new england october 19-25 - Tour Is Full

Below is a detailed itinerary. You may also download it as a printable pdf below.
 

The meals that are included on the tour are specified for each date: Breakfast (B) and Dinner (D). 

DAY 1 – Tuesday, Oct. 19 (D) 

There are two groups flying from Roanoke to Burlington. Our private charter coach and driver will meet us at the airport. We then go to downtown Burlington where you are on your own to have lunch (group 1 only) and explore the historic downtown at the Church Street Marketplace. We leave downtown Burlington at 5:30 p.m.  https://churchstmarketplace.com Dinner will be as a group at the hotel. 

Lodging: Best Western Plus Waterbury – Stowe: www.bestwesternwaterburystowe.com 

DAY 2 – Wednesday, Oct. 20 (B) 

We leave the hotel at 8:15 a.m. and head to the Trapp Family Lodge, a 2,500-acre resort that is managed by Sam von Trapp, son of Johannes von Trapp. That’s right, the Austrian family that inspired The Sound of Music. We will take a private tour while there with extra time to explore the grounds and visit the gift shop. Then we go to the charming historic downtown Stowe where you will have time to shop and explore. You may choose to eat lunch here or at Cold Hollow Cider Mill. Cold Hollow Cider Mill, a long-established Vermont family business that is the largest maker of fresh cider in the Northeast, producing more than a million gallons a year. You can watch cider production using age-old methods, sample fresh cider and other products made with it, and browse through the mill’s extensive offerings of specialty food products, novelties and gift items. We will next visit Cabot Farmers’ Store – say “cheese”! Ben & Jerry’s in Waterbury is not allowing buses now due to parking lot construction. However, we will have Ben & Jerry’s delivered to us. Our hotel has a hiking trail that even has a covered bridge on it. 

• Trapp Family Lodge - www.trappfamily.com 
• Historic Downtown Stowe - www.vermontvacation.com/explore-vermont/historic-downtowns/stowe 
• Cold Hollow Cider - https://coldhollow.com 
• Cabot Farmers’ Store - www.cabotcheese.coop/visit-us 

Dinner is on your own in historic Waterbury. The bus will take you there. 

Lodging: Best Western Plus Waterbury – Stowe 

DAY 3 – Thursday, Oct. 21 (B) 

Departing at 8:15 a.m., we take a short drive to Montpelier, the capital of Vermont. You will be able to tour the state house before we head to New Hampshire. https://statehouse.vermont.gov/tours 

Then, we travel on the picturesque Kancamagus Highway where we will see beautiful scenery and historic covered bridges. https://kancamagushighway.com 

We will go to Settlers Green, an outlet shopping center in North Conway where you are free to explore and shop. Outlet stores include Lindt Chocolate, Beer & Wine Nation, Adidas, Clarks, Columbia, Polo, Sketchers, and many more. https://www.settlersgreen.com 

We then go to our hotel. There are places to eat within a short walking distance. 

Lodging: Comfort Inn North Conway: www.northconwaycomfortinn.com 

DAY 4 – Friday, Oct. 22 (B) 

8:00 a.m. departure. We head to the Cog Railway, arguably New Hampshire's favorite attraction, where we will take the train up the mountain for some spectacular views. https://www.thecog.com 

Heading east, we cross into Maine as we head toward Ellsworth. Our hotel is right next to an L.L. Bean outlet store, and you will have time to visit. Restaurants are within walking distance. The Sunrise Trail is right behind our hotel. www.sunrisetrail.org 

Lodging: Comfort Inn Ellsworth – Bar Harbor: www.choicehotels.com/maine/ellsworth/comfort-inn-hotels/me038 

DAY 5 – Saturday, Oct. 23 (B) 

After leaving the hotel at 8:30 a.m., our short drive from Ellsworth lands us in Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park for more stunning scenery.  Acadia National Park is a 47,000-acre Atlantic coast recreation area primarily on Maine's Mount Desert Island. Its landscape is marked by woodland, rocky beaches and glacier-scoured granite peaks such as Cadillac Mountain, the highest point on the United States’ East Coast. Among the wildlife are moose, bear, whales and seabirds. The bayside town of Bar Harbor, with restaurants and shops, is a popular gateway. We will spend the day exploring these places. https://acadiamagic.com 

Lodging: Comfort Inn Ellsworth – Bar Harbor 

DAY 6 - Sunday, Oct. 24 (B, D) 

We depart Ellsworth at 8:15 a.m. and head to the Maine Maritime Museum. Founded in 1962, Maine Maritime Museum sits on a beautiful 20-acre campus on the banks of the Kennebec River in “The City of Ships,” Bath, Maine. The museum is dedicated to promoting an understanding and appreciation of Maine’s maritime heritage and culture. We will take a shipyards and lighthouses cruise on the Kennebec River where shipbuilding began more than 400 years ago and continues today. We will see spectacular views of the Navy’s most advanced ships taking shape and will then cruise down river to enjoy a water view of the museum’s historic shipyard and two of the Kennebec’s famed lighthouses: Doubling Point Light and the Kennebec Range Lights. https://www.mainemaritimemuseum.org And what better way to spend our last evening on tour together than with a Maine lobster bake! This meal is included in the tour and will be privately catered to our hotel just for us. 

Lodging: Embassy Suites by Hilton Portland Airport: www.hilton.com/en/hotels/pdxeses-embassy-suites-portland-airport 

DAY 7 - Monday, Oct. 25 (B) 

We fly home from Portland, Maine to Roanoke. An airport shuttle will be available.