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New! New England Autumn Tour:
Massachusetts and Connecticut
 Main
Tour October 14-21, 2010
Main tour priced from $2199.00
Mohonk Reunion Extension October 11-14, 2010
Extension priced from $1299.00
The glorious colors of the New England autumn peak in
the latter half of October in southern New England. We’ve created a new
tour to visit this beautiful region with popular Rail Travel Center tour
manager Carl Whitehouse, a long-term resident of New England, escorting
this trip. We travel in a great circle by rail, coach and riverboat.
Participants first explore the Berkshires of Massachusetts, then continue
to Connecticut’s beautiful Long Island Sound. We cross Rhode Island by
train enroute to Massachusetts Bay. We discover the “Old Colony” region of
Massachusetts, then travel west to Springfield to explore in the Pioneer
Valley of Massachusetts and Connecticut. The tour concludes with a scenic
ride on the former Boston and Albany Railroad back across the Berkshires
to Albany.
As always we spotlight transportation variety. The tour
rides the pretty Berkshire
Scenic RR through the heart of the great “cottage” area near
Stockbridge MA. The Valley RR’s steam train takes us along the Connecticut
River to Deep River station, where we board a riverboat for a cruise past
Gillette Castle. Three Amtrak trips offer
scenic vistas of the changing colors as we ride from Mystic to Boston,
Boston to Springfield, and Springfield to Albany. We ride the surprisingly
pretty former New Haven RR commuter train routes of the Massachusetts Bay
Transportation Authority (MBTA) south of Boston, with trips on the newly
reopened Greenbush and Plymouth lines.
Sightseeing includes the remarkable “cottages” (actually
mansions) of the Berkshires contrasted with the simple communal life of
the Shakers at
Hancock Shaker Village. We visit the
Norman Rockwell Museum at Stockbridge, the Quincy home of Presidents
John and John Quincy Adams, and the remarkable Hartford residence of Mark
Twain. Two recreated 19th century villages are explored: the
Mystic Seaport whaling center
and the 1840s New England hamlet at Old
Sturbridge Village. For contrast we visit the early 17th century at
Plymouth Plantation and board the re-created sailing ship “Mayflower
II”. A tasty highlight is the Sunday “Hunt Brunch” at the oldest
continuously operated restaurant in New England, the Griswold Inn in the
stately Connecticut River village of Essex, CT.
There are two ways you can combine this tour with all or
part of the October 5-14, 2010 Grand Fall Tour: Empire State Autumn.
- (1) This tour perfectly connects to the
Grand Fall Tour at Albany on October
14, so you can book both programs back to back for a remarkable October
5-21 tour of New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut. As always,
participants who book both tours qualify for our $75 per person
multi-tour discount.
- (2) We understand some people may not be able to take
such a lengthy trip, so we’re also offering a shorter pre-tour Mohonk
Reunion Extension, encompassing the last three nights/four days of the
Grand Fall Tour, which can be combined with this trip. You can join our
pretour Reunion at the Mohonk Mountain
House from October 11-14, 2010 and then continue on this tour. We
are offering the Mohonk extension at our net cost to encourage you to
come! Participants taking the Reunion Extension enjoy not only a
three-night stay at this very special mountaintop resort but also
touring in the Catskill Mountains and a scenic Hudson River mansions
fall cruise. Complete details follow. All aboard!
Optional Pre-Tour Program: Mohonk
Reunion Extension
 Reunion
Day One, Monday, October 11 (D)
Arrive Albany; motorcoach to Mohonk. Book flights or trains into
Albany to arrive at the Albany Airport by no later than 2:00 p.m. or the
Amtrak station before 3:00 p.m. to connect with our included transfer to
Mohonk. Our motorcoach takes us on a pretty drive down the Hudson River
Valley to New Paltz and then up the steep grade into the Shawangunk
Mountains and our destination for three nights, the incomparable
Mohonk Mountain House. We should
arrive in time for an opportunity to get acquainted with the facility
before dinner. All meals (and afternoon tea) are included during our stay.
