Cape Cod and the Islands

You won’t want to miss the romance and flawless beauty of old Cape Cod in the summer and the storybook islands where some of the nation’s wealthiest families make their homes. Come to where it all began – to the weathered clapboard of ancient buildings, the bustling harbors, salty marshlands, and sand dunes dotted with lighthouses.

Day 1 – Hagerstown, Maryland – Our adventure begins today as we travel through West Virginia and Maryland to our overnight accommodations in Hagerstown.

Day 2 – West Haven, Connecticut – After an included breakfast, we continue to the “Empire State” of New York, crossing the mighty Hudson River and continue into West Haven, Connecticut to overnight.

Day 3 – Mystic Seaport Museum – Newport, Rhode Island – The Breakers Mansion – After an included breakfast, we visit the Mystic Seaport Museum, the nation’s largest maritime museum. We will be able to visit the many exhibit buildings filled with collections of ship models, figureheads, scrimshaw, marine paintings, and other marine artifacts. After lunch on our own, we continue to Newport, Rhode Island, the “City by the Sea,” whose mansions best illustrate the Gilded Age. We will tour “The Breakers” Mansion, the former home of Cornelius Vanderbilt. Built in 1895, it is the most splendid of Newport’s mansions, with its French and Italian details and furnishings. We overnight in Middletown, Rhode Island.

Day 4 – Cape Cod Touring – Hyannis, Massachusetts – Breakfast is included at the hotel. The charm of New England awaits today as we explore it to the furthest tip of Cape Cod. We will travel along scenic Route 6A passing by colonial villages filled with wonderful examples of New England architecture. The landscape will dramatically change as we approach the “Land’s End” – Provincetown. We will be surrounded by the ocean and sand dunes and a landscape dotted with small cottages. We visit Provincetown, the site of the first landing of the Pilgrims. We’ll have time for lunch on our own and shopping before checking into our hotel in Hyannis, Massachusetts for three nights.

Day 5 – Nantucket Island – This morning we embark on a journey to the “Far-Away Isle” of Nantucket. Our ferry from Hyannis brings us to this once great whaling center, still surrounded in the charm and beauty of its unique homes and cobblestone streets. We’ll take a guided bus tour of the island and have time for lunch on our own and shopping in Nantucket’s exciting shops and boutiques. Overnight same hotel.

Day 6 – Martha’s Vineyard – Today, we cruise to the “Storybook Island” of Martha’s Vineyard to explore the charm of yesteryear while enjoying the modern, sophisticated shops and intriguing restaurants. We will take a narrated bus tour of the island and have time for lunch and shopping in Edgartown, a fashionable community of narrow streets fringed by stately old homes. In the afternoon we cruise back to Hyannis. Overnight same hotel.

Day 7 – Plimoth Patuxet – Mayflower II – Plymouth Rock – This morning, we explore our country’s beginnings as we visit Plimoth Patuxet, a living history museum that recreates the original 1627 Plymouth Colony. Walk with the Pilgrims as they go about their daily tasks – cooking, harvesting, gardening, and tending farm animals. Next, we visit Mayflower II, a full-scale replica of the ship that brough the Pilgrims to America. The ship was recently renovated for the 400th anniversary of the voyage. Afterwards, we stop at Plymouth Rock to see where the Pilgrims landed in 1620. After lunch on our own, we continue to West Haven, Connecticut to overnight.

Day 8 – Hagerstown, Maryland – After an included breakfast, we depart our hotel and retrace our steps through New York State, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. We overnight in Hagerstown, Maryland.
Day 9 – Home – After an included breakfast, we travel back to our own beautiful Bluegrass State.

Meals: 5B