New! Rails, Sails, and New England Islands
 June
6 to 14, 2008
Tour from $2199.00
TOUR CLOSES APRIL 22.
For 2008, Rail Travel Center introduces a new tour of
the Northeast concentrating on Rhode Island; Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket
Island, and the Cape Cod area of southern Massachusetts; and some of
southern Connecticut. Our program is timed for late spring, just before
the major tourist influx comes to these extremely popular destinations.
The tour includes a five-night stay in Providence RI, two nights on
Nantucket Island, and one night in Hyannis MA.
Transportation highlights include dinners on the
Newport Dinner Train and
the
Cape Cod Central Railroad;
rides on the
Providence to Newport
ferry,
Essex Steam Train,
Shore Line Trolley Museum,
Amtrak’s ACELA,
Vineyard Fast Ferry, and
the
Hy-Line ferry to
Nantucket; and mass transit rides in Providence. All train trips on the
tour ride scenic lines once part of the vast New England empire of the New
York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. Other attractions include touring
Newport RI, a day on Martha’s Vineyard (tour and
lunch included) with free time, touring and free time on Nantucket,
visiting
Cape Cod National
Seashore, and going to the wonderful
Heritage Museum and Gardens in
Sandwich MA. Please consider joining Rail Travel Center
Vice-President/General Manager Carl Fowler on this great new program. All
aboard!
Day One, Friday, June 6
Independent arrivals into Providence RI. Our program
begins with independent arrivals today into Providence, Rhode Island. Our
hotel for the next five nights is the
Courtyard by Marriott Downtown
Providence in the historic Union Station Plaza, just one block from
the current Amtrak station or about 15 minutes from the airport. This was
the landmark former New Haven RR depot.
 Day
Two, Saturday, June 7 (L,D)
Newport sightseeing: Providence to Newport ferry; Marble
House; Rosecliff; Newport Dinner Train. A short ride in mid-morning takes
us to board the RIPTA ferry to Newport RI. Lunch is included on arrival,
followed by tours at famous
Marble
House (built for William K. Vanderbilt in 1892) and
Rosecliff, used as the
setting of the movie “The Great Gatsby” filmed in 1974. Rosecliff was
designed by Stanford White in the style of the Grand Trianon at Versailles
and features garden ornaments by famed sculptor
Augustus Saint-Gaudens.
Following a brief tour of the general area, we have free time before
boarding the
Newport Dinner Train
for a run along the shores of beautiful Narragansett Bay as we enjoy a
four-course dinner in their Budd dining cars.
Day Three, Sunday, June 8 (L)
Essex Steam Train; Shore Line Trolley Museum; Amtrak
ACELA. Our motorcoach takes us southwest today, stopping first in the
lovely village of Essex CT for a late morning ride behind steam along the
Connecticut River on the
Essex
Steam Train. Upon our return, we have a fine included luncheon at
the
Griswold Inn, a
Colonial
 inn
operating since 1776. The Griswold claims to be America’s oldest
continuously operated inn, although the Beekman Arms in Rhinebeck NY makes
a similar claim! There is free time to walk, shop or make an optional
visit to the
Connecticut River
Museum in the village before we depart for the
Shore Line Trolley Museum.
Here we can visit the museum itself, which contains almost 100 historic
U.S. and Canadian trolleys, and ride a three-mile line (the last portion
of the Branford Electric Railway in operation) on an historic trolley. Our
day concludes with a ride on Amtrak’s
ACELA EXPRESS high-speed train
from New Haven to Providence, a ride of approximately
one-and-one-half hours. We reach speeds of 150mph as we follow the very
scenic former New Haven “Shoreline” along the coastline of the Long Island
Sound and Narragansett Bay.
Day Four, Monday, June 9 (L)
Day trip to Martha’s Vineyard. We depart from North
Kingston this morning on the
Vineyard Fast Ferry to Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard. Upon
arrival, we have an included tour of the island and lunch in Edgartown,
followed by several hours of free time before our return departure by
ferry. Historically, Martha’s Vineyard was a whaling town, and fishing
still is an island industry. Now, it is a noted travel destination for its
beautiful beaches and sport fishing as well as a getaway for the
well-to-do and famous during the summer. Beautiful homes, wildlife
sanctuaries and shopping abound. After re-crossing to the mainland, we
return to Providence by motorcoach in early evening.
