New England Fall Foliage

Our exciting tour to witness the spectacular fall colors of New England begins early this morning as we are greeted by our Christian Tours Driver and Tour Director. The colors of fall begin today as we travel the length of the beautiful Shenandoah Valley to our overnight accommodations.

GETTYSBURG CYCLORAMA • Today we continue north to Gettysburg, where we will visit the Cyclorama, a 360° mural painting of the Battle of Gettysburg. This was the scene of the most decisive battle of the Civil War. We continue to Lancaster where lunch will be a family- style Pennsylvania Dutch meal. This afternoon we meet our delightful guide for an Amish country sightseeing tour. We’ll be surrounded by fertile fields and early American charm as we tour the farms, pass one room schoolhouses, meet horse and buggies, and hear of the Amish way of life. (L)

Our ride today takes us through the beautiful Pocono Mountains. We pause for a guided tour through the United States Military Academy of West Point before continuing to Hyde Park. Here we visit the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site, containing manuscripts, books, paintings, prints, historical material, and other artifacts. We overnight in the Albany area.

Today’s sightseeing begins in Bennington, Vermont, headquarters for Ethan Allen’s Green Mountain Boys, known to the Yankees as the “Bennington Mob.” Bennington Museum is one of the country’s finest regional museums, featuring a large collection of old Bennington pottery, a very rare collection of American blown and pressed glass, the oldest Stars and Stripes in existence, rare documents, costumes, uniforms & furnishings. On this property is the Grandma Moses Schoolhouse. Her furniture, paintings, and memorabilia complete the schoolhouse. Also today we enjoy the splendor of the Green Mountains, which cover a quarter of a million acres in Vermont, and take a guided tour of Rock of Ages, the world’s largest granite quarry. See the artisans creating monuments, and marvel at Hope Cemetery, a Museum of Sculptured Headstones. Dinner is included tonight. (D)

This morning we visit Cabot Creamery, then Maple Grove to learn about the whole sugaring experience. At Fairbanks Museum we can see more than 2,500 mounted birds and mammals as well as a U.S. weather observation station. Now we head for the Mount Washington Valley, located in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. We’ll ride the enclosed 80-passenger tramway rising 2,022 feet over a distance of one mile to Cannon Mountain Summit where the view is magnificent.

We begin our day with a tour of historic Boston, including Old North Church, Bunker Hill, and other points of interest. Lunch is included today. At Plimoth Plantation costumed people in their 17th century community portray actual residents of the community of 1627. We see Plymouth Rock before heading to Mystic for the night. (L)

Mystic Seaport is the nation’s largest maritime museum. Here you can go aboard the world-famous wooden whale ship, the Charles W. Morgan. You can walk the decks of the square-rigged Joseph Conrad, and go below decks on the fishing schooner L.A. Dunton. In the re-created seaport village and waterfront area, you may tour the actual homes in which seafaring New Englanders lived, and visit the maritime trade buildings where nearly forgotten skills such as boat building and blacksmithing are demonstrated. There are also exhibit buildings filled with exhibits of ship models, figureheads, scrimshaw, and other seagoing artifacts. This evening we enjoy a final dinner together with all our new found friends. We spend the night in Maryland. (D)

All too soon our tour must come to an end. We continue south today, sharing the week’s experiences with our new friends.