Mid-Atlantic Coast & Chesapeake Bay

The Mid-Atlantic Coast is an incomparable national treasure. This region of the country has areas that time seems, in some ways, to have passed by. There are towns that look much as they did two centuries ago. Some people make their living much as their ancestors did, in places that truly evoke a bygone era.

Day 1 – Hagerstown, Maryland – A day of travel takes us through the beautiful mountains of West Virginia and the “Old Line State” of Maryland, where we overnight in Hagerstown.

Day 2 – Fort McHenry National Monument – B&O Railroad Museum – U.S. Naval Academy – Milford, Delaware – After an included breakfast, we take a step back into history at Baltimore’s Fort McHenry National Monument. The defense of the fort during the War of 1812 inspired Francis Scott Key to write “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Next, we visit the B&O Railroad Museum. Here the magic and adventure of railroading comes alive, allowing us to see, touch, hear, and explore the most important railroad collection in America. A boxed lunch is included at the museum. This afternoon, we take a guided tour of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Our hotel accommodations for the next two nights will be in Milford, Delaware.

Day 3 – Winterthur Museum – Cape May Trolley Tour – After an included breakfast, we visit the Winterthur Museum in Wilmington, Delaware. Founded by Henry Francis du Pont, it is our nation’s premier museum of American decorative arts, reflecting both early Americana and the du Pont family’s life here. Its 60-acre naturalistic garden is among best in the nation. Next, we travel to Cape May, New Jersey, where
our narrated trolley tour of “America’s Oldest Seashore Resort” will highlight its rich history and many examples of Victorian architecture. After dinner on our own, we will board the Cape May and Lewes Ferry for a 90-minute trip across the Delaware Bay. Overnight in Milford.

Day 4 – Atlantic Coast – Ocean City Boardwalk – Virginia Beach – After an included breakfast, we drive along the Atlantic Coast of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. This afternoon, we stop at the famous Boardwalk of Ocean City, Maryland. We’ll have lunch on our own and time to enjoy some of the amusements that the boardwalk has to offer. Continuing south, we cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, a seventeen-mile engineering marvel that showcases the mighty surge of the Atlantic Ocean and the beauty of the Chesapeake Bay. Next, we check into our oceanfront hotel, located on Virginia Beach, where we overnight two nights. The rest of the day will be at your leisure to stroll the beach or swim in the pool.

Day 5 – Douglas MacArthur Memorial – Nauticus Museum – USS Wisconsin – After an included breakfast, we visit the Douglas MacArthur Memorial, a fascinating tribute to the legendary five-star general who became famous for commanding the Allied Forces in the Pacific during World War II. We spend this afternoon exploring Nauticus Museum and the USS Wisconsin Battleship from World War II. Nauticus is a contemporary museum that uses the natural setting of Norfolk’s harbor to showcase global maritime commerce and the world’s largest navy. Dinner is included this evening. Overnight same hotel.

Day 6 – Shirley Plantation – Virginia State Capitol – Charlottesville – After an included breakfast, we travel up the James River to Virginia’s first plantation. Founded in 1613, only six years after the first permanent English settlement at Jamestown, Shirley Plantation offers the story of eleven generations of family who continue to own and operate this grand colonial plantation. The guided tour of the Great House highlights original family furnishings, portraits, silver, and hand-carved woodwork. Several features such as the “Flying Staircase” and the Queen Anne forecourt are the only remaining examples in North America of this architectural style. This afternoon, we will visit Virginia’s State Capitol. Since 1788, it has been home to the oldest legislature continuously operating in the Western Hemisphere. We overnight in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Day 7 – Tamarack – Home – After an included breakfast, we depart for home. We will stop for lunch on our own and shopping at Tamarack, West Virginia’s unique craft center. We make our way home this afternoon with great memories of the Chesapeake Bay and Mid-Atlantic Coast.

Meals: 6B, 1L, 1D