Day Five, Tuesday, June 10
Free day in
Providence. Everyone on the tour is provided with a LINK trackless
trolley pass for today, which allows visits to many of the important sites
in Providence. The Gold Line in the Capitol Hill area stops at the Amtrak
station; the State House (which contains a painting of George Washington
by Gilbert Stuart, the original 1663 Royal Charter granted by King Charles
II of England and other objects of interest); and Waterplace Park, a
four-acre park in the city center which hosts WaterFire on some evenings.
The Green Line includes Restaurant Row, the Eastside Marketplace, the
First Baptist Church in America (established 1638 and housed in a 1775
structure with a 1792 Waterford crystal chandelier), and the famous Rhode
Island School of Design. The
Museum of Art at the Rhode Island School of Design contains over
80,000 works of art and is well worth the visit! The Gold and Green Lines
join at Kennedy Plaza, within walking distance a few blocks from our
hotel.
Day Six, Wednesday, June 11 (D)
Motorcoach to Hyannis; ferry to Nantucket. This morning
our motorcoach transfers us to Hyannis MA for the noon fast ferry to
Nantucket, with optional lunch available on the ferry. Upon arrival on
Nantucket, we (and our luggage) are transferred to our hotel for the next
two nights, the charming
Nantucket
Inn. This property has both indoor and outdoor swimming pools, an
exercise center, tennis courts, billiards and bicycle rentals. We are
located about three miles outside the village, so the hotel provides
complimentary hourly transfers to/from town or Surfside Beach. We have
free time this afternoon before an included dinner at A. K. Diamond’s
restaurant.
Day Seven, Thursday, June 12 (B)
Tour of Nantucket and free time. Following a lovely
included breakfast buffet, we have a mid-morning tour of Nantucket Island,
ending by mid-day. The afternoon is ours to explore on our own. Nantucket
has a number of historic sites, shops and restaurants. We have included
History Passes on this tour which allow free visits to the spectacular new
Whaling Museum, the
historic
Hadwen House, the
Oldest House, the Old Mill, the
Old Gaol (jail), the Quaker Meeting House and the Fire Hose Cart
House (fire equipment). The Historical Association also offers walking
tours of downtown Nantucket at an optional cost. An inexpensive bus
service is available to visit areas outside the village.
 Day
Eight, Friday, June 13 (B,L,D)
Cape Cod National Seashore; dinner on the
Cape Cod Central Railroad.
Following our breakfast buffet, we are transferred to the Nantucket ferry
dock and ride the ferry back to Hyannis, where our motorcoach meets us. We
then drive the Cape Cod National Seashore, with box lunches included,
stopping at points of interest en route. The Seashore stretches for forty
miles along Cape Cod, consisting of towering sand dunes, forests, cliffs
and marshlands. Cottages, lighthouses and villages are found along the
route. Upon our return to Hyannis, we have time to freshen up at our
hotel, the Holiday Inn Hyannis, before our Farewell Dinner on the Cape Cod
Central Railroad. Our journey of three hours takes us along the Cape Cod
Canal and across the historic Cape Cod Canal railroad bridge to Buzzards
Bay. We pass cranberry bogs, marshes and sand dunes while enjoying a
five-course meal on our diesel-powered train following 23 miles of
original trackage of the Old Colony Railroad.
Day Nine, Saturday, June 14 (L)
Heritage Museums and Gardens; tour ends in Providence.
This morning we make a very short drive to Sandwich MA
to visit
Heritage Museums and
Gardens, which specializes in American history and art. A replica
Shaker round barn houses a wonderful collection of antique automobiles
including a Cord 812 Phaeton, a Duesenberg Model J, a 1962 Corvette and a
1932 Auburn 8-100A Boattail Speedster. A working hand-carved carousel,
Nantucket baskets, scrimshaw and numerous art works are located in the Art
Museum; and the American History Museum includes antique toys, military
miniatures and Native American artifacts. Paths and a shuttle service
provide access to the 100-acre site which also includes gardens, nature
trails, a maze and an old mill. Lunch is included on site. Following our
visit, we drive back to Providence with stops at both Amtrak and the
airport for late afternoon departures.
TOUR PRICES include all hotels; tour manager
services; admissions; meals noted as included above; rail, motorcoach and
ferry transportation; and luggage handling from arrival at our hotel on
Day One to drop-offs at Amtrak and the Providence airport on Day Nine. Not
included are connecting transportation to/from Providence, other meals,
alcoholic beverages and items of a personal nature.
$ 2199.00 per person, double occupancy
$ 2849.00 single occupancy
Conditions and Booking Information (the fine
print)
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