New England Fall Spectacular

We head across the great fertile plains of Indiana for Columbus, Ohio.

We pass through the industrious farms of Ohio and head for Niagara Falls, New York. Upon arrival at Niagara Falls State Park, we board the Maid of the Mist tour boat. A favorite Niagara Falls State Park attraction for more than 150 years, the Maid of the Mist journey begins at the Observation Tower, where you are given a souvenir rain poncho to wear and board the double-deck Maid of the Mist tour boat. From there, the boat ferries past the base of the American Falls, and into the basin of Horseshoe Falls--the dramatic passage leading you through the rolling waterfall whitewater and massive rock formations. The Maid of the Mist returns you to shore with newfound appreciation of the power and grandeur of Niagara Falls. Following the boat tour, you can explore Niagara Falls State Park onboard the trolley before checking into our hotel for the evening. Later we return to the falls to view the Illumination. (B)

This morning we make our way on to Alexandria Bay in the St. Lawrence Seaway. We take a 2-hour guided cruise. (B)

Today we drive through the Adirondacks of New York. We stop at Lake Placid and continue on to Whiteface Mountain, and to one of America’s great wonders, Ausable Chasm. Another scenic mountain drive takes us to Lake Champlain. A ferry whisks us across the lake to Burlington, Vermont. (B)

We have a spectacular view of the Green Mountains today as we drive through apple country to Middlebury. We’ll have lunch in the Capitol building before visiting the Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks. We travel through the White Mountains and on to our hotel in Manchester, NH. (B,L)

We start our extensive touring at Lexington and Concord and become acquainted with the events that led directly to the American War of Independence and freedom from Great Britain. We continue to Boston. Visit Beacon Hill, follow the Freedom Trail, see the Boston Common, the oldest public park in America, see Faneuil Hall, and visit the Old North Church where two lanterns signaled a warning that the British were preparing their march out of Boston to Lexington and Concord. Time permitting, we also visit the USS Constitution (Old Ironsides). (B)

We travel into Connecticut and stop at Mystic Seaport. We enter the Pocono Mountains and pass through the “Promised Land” and into Wilkes-Barre. (B)

We cross the Susquehanna and the lovely Allegheny River. It is a scenic mountain drive through the northern Pennsylvania Dutch Country and the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Ohio is our destination for tonight. On Day 9, we travel home. (Day 8 - B / Day 9 - B)