For several years long time members of the South Mountain family, Heidi and Pam, have been lobbying for a tour of Connecticut and Rhode Island!  Indeed, as one might expect, there are a multitude of fascinating historic and cultural sites all within 300 mile route. I love it!  This tour will include highlights such as a day trip to Martha's Vineyard; the Gilded Age mansions of Newport, RI; Mystic Seaport Museum; the Groton Submarine Museum; and the textile mills of Pawtucket's Old Slater Mll.  Does it sound enticing to you?

ITINERARY

Day 1, October 15        (D)       

Individual arrivals in Providence, RI.

Gather with staff and fellow travelers at tonight’s welcome dinner. 

Overnight Hotel Providence, Providence, RI

Day 2, October 16              Benefit Street           (B) 

Join a local guide on a walking tour of the historic heart of Providence. We'll start at the Roger Williams National Memorial which marks the site where Roger Williams founded Providence n 1636. We'll continue down Benefit Street, dubbed the "Mile of History," featuring the longest stretch of colonial houses in the country. This afternoon, we will visit the John Brown House. Providence's first mansion, it was built in 1788 by John Brown, politician, merchant, slave trader, and early benefactor of the University.Overnight Hotel Providence

Day 3, October 17              Martha's Vineyard        (B) 

Take a day excursion to Martha's Vineyard. We'll take the ferry from Wood's Hole, MA to Vineyard Haven where a local guide will give us a 3-hour tour of the island.  Return to our hotel in Providence.

Overnight Hotel Providence

Day 4, October 18         Home Gilbert Stuart - King Philip's War     (B, L) 

Today we will tour the 1750 home and snuff mill of the Stuart family. This was the birthplace of Gilbert Stuart, America's best-known portraitist. We'll continue to the home of General Nathanael Greene, one of the most brilliant and trusted generals in the Continental Army.  We will also visit Smith's Castle, the oldest surviving plantation house in America. Here we'll learn about King Philip's War (1675-1678) also known as the First Indian War. It remains the highest loss of life per capita of any war in colonial or US history. More than 1,000 colonists and 5,000 Native Americans were killed. King Philip's warriors attacked over half of southern New England's 90 settlements, destroying 12 of them.  

Overnight Hotel Providence

Day 5, October 19         Newport     (B) 

Today we will learn about the history of Newport with a driving tour of the town and the coast. Founded in 1639, Newport was an important port city, a center of the slave trade, a fashionable resort, and the summer home of the Gilded Age rich. Following lunch on our own, we will tour the Vanderbilt's "cottage," The Breakers. Overnight Hotel Providence

Day 6, October 20         Old Slater Mill National Historic Landmark     (B) 

This morning a Newport Historical Society guide will tell us about Newport's role during the Revolution.

This afternoon, we will tour Old Slater Mill National Historic Landmark in Pawtucket. This was the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution. It was here in 1793, that Samuel Slater first used water power in the colonies to spin cotton into thread. Overnight Providence, RI

Day 7, October 21           International Museum of WWII - Mystic Seaport Museum    (B, L) 

We will visit the International Museum of WWII in Wakefield, RI. This afternoon, we will tour Mystic Seaport Museum, the largest maritime museum in the U.S. Overnight Hyatt Place, Mystic, CT

Day 8, October 22           Submarine Force Museum  - Mark Twain House     (B, D) 

This morning, we will drive to Groton to visit the Submarine Force Museum. Continue to Hartford, where our stops will include the Mark Twain House Museum and the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center and either the Old Connecticut State House (1769-1878) or the Coltsville Historic District, which encompasses Samuel Colt's factory, worker housing, and owner residence. Overnight Hartford, CT

Day 9, October 23         Old Sturbridge Village     (B) 

Spend the morning exploring Old Sturbridge village, New England's largest living history museum where we will learn about life in 1830s rural Massachusetts. In the afternoon, we will tour the Clara Barton Birthplace Museum in North Oxford, MA. Overnight Hilton Woburn, MA

Day 10, October 24    Lexington & Concord   (L, D)     

In a nod to the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, we will spend the day touring Lexington & Concord which celebrated its anniversary this past April.

Overnight Hilton Woburn, MA

Day 11, October 25

End of tour.

NEW ENGLAND SAMPLER   11-DAY PROGRAM INCLUDES:

* local guides and private guided tours where available
* Services of a Tour Manager
* 10 nights hotel accommodations

* two wine/beer welcome receptions; 8 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 3 dinners

* all taxes, gratuities; pre-trip notes, and map book


COST: 11 DAYS/10 NIGHTS:
Double Occupancy: $4795 per person
Single Occupancy: $5795

*PRICES based on a minimum of 20 participants.

To enroll on this tour, print & complete the registration form and mail it with a $200 per person deposit check to: South Mountain Expeditions, P.O. Box 204, Keedysville, MD, 21756. Or call us at (301) 491-0225. Email: tours@smountainexpeditions.com. We accept VISA, Mastercard and American Express.