Reunion Day Two, Tuesday, October 12 (B,L,D)
Free day at Mohonk. We try to personalize our tours, and the Mohonk
Mountain House is one of our very favorite places. For those of you who
have been here with us before, no description of the property is
necessary. For the rest, we will attempt to describe what awaits. The
hotel estate was purchased by the Smiley brothers in 1869 and remains in
their descendants’ hands today. This Quaker family has created a resort
that is in tune with the environment and one of the most peaceful places
imaginable. The National Historic Landmark Victorian-era hotel is set on a
lake surrounded by thousands of acres of forest on top of a mountain
ridge. All bedrooms have either a lake or mountain view. In addition to
the Victorian gardens, 128 gazebos dot the property, allowing walkers to
sit and enjoy lovely views. Except for arrival and departure, no motorized
travel is allowed. Movement is on foot, by boat, by horseback or by
carriage.
 Activities
include tennis, golf, boating and fishing, horseback riding, carriage
rides, and hiking or walking on miles of roads and trails running
throughout the property. Trails vary from level paths to strenuous hiking.
There are programs or movies each evening. Other activities include visits
to the garden, greenhouse, barn museum, stables and blacksmith shop. A
fabulous spa and indoor swimming pool were constructed in 2005, and there
is a quiet lounge serving alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. The hotel
itself is filled with lovely Victorian, Edwardian and Craftsman furniture,
with many quiet alcoves and fireplaces available for conversation, reading
or napping! It also includes a library, ice cream parlor, TV rooms, and a
long covered porch lined with rocking chairs overlooking the lake…a great
place to enjoy afternoon tea and cookies. Limousine service down the
mountain is available for a fee to enjoy attractions in the Hudson River
Valley such as the Huguenot Houses in New Paltz or
Hyde Park,
home of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt.
Reunion Day Three, Wednesday, October 13 (B,L,D)
Catskill Mountains; Delaware & Ulster RR. We temporarily depart our
mountaintop retreat, travel up the Hudson, and drive into the famous
Catskill Mountains. We have a very special treat to start our day: a
chartered ride and luncheon on the vista-dome
RIP VAN
WINKLE FLYER on the Delaware & Ulster RR. Originally this was the
mainline of the Ulster and Delaware RR, which brought Victorian tourists
to the mountains. Direct parlor car services operated on the crack RIP VAN
WINKLE FLYER from as far south as Philadelphia. The U&D merged in the
1930s with the New York Central. Passenger service ended in 1953 and
freight service in 1976, but the heart of the line is revived for us on a
route that starts at tiny Arkville and includes a lovely run along the
headwaters of the Delaware River into Roxbury. We return to Arkville with
time to view the D&U’s museum and historic equipment. Lovely foliage
should be on display during this ride.
 This
afternoon, Mr. Fowler shows us some of his favorite places in these
ancient mountains, which were the setting both for the first resort hotel
in America (the Catskill Mountain House) and the story of Rip Van Winkle.
This area also was a favorite of the Hudson River School painters.
Alternatively, participants can opt out of today’s activities and spend
another day at leisure at Mohonk.
Reunion Day Four, Thursday, October 14 (B,L)
Hudson River scenic cruise; return to Albany. Our leisure time at
Mohonk continues through lunchtime today. We then make a short drive to
Kingston, the capital of New York State at the time of the American
Revolution. When Kingston was burned by the British during the war, the
capital was moved elsewhere; but its importance as a steamboat and
railroad center grew. This afternoon we enjoy a Hudson River cruise on the
“M/V Rip Van Winkle”,
sailing south past the mansions of Hyde Park. Distant vistas reach from
the Catskill Mountains to the Litchfield and Taconic Hills on our
beautiful voyage. We then travel by motorcoach to Albany, where we join
the rest of the group for the New England Autumn Tour at our hotel for the
night, the
Crowne Plaza Albany.
MAIN TOUR: New England Autumn
Day One, Thursday, October 14
Independent arrivals into Albany. Tour participants arrive
independently in Albany NY by rail or air. Our included hotel for this
evening is the downtown
Crowne Plaza Albany Hotel. The airport is about 7 miles northwest of
Albany; the Amtrak station is at Albany-Rensselaer just a few miles from
downtown. The hotel provides free shuttle service on-call from both the
airport and Amtrak.
 Day
Two, Friday, October 15 (B,L)
Hancock Shaker Village; Norman Rockwell Museum; Stockbridge. We drive
through the pretty Taconic Mountains of eastern New York this morning and
cross into the Berkshire Ranges of Massachusetts. Our first stop is at the
beautiful
Hancock Shaker Village, where we learn about the history and beliefs
of the Shaker community and see their buildings and fine crafts. We have
an included lunch in the village of Lee before arriving in the picturesque
town of Stockbridge. This was the final hometown of the renowned
painter/illustrator Norman Rockwell. We visit the
http://www.nrm.org/ this afternoon to
enjoy the comprehensive collection of his works. Later we have time to
visit the shops, walk the historic downtown area, or enjoy a beverage at
the famous Red Lion Inn on the stately main street. Our hotel for the next
two nights is the Crowne Plaza
Hotel in Pittsfield MA.
