This time of year the New England states should be blanketed in a thick carpet of glistening white snow. Today we travel through Virginia into Maryland, overnighting north of Baltimore.

This morning before traveling into the rural America of Vermont and New Hampshire, we’ll visit one of the biggest, most exciting cities in the world, New York! We arrive in Little Italy for an included lunch. Next we visit the 9/11 Memorial Museum which opened 13 years after the World Trade Center attack. The museum’s 110,000 square feet of exhibition space are within “the archaeological heart of the World Trade Center site.” It lies 70 feet below ground, so entering the museum involves descent from the light of the outside into dimly lit depths, which adds to the overall power and pathos of this hallowed ground. We see the sights of Manhattan as we take a ride through the city. We spend the night just north of the city in Stamford, Connecticut. (L)

Our first stop this morning is at Stew Leonard’s “World’s Largest Dairy Store!” Known as the Disneyland of grocery stores, the market was constructed around Leonard’s dairy barn where his cows still produce 1.5 million gallons of milk annually. Traveling on into Massachusetts, we make our way to Stockbridge, the town whose Main Street has been called the prettiest in all of America. While in Stockbridge, we’ll tour the Norman Rockwell Museum. Then step into yesterday at Williams & Sons Country Store, an old-fashioned emporium that has been in business since 1795. We continue to Bennington, Vermont, for our overnight stay.

This morning we pause for a break at the Vermont Country Store, home of the Voice of the Mountains mail order catalog. At the Vermont Teddy Bear Company we take a tour of the factory where we see a small group of workers creating the bears by hand, one-by-one. We’re off into the country. As we travel, we make sure to see the beautiful covered bridges. We travel to Stowe, Vermont, and the beautiful von Trapp Family Lodge situated on 2,500 acres. This is a mountain resort in the European tradition by the Von Trapp family that inspired The Sound of Music. This unique luxury mountain resort features Austrianinspired architecture and Europeanstyle accommodations. Your stay here includes musical entertainment at night, a nightly film feature, use of the fitness center, pools, breakfast, and a 3 course dinner. After checking in we get ready for the evening activities. (D)

After a leisurely morning with an included breakfast we visit the Cold Hollow Cider Mill which features a large cider press, a cider jelly making room, natural ingredient bakery, and impressive retail store. Next, we visit the shops of Danforth Pewter and Lake Champlain Chocolates in Waterbury Center, where you can find local, handcrafted items. This afternoon back at the Lodge we take a delightful horsedrawn sled ride in the surrounding hills. Tonight we are treated to another 3 course dinner. (D)

At Fairbanks Museum we can see more than 2500 mounted birds and mammals as well as a weather observation station. This afternoon, we stop at Fadden’s General Store & Maple Sugarhouse. We tour the maple production facility and have the opportunity to purchase some of their delicious products. We travel into Massachusetts for our overnight.

Today we explore the beautiful Cape Ann area of Massachusetts. See Rockport, a serene old fishing village that has become a year-round artists’ colony, then travel around the point of Cape Ann to Gloucester, still a leading east coast fishing port. We travel to Salem where the early 18th century master builder Samuel McIntyre and author Nathaniel Hawthorne made their homes. We visit the House of Seven Gables Historic Site which includes Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1804 birthplace and the 1682 Hathaway House. We overnight outside of Boston.

This morning we travel to Hartford, Connecticut to visit the Mark Twain House & Museum. This was the home of Samuel Langhorne Clemmons and his family from 1874 to 1891. As you tour the home you’ll hear stories that reveal insight to the eccentric habits of the entire family. Lunch is included today as we travel into Maryland for our final night. (L)

All too soon we must make our way home, but our memories of the snow-covered hills and valleys of Vermont will last forever. We arrive home late in the afternoon.