the Palm Springs Follies, guided tour of Palm Springs; 2 meals: 1 lunch and 1 breakfast. This trip is conducted by Good Times Travel.
Visit the Palm Springs Follies website.
Visit the Palm Springs Tourism website.
Tour: TR015
Dates: November 13-14, 2008
Fee: $295 pp, double occ
$355 pp, single occ
Meet at the GCC Upper Parking Lot
Las Vegas Mirage Hotel & Casino
Located in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip next to Treasure Island, Wynn Las Vegas and Caesar’s Palace, the Mirage Hotel and Casino is a palace of delights - where South Seas meets Strip entertainment. This newly renovated hotel boasts an indoor rainforest, a dolphin habitat, and one of the most famous spectacles in Las Vegas - a 54 foot high volcano that spews smoke and fire 100 feet above the water, once an hour nightly. A final itinerary, mailed to you prior to the tour, will confirm departure time and details. The tour price includes: 3 days/2 nights motor coach tour, 2 nights hotel accommodations at the Mirage Hotel and luggage handing. This trip is conducted by Good Times Travel.
Visit the Mirage Hotel and Casino website.
Tour: TR016
Dates: November 23-25, 2008
Fee: $279 pp, double occ
$399 pp, single occ
Meet at the GCC Upper Parking Lot
Ride the Rails to Old Towne San Diego
& Balboa Park December Nights
Our holiday adventure begins at the Glendale Amtrak station, where you’ll meet your guide and board the train for San Diego. Relax and enjoy the beautiful coastal views. See Southern California from a leisurely perspective as we travel to Old Towne San Diego, which marks the first permanent European settlement in what is now California. The little cluster of adobe buildings at the base of Presidio Hill has evolved into an interesting complex of historic landmarks, museums, art galleries, shops and restaurants. We arrive at Old Towne around noon, which will give us plenty of time to explore and have lunch (on your own). Next, we board our Lions Express motorcoach and it’s off to Balboa Park and the celebration of December Nights, formally Christmas on the Prado. The long standing traditions of Christmas on the Prado include: food from around the globe at the International Christmas Festival at the House of Pacific Relations Cottages; the Santa Lucia procession at the Museum of Man; unique gift shopping at the museum stores and with the artisans of Spanish Village; musical and dance presentations from the San Diego Civic Youth Ballet at the Organ Pavilion; light filled Christmas trees and holiday lighting everywhere. The International Cottage Christmas festival features authentic music, crafts, dance and other holiday traditions from more than 30 countries. Free food samples from around the world, traditional holiday dances, music and costumes are for your enjoyment at the cottage stage. At the end of the evening we’ll board our motorcoach once again for the journey back to the Glendale Amtrak Station. This trip is conducted by Regina Rocha Tours.
Visit the Balboa Park December Nights website.
Visit the Old Town San Diego website.
Tour: TR019
Date: 1 Saturday, Dec. 6
Time: 8:40 am - 8:30 pm
Fee: $75
Meet at the Glendale Amtrak Station
Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
Ascend 2 1/2 miles to Mt. San Jacinto State Park, a pristine wilderness of 14,000 acres, aboard the World’s largest rotating tramcars, the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. The construction of the tram has been labeled the “eighth wonder of the world.’’ Our adventure begins at the Valley Station where we’ll board our tram and travel up North American’s sheerest mountain face, passing through several life zones on our way to the mountain station at 8516 feet above mean sea level. The slowly rotating cars offer riders a 360 degree panoramic view of Chino Canyon and the valley floor. The view at the top can stretch northward for more than 200 miles on a clear day. What a View! Upon our arrival at the mountain station, you’ll be treated to lunch at the casual dining restaurant. After lunch, there will be time to visit the Mountain Station Gift Shop, the Natural History Museum, and you’ll have an opportunity to see a special documentary film on the history of the tramway at the theater. There are also several easy self-guided walking nature trails for those who’d like to do some exploring. It will be winter on the mountain, so be sure to dress warmly. A warm coat, gloves and scarf are recommended. On the way home -- a Mystery Stop!
Visit the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway website.
Tour: TR020
Date: 1 Sunday, January 25
Time: 9:00 am - 5:30 pm
Fee: $79
Meet at the GCC Upper Parking Lot
Architectural Treasures of Los Angeles
Join us for an incredibly interesting day to celebrate one of the great landmarks of Los Angeles, the 1939 Union Station. The Union Station tour covers architecture, art, culture and social history. The station’s monumental architecture, a unique combination of Spanish Colonial Revival and Art Deco styles assured that it would be one of the most identifiable landmarks of the city. The tour will be led by a Los Angeles Conservancy docent and includes: Exterior, Ticket Concourse, Main Waiting Room, North and South Patios, Fred Harvey Restaurant (if available), Train Platforms, East Portal Transit Center. The tour is approximately 2 hours long. We suggest you wear comfortable clothing 
and walking shoes. After the tour, we’ll cross over to Olvera Street, the birthplace of the City of Los Angeles. This colorful village features 27 historic buildings with a traditional Mexican style plaza area. You’ll have time to shop for souvenirs, including handcrafted Mexican wares typical of Old Mexico. Visit the Avila Adobe, the oldest existing residence in Los Angeles, built in 1818. Lunch on your own at one of Olvera Street’s many eateries, featuring traditional Mexican foods, or stroll two blocks down the street to Philippe’s, the birthplace of the French Dip Sandwich.
Visit an Olvera Street website, "Calle Olvera".
Visit the Wikipedia Union Station entry.
Tour: TR021
Date: 1 Saturday, February 21
Time: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Fee: $59
Meet at the GCC Upper Parking Lot
Santa Barbara Adventures
Calling all adventure seekers! Explore Santa Barbara YOUR way! Our motor coach arrives in Santa Barbara at Stearns Wharf, where you will receive your All Day Trolley Pass which allows you to hop on hop-off the Old Town Trolley at a variety of interesting stops throughout Santa Barbara. Admissions to your chosen venues are not included, but many stops will have reduced admission fees with your Trolley Pass. Here are just a few of the exciting and interesting destinations that await you: El Presidio, founded in 1782. Old Mission Santa Barbara, was the 10th of the California missions to be founded by the Spanish Franciscans, established in 1786. Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens, an educational and scientific institution with an emphasis on plants native to California. Santa Barbara Zoo offers 600 animals representing over 180 species, housed on 16 acres and offers incredible views of the Pacific Ocean. Other stops of interest: Museum of Natural History, Montecito, Four Seasons, Butterfly Beach.
Visit the Santa Barabara.com website.
Tour: TR003
Date: 1 Sunday, March 5
Time: 8:30 am - 6:30 pm
Fee: $65
Meet at the GCC Upper Parking Lot