Day Three, Saturday, October 16 (B,L)
Berkshire Scenic RR; Museum of the Gilded Age; Chesterwood. We ride
the quietly scenic former New Haven RR Litchfield line this morning on the
Berkshire Scenic RR from
Lenox to Stockbridge. The tracks closely follow the Housatonic RR through
the heart of the Berkshires. We continue to the unique new
Museum of the Gilded Age, which
occupies one of the amazing “cottages” (mansions) that dot the region.
This estate originally was Ventford Hall, built for Sarah Morgan, sister
of the legendary financier J. P. Morgan. Today the home displays not only
the furnishings of a great estate but also interprets the enormous changes
that occurred in American life, industry, and society during the late
Nineteenth Century. We enjoy an included lunch here. This afternoon we
explore Chesterwood,
the estate of sculptor Daniel Chester French who created the statue of
Lincoln for the Lincoln Memorial as well as many other works. We see
French’s “shortest railroad in the world” here as well.
 Day
Four, Sunday, October 17 (B,Brunch)
Brunch at the Griswold Inn; Valley Railroad steam train; Connecticut River
cruise. We drive across the Berkshires into Connecticut. Along the
beautiful lower tidal reaches of the Connecticut River, we stop at the
historic river port of Essex, one of New England’s loveliest towns. Here
we enjoy the Sunday Hunt Brunch at the oldest continuously operated
hostelry in New England, the
Griswold Inn. The setting is an 18th century historic tavern which
displays the inn’s collection of ship models and nautical prints. The
breakfast includes salads and soups, eggs,
vegetables, meat entrees and incredible desserts.
Autumn glory cruising on the
Connecticut River photo by Carl Fowler
After lunch we board the steam-powered
Valley RR at the landmark
Essex depot for a very pretty ride along the Connecticut River to the
steamboat landing at Deep River. Here we board a packet boat for a cruise
past the turrets of Gillette Castle. These river reaches are lined by
deeply wooded rolling hills, which should be very colorful. Our hotel
tonight is the
Hilton Mystic in Mystic CT.
Ride the Valley RR steam train, photo by Carl Fowler
 Day
Five, Monday, October 18 (B,L)
Tour Mystic Seaport; Amtrak to Boston; Greenbush Commuter train line.
We tour the remarkably restored
Mystic Seaport this morning. In the 19th century, whaling made Mystic
one of the richest towns in America. The sheltered harbor is lined with
stately Captains’ homes, and the waterfront has been recreated as a
seaport of the late 19th century. The little steamboat “S.S. Sabino” is a
treasured Mystic display. We can board the last America sailing whaler,
the “Morgan”, and explore the shops, museums and historic buildings. Think
of Mystic as the “Colonial Williamsburg” of American seaports!
We have lunch at the Inn at Mystic before boarding
Amtrak for a ride at speeds of up to 125mph on the fast former New Haven
RR Shoreline route to Boston. At points the tracks closely hug the shores
of Long Island Sound and Narragansett Bay. At South Station we change
trains to ride a new/old route. The MBTA’s Greenbush Commuter line
reinstates service over a former Old Colony RR route that originally lost
passenger service in the 1950s. This surprisingly scenic line follows the
shores of the Massachusetts Bay through Quincy, Braintree and Hingham to
Greenbush, where we re-board our coach for the short transfer to the
Radisson Hotel Plymouth, our hotel for the next two nights.
 Day
Six, Tuesday, October 19 (B,L)
Plimouth Plantation; “Mayflower II”; John Adams National Historic Site.
Plymouth town was the first permanent settlement in the Plymouth “Old
Colony” of the Pilgrims in the 1620s. This morning we board the re-created
sailing vessel, the “Mayflower II”, docked on the waterfront. Later we
view the remainder of Plymouth Rock (which isn’t much, thanks to Victorian
souvenir gathers) before visiting
Plimouth Plantation.
