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

Day 2 – Hershey Chocolate World  – Albany, New York –. After an included breakfast, we drive through the mountains of Eastern Pennsylvania, making a stop at Hershey Chocolate World.  We take a ride through a simulated chocolate factory to learn how a cocoa bean becomes a chocolate bar.  Afterwards, we can purchase delicious chocolates to take home.  We continue to New York’s capital city of Albany, where we spend the next two nights.

Day 3 – National Baseball Hall of Fame – Cooperstown and Charlotte Valley Railroad – Fall Foliage Train Excursion – After an included breakfast, we visit the National Baseball Hall of Fame, where we learn the history of baseball through photographs, artifacts, memorabilia, and interactive exhibits. After lunch on our own, we step aboard the vintage railcars of the Cooperstown and Charlotte Valley Railroad. We’ll have the chance to experience what it was like in the 1800s when riding the rails was the primary form of transportation. Our train takes us through a myriad of scenic areas in the Susquehanna River Valley, through farm fields with beautiful views, and forests with colorful fall foliage. Overnight same hotel.

Day 4 – FDR Presidential Library & Museum – Rip Van Winkle Riverboat – Cruising the Hudson River – After an included breakfast, we step back in time to the 1930s and 40s and we tour the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. The exhibits cover his childhood to his presidency including the Depression and war years. This afternoon, we continue to Kingston, New York. We step aboard the Rip Van Winkle Riverboat for a fascinating narrated cruise of the scenic Hudson River. We’ll learn the fascinating history of the Hudson River, as our guide points out the sprawling mansions of the rich, lighthouses, wildlife, and quaint villages surrounded by vineyards and orchards.  We overnight two nights in Poughkeepsie, New York.

Day 5 – Vanderbilt Mansion –Walkway Over the Hudson – After an included breakfast, we start our morning with a tour of the Vanderbilt Mansion, the estate of Frederick and Louise Vanderbilt.  This opulent 54-room mansion offers an authentic view of the wealth found in this area during the Gilded Age. Manicured gardens and breathtaking views of the Hudson River make this  mansion tour an unforgettable experience.  After an included lunch, we ride the glass elevator to the top of the Walkway Over the Hudson. The elevator will whisk us up 21 stories above the Hudson to be treated to panoramic views of the Catskills to the north and the Hudson Highlands to the south.  Dinner is included this evening. Overnight same hotel.

Day 6 – West Point Military Academy – Hagerstown, Maryland – After an included breakfast, we take a guided tour of the United States Military Academy. West Point’s role in our nation’s history dates to the Revolutionary War, when both sides realized the strategic importance of the commanding plateau on the west bank of the Hudson River. Our guided tour will give us an overview from the beginning of West Point in 1778, to modern times. We will make stops at the Main Cadet Chapel, Trophy Point, and the Plain. Lunch is included at Thayer Hotel on the grounds.  We continue to our overnight accommodations in Hagerstown, Maryland.

Day 7 – Home – After an included breakfast, we make our way homeward, remembering the beauty and historic sites of New York’s Hudson River Valley.

Meals: 6B, 2L, 1D