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2011 Itinerary
11 days from $3650 per person
single supplement available
Day 1 - Welcome to Boston
A transfer is included from Boston's Logan International Airport to The Langham, Boston; located in the heart of this historic city, your lovely hotel is a national architectural landmark just steps away from Boston's famous attractions. This evening join your fellow travelers a welcome dinner this evening.
Meals: Dinner
Lodging: The Langham, Boston, Massachusetts
Day 2 - The many faces of Beantown
Boston entices on so many levels. History buffs think of the city as the hotbed of the American Revolution, while baseball fans associate it with the 2007 World Series champions, the Boston Red Sox. There's something intriguing everywhere you look. We'll show you some of Boston's most famous sights this morning on an orientation tour - including the Harvard Museum of Natural History, where you'll sneak a peek at the lifelike Glass Flowers Exhibit - before turning you loose to further explore the faces of Boston, "America's Walking City," that interest you most at your leisure.
Meals: Breakfast
Lodging: The Langham, Boston, Massachusetts
Day 3 - New England's seafaring side
While Salem might be best known for its infamous witch trials, during the Revolutionary War it was the port of choice for 158 privateering vessels. Salem's privateer fleet helped the American cause by, between them, capturing 445 English ships. You'll discover more about seafarers who plied these waters - and the art and artifacts they brought back from their voyages throughout the world - on a visit to the Peabody Essex Museum. Then, it's off to the coast of Maine, where you'll spend the next two nights of your fall foliage tour at an antique-filled country inn in the classic New England village of Freeport.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: The Harraseeket Inn, Freeport, Maine
Day 4 - The beguiling Boothbays and a private cruise
Clustered along Maine's rocky coast are several scenic small villages, known as the Boothbays, which were a favorite summer retreat of the rich and famous with saltwater in their veins in the 19th century. Sailors continue to go down to the sea in ships here, just as you will when you board a schooner for a private cruise on beautiful Boothbay Harbor. Later, your fall foliage tour includes a guided stroll through the Botanical Gardens to view the outstanding collection of plants and flowers dressed in their autumnal best. Spend the evening at leisure in Freeport.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch
Lodging: The Harraseeket Inn, Freeport, Maine
Day 5 - New Hampshire mountain majesty
Your fall foliage tour continues across rural Maine landscapes into New Hampshire and the stunning White Mountains. You'll be surrounded by the full glory of autumn during lunch in North Conway, where an interpretive presentation on the wildlife indigenous to the area increases your understanding of this wonderful part of the country. Travel the scenic Kancamagus Highway - especially breathtaking in autumn's fiery glory - to the Omni Mount Washington Resort for a memorable overnight stay. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it has been a favorite getaway of wealthy folks from as far away as Philadelphia for over 100 years.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Omni Mount Washington Resort, Bretton Woods, New Hampshire
Day 6 - From extreme weather to sweet Vermont treats
A visit to the Mount Washington Observatory, perched at the 6,288-foot summit of the mountain and experiencing some of the most extreme weather on earth, will be a memorable experience during your fall foliage tour. In April of 1934, a wind gust of 231 mph - still the world record for a surface station - was recorded here. Meet the dedicated (and hardy) resident meteorologists and learn about their work during a special lecture and Q & A session. Later, cross into the Green Mountains of Vermont. You've always just poured it on your pancakes without giving it a single thought... well, no fall foliage tour would be complete without a sweet encounter with the maple syrup that Vermont produces more of than any other state. After arriving at your charming Vermont country inn, The Essex, for a two-night stay, you'll have another treat in store tonight as you enjoy a culinary theatre experience and dinner presented by chefs of the New England Culinary Institute at your resort.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: The Essex, Essex Junction, Vermont
Day 7 - Art and Americana at the Shelburne Museum
Discover for yourself how time has a way of slowing down in these parts on today's enriching journey through Americana at the lakeside Shelburne Museum. Some three centuries of American ingenuity are chronicled in a fascinating array of diverse exhibits encompassing 37 historic buildings - including a lighthouse and a railway station from the 19th century - along with a steamship, American painting and sculpture, folk art, carriages, toys, textiles, cigar-store Indians and much, much more. Spend the afternoon as you please, and enjoy dinner tonight at your leisure at the Inn.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: The Essex, Essex Junction, Vermont
Day 8 - Agricultural delights and on to Lake Placid
Dedicated to "Cultivating a Conservation Ethic," 400-acre Shelburne Farms has been a model agricultural estate since its creation in 1886. Today, this National Historic Site practices environmentally, economically and culturally sustainable rural land use. During your guided visit, you'll meet the cheese-makers who turn the milk from a herd of 125 purebred Brown Swiss cows into award-winning farmhouse cheddar cheese, and see the Breeding Barn built to provide Vermont's farmers with hackney horses at the turn of the 20th century. Later, enjoy a ferry ride across Lake Champlain from the Green Mountains to the spectacular Adirondack Mountains; arrive in the alpine village of Lake Placid in New York State. The glorious autumn scenery surrounding you is an inspiration, as you begin a two-night stay at an award-winning lakeside inn.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch
Lodging: Mirror Lake Inn Resort and Spa, Lake Placid, New York
Day 9 - Placidly perfect
You'll understand why the lake was given its name as you admire the peaceful beauty around you during a cruise on its calm waters. The village of Lake Placid is usually just that - except when the Winter Olympics are in town, as they were in 1932 and 1980. While visiting the Olympic Ski Jumping Complex, try to imagine what it would feel like to be standing way up there at the top of the jump, with the long, thin boards strapped to your feet the only things between you and the ground far below. You'll gain a new respect for intrepid athletes who dare to even attempt ski jumping. The remainder of the day is yours to spend as you please, perhaps enjoying your resort's spa or other amenities, or the many outdoor activities available.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Mirror Lake Inn Resort and Spa, Lake Placid, New York
Day 10 - And, they're off... in Saratoga Springs
Saratoga Springs has long been a mecca for devotees of "the sport of kings," as you'll see when you tour the National Museum of Racing, devoted to the history and traditions of thoroughbred horse racing. It was also a popular destination for Victorian socialites who came to "take the waters" of its therapeutic mineral springs when not at the races. As your fall foliage tour draws to a close, return to Vermont and enjoy a stop at the Vermont Country Store en route to your country inn in Ludlow, where you will have your farewell dinner this evening.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Jackson Gore Inn, Ludlow, Vermont
Day 11 - Homeward bound
Although it's the final day of your fall foliage tour, you'll still be amidst the glowing red, yellow and orange of autumn in New England as we drive the approximately 190 miles back to Boston.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch
Contact our office for availability and bookings.
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