Early today we board our comfortable Christian Tours Prevost motorcoach and head north. Our route takes us through North Carolina and the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. We overnight in Harrisburg, PA.

Today we travel up the Hudson River Valley on our way to Albany. In Hyde Park we visit the home of Franklin Roosevelt, maintained as it was at his death in 1945. Our 32nd President and his wife Eleanor are buried in the Rose Garden. The Library and Museum contain his papers, gifts, books, ship models, and personal belongings. We continue to Albany for our overnight stay and an included dinner together. (D)

Today’s sight seeing begins in Bennington, Vermont, head-quarters 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, and 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. This afternoon we visit Hildene, the stately home of Robert Todd Lincoln. The Georgian Revival mansion contains original furnishings, a 1,000 pipe organ and family memorabilia.

This morning we visit the Fairbanks Museum. It was here in St. Johnsbury that Thaddeus Fairbanks invented the platform scales in 1830. Next, we head for the Mount Washington Valley, located in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. We’ll ride the enclosed tramway rising 2,022 feet over a distance of one mile to the Cannon Mountain Summit, where the view is magnificent. We stop at Fadden’s General Store & Maple Sugarhouse. We’ll tour the sugar house and have an opportunity to sample and purchase products. We overnight in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Shortly after we depart the hotel, we cross into the beautiful state of Maine. This morning we’ll travel on the coastal highway, Route 1, viewing portions of the scenic rocky coastline. Our first stop is at Cape Neddick where we view the Nubble Lighthouse. From here we travel through the quaint village of Kennebunkport. We’ll drive slowly by Walker’s Pointe, where we’ll see President George and First Lady Barbara Bush’s summer home. Our next stop is Cape Elizabeth. Here we’ll have an excellent view of the Portland Head Light. Have your cameras ready - this is the Rocky Coast of Maine! This afternoon we will stop at L. L. Bean, one of America’s largest mail order houses featuring clothing, accessories and merchandise for the outdoorsman and campers. Then continue along the rocky coast to Boothbay Harbor. Tonight we enjoy some “down east” cooking at one of the area’s seafood restaurants. (D)

Today we continue along Highway 1, enjoying the rugged coast. Noon finds us in Bar Harbor, the largest town on Mount Desert Island — one of the most beautiful islands on the Atlantic Coast. Here is Acadia National Park, one of America’s most beautiful. This is the Maine of the storybooks. Waves come crashing against the granite coastline of Cadillac Mountain, the highest point on the Atlantic coast. From the top you’ll experience beauty unlike any you’ve ever seen before! We could remain here forever, but soon we must continue on our way into Canada. When we arrive at the border in Calais, you are half way to the North Pole from the Equator. The 45th parallel passes a few miles south of town on US Highway 1 near Perry. We overnight in Saint John.

We take the Confederation Bridge to Prince Edward Island. Arriving on the island, we follow Highway 1 through potato fields and farming areas to Charlottetown. We tour the lush farmlands, pass tiny fishing hamlets, and cross the wooded slopes of Prince Edward Island. You’ll view deep coves lashed by ocean waves, and marvel at sandy beaches, stark red capes, and green hills. We travel by the home of Lucy Maude Montgomery, authoress of the Anne of Green Gables series. Tonight we will travel out in the countryside for a lobster feast. (D)

This morning we must say goodbye to Prince Edward Island as we board the ferry back to the mainland and travel north to Cape Breton Island. This afternoon we visit the Alexander Graham Bell Museum. We explore the fascinating museum before checking in for two nights’ lodging on Cape Breton Island. Dinner is included at the hotel. (D)

Today we travel the Cabot Trail, often described as the most spectacular drive in North America. Take a deep breath --- the scenery is unsurpassed! See awesome views from windswept peaks, infinite steeps of sawtooth rock, lonely beaches, and heart-stopping drops down sheer cliff sides. We pass small fishing villages along the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. We climb sharply over 1,116 feet, taking in the magnificent views of the Gulf, then travel east along the plateau overlooking the Atlantic. The shore is rocky, identified with numerous coves at the mouths of picturesque valleys. Lunch is included as we tour today. (L)

This morning we take the Canso Causeway back to the mainland. At Antigonish we head back to the Atlantic Ocean. The Marine Eastern Shore Drive is as close as you can get without getting wet. The tang of salt air and the solitary cry of the gull are the signature of this drive leading to Dartmouth and Halifax. We visit the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic which maintains a nautical and marine history of Atlantic Canada. The permanent exhibits include “Titanic: The Unsinkable Ship” and “Halifax, Halifax Wrecked: The Story of the Halifax Explosion,” a shipchandlery, Shipwrecks and Lifesaving, Days of Sail gallery and much more. We stay in the capital city of Halifax tonight. Enjoy your surroundings this evening for a walk and dining on your own.

We begin the day with a guided tour of the legendary city of Halifax. See the famous Citadel, surrounded by a dry moat, marvel at the Old Town Clock, admire Point Pleasant Park, stroll the Public Gardens, and more before we turn south to Peggy’s Cove. This unique, picturesque place of beauty is a must. It is probably the most photographed spot on the Atlantic coast. After a seafood luncheon at the restaurant here, we turn south to explore the Lighthouse Trail on our way to Yarmouth for our overnight stay. (L)

This morning we board the ferry from Yarmouth to Bar Harbor. Upon arrival in Bar Harbor, we travel to Portland for our overnight.

Today we are joined by a local guide for a tour of one of America’s most historic cities, Boston. See Boston Common, the Paul Revere House, the Old North Church, and Faneuil Hall. We take time for lunch, on your own, at historic Quincy’s Market. This afternoon we tour the museum at the John F. Kennedy Library, which is considered by many to be the most beautiful work of recent architecture in the country. This evening we overnight in Connecticut.

We spend the morning at Independence National Historic Park, “the most historic square mile in America,” which will give us a fascinating insight into the splendor of colonial times. Within the park we’ll see Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. We continue south to Maryland, for our final night’s rest. Tonight we enjoy our last dinner together, recalling many interesting places we’ve just seen. (D)

Our final day sees our return home with cameras full of pictures and our pockets full of postcards. We will soon be sharing with friends and family all the spectacular scenery of New England and Nova Scotia.