New England Seacoast Boston and Martha's Vineyard

September 8-15

Price per person:

Meals Included: 5B, 2L, 1D

1 Welcome aboard our motorcoach as we depart and travel to the New England seacoast - one of the most beautiful and historic areas of the United States. Today we'll travel north through Virginia and Maryland to Harrisburg, Pensylvania for overnight.

2 This morning we'll continue through Pennsylvania, skirting New York City and Hartford as we travel through the "Constitution State" of Connecticut and into the "Bay State" of Massachusetts, overnighting in the Tewksbury area.

3 We're off to the bustling city of Boston, known as "Bean Town" and the "Hub of the Universe". It is one of America's oldest cities, filled with historic sights and buildings. Our guided tour will include such sites as the Old North Church, Beacon Hill, the Boston Common, Cheers Bull & Finch Tavern, Bunker Hill, Granary Burying Ground and other sites on the "Freedom Trail". We will conclude our tour at Quincy Market, where people like Benjamin Franklin, Paul Revere and Patrick Henry spoke out against the British and where the thought was planted for the infamous "Boston Tea Party". We'll have lunch here before heading into Maine, where we will make a brief stop in Sohier Park to see the Nubble Lighthouse. From here we will tour Kennebunkport, as well as have a bit of time for some shopping, then on to see the Portland Head Light, one of the oldest lighthouses in continuous use in America. We will overnight in Portland, Maine.

4 This morning we will travel to Freeport for a chance to shop at the world-famous L.L. Bean Company. Our second stop today will be back in Boston at the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum, before heading to the quaint Plymouth waterfront area, where the Mayflower landed and the Pilgrims offloaded. We can enjoy dinner in the area. Plymouth will be our home tonight.

5 Today will be one of the highlights of our tour. We begin with a visit to Plymouth Rock, where according to history, the Pilgrims set ashore in 1620. We'll tour the Mayflower II – a 90-foot, full-sized reproduction of the type of ship that brought the Pilgrims from England. Later this morning, have your cameras ready for an unforgettable excursion across Cape Cod Bay to Stellwagen Bay, feeding ground of the world's largest mammals. We will discover the great whales of the North Atlantic during our whale-watch adventure. Marine mammal sightings include Humpback, Finback, Minke and Pilot whales, as well as dolphins, porpoises and seals. Our professional biologist will provide an informative description of the whales we are likely to see, as well as commentary on the day's activities. Tonight we will enjoy a delicious New England lobster and seafood dinner and then retire to Hyannis, our home for the next two nights.

6This morning we'll board the ferry for a cruise to beautiful Martha's Vineyard for a sightseeing tour of the island - one of the most scenic places in all New England! We'll see the oak bluffs, sea marshes, yacht harbor, jagged bays and inland ponds. We'll visit Edgartown, a village of narrow streets, stately old homes, manicured gardens and quaint shops.

7 Today finds us in the seaside resort city of Newport, Rhode Island. Famous for its "Ocean Drive", yacht harbor and stately mansions, this area is and has been home to the wealthiest and most elite of America's society! On our visit here, we'll tour one of the most famous homes in the world, the Breakers, a 70-room mansion and mere "summer home" for Cornelius Vanderbilt. We'll depart Newport and travel south through Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and to Edgewood, Maryland, for overnight.

8 Homeward bound – all good things must come to an end, and so must this great fall getaway to the New England Seacoast. We'll travel south today via I-95 into North Carolina and home; however, we won't return home without lots of memories and pictures on one of the best tours!