Compare Experience New England by Tours of Distinction vs Hidden Gems of New England 2023 by Tauck
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| Trip |
5 | Excellent
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4 | Great
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| Duration | 6 days | 8 days |
| Price From | $ 2,199 | $ 4,890 |
| Price Per Day | $ 367 | $ 611 |
| Highlights |
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| Trip Style | Small group tour | Small group tour |
| Lodging Level | Premium | Premium |
| Physical Level |
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| Travel Themes |
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| Countries Visited | ||
| Cities and Attractions |
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| Flights & Transport | Airfare included | No |
| Activities |
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| Meals Included |
1 Lunch, 4 Dinners |
N/A |
| Description |
Experience first-hand the iconic, eclectic, breathtaking charm that keeps so many locals drawn to life in New England! Traverse harbor towns, lighthouses, and idyllic, must-see locations such as Martha's Vineyard, Newport, Mystic, and more. Delicious seafood, shopping, and mansions await! |
Featuring exclusive vignettes by filmmakers Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan, this singular journey through the picturesque heart of New England visits summer and autumn landmarks, artists studios, historic sites, farms and wild natural settings that evoke the spirit of a place whose ideas shaped America. |
Day 1 - Arrive Boston, MA
Be greeted by our Tour Director and transferred to our hotel, the 4-star Omni Providence, located in downtown Providence, RI. Dinner this evening is included on Federal Hill this evening. (D)
Day 2 - Martha's Vineyard, MA
This morning we take the fast-ferry from Quonset Point to Martha’s Vineyard. The island is located only 7 miles south of Cape Cod and is a longtime New England summer hotspot, only accessible by boat or air. Made up of harbor towns, beaches and lighthouses, Martha’s Vineyard has so much to offer everyone. Enjoy the day, whether it is shopping, renting a bike, or even taking an island tour the day is yours to explore! We return back to Providence early evening.
Day 3 - Newport, RI
Today we are headed into Newport, RI. Known for its yacht filled harbor, Bellevue Avenue lined with its Gilded Age Mansions, and the 3.5 mile Cliff Walk. We will meet a local guide who will take us on a tour of the area. After, we will visit The Breakers Mansion, the grandest of the Newport summer ‘cottages’, and a symbol of the Vanderbilt family’s social and financial status in turn of the century America. The afternoon is yours to explore, shop and enjoy lunch along the harbor; however, we will meet up to have dinner together before heading back to our hotel. (D)
Day 4 - Mystic, CT
After breakfast, on your own, we will visit the Mystic Seaport Museum, located in historic Mystic, CT. The Seaport is our nation’s leading maritime museum, founded in 1929 it has become the national center for research and education. Originally designed to help preserve the disappearing artifacts of our seafaring past, we can walk around the re-created town, the working shipyard, the exhibit halls, and the 1841 whaling ship, the ‘Charles W Morgan’. This afternoon we take a break and visit Olde Mistick Village, a re-creation of a 1720-style colonial village with a Meeting House. You can shop and eat here. On our way out of Mystic, CT we will stop at Stonington Vineyards for a tasting. Dinner is included at George’s of Galilee. (D)
Day 5 - Boston, MA
We bid farewell to Providence and travel north to Boston, MA. This morning we have a local guided tour of Boston, before spending the afternoon on our own. Explore the ‘North End,’ visit the Museum of Science, the Boston Common, the Aquarium, and so much more! After working up an appetite we meet up for a farewell dinner, served family style, at Maggiano’s Restaurant. From dinner, we will check into our hotel. (D)
Day 6 - Depart Boston, MA
After breakfast, we are transferred to Logan International Airport for your return flight home.
Day 1 Welcome to Boston
Tour begins: 5:30 PM, The Westin Copley Place, Boston. A transfer is included from Logan International Airport to The Westin Copley Place, Boston. Please join us this evening for a welcome reception at the hotel, followed by a welcome dinner at a local restaurant in the heart of Boston.
MEALS : D
LODGING : The Westin Copley Place, Boston
PORTOFCALL : Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Day 2 Fenway Park, historic Boston
In his films Baseball and The Tenth Inning, Ken Burns offers a glimpse into the soul of our "national pastime"; for many, it lives at Fenway Park, America's oldest ballpark and home of the Boston Red Sox since 1912. Past glories come alive on a walking tour of the stadium that may include some its most famous landmarks, such as the Triangle, Pesky's Pole, the former location of Duffy's Cliff, and the legendary Green Monster of left field. Next, an orientation tour of the city follows the historic Freedom Trail from the Back Bay's Copley Square to Augustus Saint-Gaudens' memorial to Col. Robert Gould Shaw in Boston Common, the State House, the Old North Church, the Old State House and the South Meeting House. The remainder of the day is free to explore Boston as you please.