This is a “living history” re-creation of the Pilgrim settlement and an
adjacent Wampanoag Indian village of about 1625-1630. The residents speak
in the phrases and idioms of the 17th century. This is one of the most
authentic of museum towns with dirt streets, free-roaming livestock and
primitive houses. There is a real sense here of the difficulties of being
a true pioneer! We enjoy a delicious included lunch of foods the Indians
would have shared with the Pilgrims.
This afternoon we move forward in time to the period of
the American Revolution and the era of the early American Republic. Our
destination is the south shore town of Quincy, home to the John
Adams National Historic Site. The main house here was the home of two
Presidents, John Adams and his son John Quincy Adams, and was the
residence of the remarkable Adams dynasty for over 150 years. This is a
charming and surprisingly little-visited National Historic Park.
 Day
Seven, Wednesday, October 19 (B,D)
Plymouth train to Boston; Amtrak to Springfield; Mark Twain home; Farewell
Dinner at the Palmer Station. This morning we ride another stem of the
MBTA’s “Old Colony” lines from Plymouth through historic towns to Boston
South Station. Here we board
Amtrak’s LAKESHORE
LIMITED for the scenic ride west on CSX’s former Boston and Albany RR
route through the hills of central Massachusetts, detraining at
Springfield. A light lunch can be purchased in the dinette car enroute.
This afternoon we drive south through the Pioneer Valley back into
Connecticut. This area has a most unexpected agricultural product:
tobacco, mainly a variety used for cigar wrappers. At Hartford we visit
the very beautiful home of the
great humorist Mark Twain. The house overwhelmingly reflects the
tastes and personality of Twain; and there is a new museum here devoted to
the author’s life. Our Farewell Dinner is at the
Steaming Tender Restaurant,
which occupies the landmark H. H. Richardson-designed depot in Palmer MA
on the former Boston and Albany RR. After dinner we check into our
accommodations at the Comfort Inn and Suites Colonial in Sturbridge, MA.
 Day
Eight, Thursday, October 20 (CB,L)
Historic Old Sturbridge Village; scenic Amtrak trip over the Berkshire
Mountains. This morning we step back in time at the “living history”
center of Old Sturbridge Village, a
re-creation of a farming hamlet during the prosperous years before the
Civil War. The homes and shops are staffed with “residents” who carry on
the trades and life of the town as if we had just arrived in the fall of
1845. Old Sturbridge centers on a classic village green. Authentic homes
and shops were brought here from throughout southern New England and
reconstructed. We enjoy an included luncheon in the village, with meals
prepared by Sturbridge’s famed Publick House Inn.
This afternoon we reboard Amtrak’s LAKESHORE LIMITED for
the very scenic run over the crest of the Berkshire and Taconic Mountains
from Springfield to Albany. The historic Boston and Albany RR was one of
America’s first lines to cross a mountain range. The route follows the
canyon of the Westfield River, then climbs steeply over the Berkshire
ridges to the summit near Pittsfield. The tour ends on arrival into
Albany.
Amtrak passengers for points west can stay on the
LAKESHORE LIMITED at Albany for Buffalo, Cleveland and Chicago.
Connections are available at Albany for trains to New York. Participants
departing by air (or to Amtrak cities south of New York) may need a
post-tour night at Albany. We have an optional post-tour night available
at the Albany Crowne Plaza Hotel for $150 (inclusive of tax) single or
double occupancy. The hotel offers a complimentary shuttle to Amtrak or
the Albany airport the following day.
TOUR PRICES include all rail, coach and cruise fares;
all hotels; sightseeing and meals noted as included above; tour manager
services; luggage handling; and transfers round trip from Albany. Not
included are connecting travel to/from the tour, meals not included above,
items of a personal nature such as alcoholic beverages, and souvenirs. The
Main Tour Price below is for services during the October 14-21 tour.
Please note the Optional Reunion Pricing which follows for services
October 11-14 during the Mohonk Reunion.
MAIN TOUR October 14-21
$2199.00 per person, double occupancy
$2599.00 single occupancy
OPTIONAL MOHONK REUNION EXTENSION
October 11-14
Price includes all components shown in the Optional
Pre-Tour Program above: three nights with all meals at Mohonk,
sightseeing, luggage handling, tour manager services, and transfers
round-trip from/to Albany. This package is exclusively for participants
also booking the main New England Autumn Tour and is not available as a
“stand alone” program.
$1299.00 per person, double occupancy
$1459.00 single occupancy
Conditions and Booking Information (the fine
print)
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