OUR 2024 TOUR SCHEDULE

All three of our exciting tours for 2024 are nearly sold out.  Take a look: Pennsylvania, May 6-16; The Coast of Maine in July 11-19; and The Heart of Italy, October 3/4-14. y!  If you would like to join us, we encourage you to let us know immediately!

Our popular 'State Series' continues in May 2024 with a journey through the historic Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and we have already begun to receive applications. A few of the highlights will include:  Two Frank Lloyd Wright's homes: Fallingwater and Kentuck Nob; Philadelphia landmarks including a private guided tour of the Museum of  the American Revolution; the Flight 93 Memorial; Fort Necessity and Fort Ligonier; an exclusive visit to a farm adjacent to a remote corner of the Gettysburg Battlefield to tour "Lost Avenue."; a visit to an Amish farm; and a tour of Wheatland, home of President James Buchanan. **SPACE MAY BE AVAILABLE

Looking to escape next summer's heat? Join us for an in-depth look at The Coast of Maine, July 11-19, 2024, where this past summer, the temperatures averaged 20-25 degrees cooler than Washington, DC! We will visit historic homes, forts, lighthouses and picturesque fishing villages. We will savor a traditional Maine lobster bake; enjoy a windjammer cruise out of Bar Harbor; and cruise Camden Harbor on a lobster boat.  Highlights will include: the homes of Joshua Chamberlain and Harriet Beecher Stowe at Bowdoin College; the Bath Ironworks shipyard; the Maine Maritime Museum; Acadia National Park; FDR's summer home in Campobello. **SPACE MAY BE AVAILABLE

"The Heart of Italy: from Florence, Rome, and the Hill Towns of Umbria," October 3/4-14, 2024!  This new tour will explore the heart of Italy from Tuscany's Florence and Sienna to Rome and includes four nights at a country estate in Umbria. Dubbed the "green heart of Italy," Umbria's idyllic countryside is a mosaic of rolling farm fields and vineyards enveloped by mountains and dotted with traditional villages and fortified hill towns. From our villa retreat, we will take daily excursions to the nearby charming hill towns of Assisi, Perugia, and Orvieto. Excursions will include ancient Roman sites, remnants of the Etruscan culture, and special visits including a stained glass studio founded in 1850; a vineyard for a wine tasting; and we'll go on a hunt for truffles! We are offering an optional for a pre-tour excursion to Venice and an optional post-tour extension in Sorrento for those who wish to visit Pompeii and Herculaneum. We hope you can join us next fall for this enchanting trip. We have sold all 15 rooms at our hotel in Rome. If you would like to join us on our Italy tour, you need to let us know ASAP! We may be able to secure an additional room for you. **SPACE MAY BE AVAILABLE

IN 2023 WE JOURNEYED TO.....

PACIFIC NW ADVENTURE, SEPTEMBER 20-30, 2023 

 This fall, we traveled to the beautiful State of Washington, from Seattle to Mount Rainier; to its exquisite coast, verdant rainforests, and on to the San Juan Island Archipelago. We toured the underground city of Seattle and joined a National Park ranger on a nature walk at the foot of Mount Rainier. In Olympic National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, our private naturalist guide led us tours of Hurricane Ridge which offered a spectacular panoramic view of the Olympic Mountain Range; the lush Hoh Rainforest; and stunning Rialto Beach. A local historian joined us as our private guide for two days as we explored San Juan Island. We heard the story of the Pig War of 1859 where a Captain George E. Pickett (yes, that George Pickett!) played a vital role in avoiding war with Canada over a dead pig. On Orcas Island, we drove to the summit of Mount Constitution which afforded a spectacular view of the San Juan islands. (click for detailed tour itinerary)

FROM MEMPHIS TO NEW ORLEANS, MARCH 2023

Featuring Ed Bearss' Mississippi  

On this trip, we explored historic and cultural sites including plantation homes along the Natchez Trace;Vicksburg National Military Park and the USS Cairo with Historian Terry Winschel; the birthplace of Elvis; Emerald Mound; the US Grant Presidential Library; and several stops on the US Civil Rights Trail. A highlight of our tour was our 3-day stay in Jackson-Brandon-Vicksburg Mississippi when Ed's daughter, Ginny Bearss took us to family landmarks including where Ed and Margie Bearss were married and their final resting place.  Ginny welcomed us back to her home for homemade peach cobbler and blueberry pie and showed us family photos (including the only known photo of Ed in a National Park Ranger uniform!) and mementos including the branding irons from the Bearss ranch in Sarpy MT. Our tour ended with two nights in New Orleans. (click here to see where we traveled)

IRELAND, THE EMERALD ISLE, MAY 2023

We had a phenomenal time on our grand adventure around the Emerald Isle in May. We visited the best known sites of both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.  In the company of our outstanding National Guide Marian McCormack and a series of expert local guides, we toured the cities of Dublin, Waterford, Derry, and Belfast and explored the Dingle Peninsula, the Cliffs of Moher, the Burren, and Wicklow Mountains and Killarney National Parks. Other memorable visits included walking the Giant's Causeway (we were the first coach to arrive so we beat the hordes!); a day excursion by ferry to the Aran Island of Inishmore; a tour of a whiskey distillery; and a sheep dog demonstration at a working sheep farm! But for most, the Hawk Walk at the Ireland School of Falconry at Ashford Castle was hands down the highlight of the entire trip; participants are still talking about it! (Click to see our itinerary)

If you would like more information, please email us at tours@smountainexpeditions.com.

We hope to see you soon on one of our tours!

Marty Gane

South Mountain Expeditions

P.O. Box 204, Keedysville, MD 21756

Tel: 301-491-0225     email: tours@smountainexpeditions.com