MEALS : B, L
LODGING : The Westin Copley Place, Boston
PORTOFCALL : Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Day 3 Lexington & Concord and on to the Berkshires
Depart the city of Boston for the nearby flashpoint of the American Revolution, the Massachusetts towns of Lexington and Concord. First, travel to the Lexington Battle Green, where the "shot heard 'round the world" that signaled the beginning of hostilities was fired; and Concord's Old North Bridge and iconic Minuteman statue, cast from the bronze of Civil War cannons, in Minute Man National Historic Park. Head west across the center of Massachusetts, stopping for lunch en route to the city of Pittsfield in the Berkshires, for a late afternoon arrival at your boutique hotel created from a pair of 19th-century commercial buildings on the National Historic Register.
MEALS : B, L, D
LODGING : Hotel On North
Day 4 Legacies of Rockwell & the Shakers in the Berkshires
Aglow with blazing foliage in autumn, the Berkshires of western Massachusetts have long been a retreat for artists and writers. Begin today's discoveries in Stockbridge at the Norman Rockwell Museum, dedicated to the beloved illustrator whose hundreds of covers for the Saturday Evening Post depicting scenes from small-town America – including here in Stockbridge, where he spent the last 25 years of his life – illuminated the lives of ordinary people with humor and pathos; view many original works by Rockwell, and visit his preserved studio. Next, head to Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield for a private "Lunch, Grace & Song" tour of this former Shaker settlement, founded in 1783 and active through 1960. Today it's a living-history museum featuring 20 authentic Shaker buildings, costumed interpreters, rich collections of Shaker furniture and artifacts, a working farm with extensive gardens and heritage-breed livestock and more. Continue on to Manchester, Vermont, for an overnight at a historic New England mountain resort, The Equinox Golf Resort & Spa.
MEALS : B, L, D
LODGING : The Equinox Golf Resort & Spa
PORTOFCALL : Manchester, Vermont, USA
Day 5 Ken Burns's Backyard & Billings Farm
Depart your Vermont resort and drive into the New Hampshire countryside for an exclusive insider look at Ken Burns's private film studio in Walpole, where his Florentine Films was founded, and some free time in town. When railroad executive Frederick Billings (for whom the town in Montana is named) retired in 1871 and returned to his Woodstock, Vermont, roots to start a dairy farm, he opened a book called Man and Nature by George Perkins Marsh. Embracing its ideas of sustainable land use and forest conservation, within a few short years Billings had created a model farm whose cows and produce gained national attention. Hop back into Vermont and meet the Jersey cows at Billings Farm and Museum, and get a firsthand look at its farming and forestry methods, which changed ideas about farming in turn-of-the-century New England. Have lunch in town; in fall, indulge in autumnal panoramas of New Hampshire's White Mountains, arriving for a two-night stay at a true New England classic since 1902 – the spectacular Omni Mount Washington Resort in Bretton Woods, a National Historic Landmark.
MEALS : B, D
LODGING : Omni Mount Washington Resort
PORTOFCALL : Woodstock, Vermont, USA
Day 6 Discovering the White Mountains
Your day in the beautiful White Mountains starts with a "New Hampshire Maple Experience," and a tasting of maple syrup, other maple sugar products, and homemade sour pickles. Back at the Omni Mount Washington, enjoy lunch and a free afternoon; if you wish, take a hotel history tour of your famous Bretton Woods resort, where you'll have dinner at your leisure tonight.
MEALS : B, L, D
LODGING : Omni Mount Washington Resort
PORTOFCALL : Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, USA
Day 7 Charms of Coastal Maine
A wildlife talk at your White Mountains resort this morning offers an appreciation of the ecology of the glorious landscapes, summer and autumn, that you'll journey through today as you wind your way to Maine. You'll arrive midday at Perkins Cove in Ogunquit, named by the Abenaki tribe, because the word means "beautiful place by the sea." The area is known for its stunning walking trails – you'll have an opportunity to explore this quintessential coastal Maine region with a walk along the famed Marginal Way trail that hugs the sea. Originally developed in 1925, the trail is only 1.25 miles – with spectacular breathtaking vistas and iconic scenery. Arrive for an overnight stay at your oceanfront hotel; join us for a farewell reception and dinner.
MEALS : B, D
LODGING : Stage Neck Inn
PORTOFCALL : Ogunquit, Maine, USA
Day 8 Journey Home
Tour ends: Boston. Drive directly to Boston's Logan International Airport from Stage Neck Inn after breakfast. Allow a minimum of two hours for flight check-in; flights should not be booked before 2:00 PM. The group transport will drop guests off at the airport and then drive 3.5 miles to drop off at Boston South Station (for trains).
MEALS : B
PORTOFCALL : Boston, Massachusetts, USA
