2008 Itinerary

Day 1 – Welcome to Boston
Your fall foliage tour begins at 6:15 PM at The Langham Hotel, Boston. Located in the heart of this historic city, your lovely hotel is a national architectural landmark just steps away from Boston’s famous attractions. Please join us for our welcome dinner this evening to meet your Tauck Director and the other autumn explorers who will share this memorable journey with you.
Meals: Dinner
Lodging: The Langham Hotel, Boston, Massachusetts

Day 2 – The many faces of Beantown
Boston entices on so many levels. History buffs think of the city as the hotbed of the American Revolution while baseball fans associate it with the 2007 World Series champions, the Boston Red Sox. There’s something intriguing everywhere you look. We’ll show you some of Boston’s most famous sights on an orientation tour this morning before turning you loose to further explore the faces of Boston that interest you most at your leisure.
Meals: Breakfast
Lodging: The Langham Hotel, Boston, Massachusetts

Day 3 – New England’s seafaring side
While Salem might be best known for its infamous witch trials, during the Revolutionary War it was the port of choice for 158 privateering vessels. Salem’s privateer fleet helped the American cause by, between them, capturing 445 English ships. You’ll discover more about the ships that plied these waters at the Salem Maritime Museum. Then, it’s off to the coast of Maine, perhaps most often thought of in connection with lobsters. Explore the secret lives of these yummy crustaceans and learn about the lobster-fishing industry at a special presentation in Portland during your fall foliage tour.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: The Harraseeket Inn, Freeport, Maine

Day 4 – The beguiling Boothbays
Clustered along Maine’s rocky coast are several scenic small villages, known as the Boothbays, which were a favorite summer retreat of the rich and famous with saltwater in their veins in the 19th century. Sailors continue to go down to the sea in ships here, just as you will when you board a private schooner for a cruise on beautiful Boothbay Harbor. Later, your fall foliage tour includes a guided stroll through the Botanical Gardens to view the outstanding collection of plants and flowers dressed in their autumnal best.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch
Lodging: The Harraseeket Inn, Freeport, Maine

Day 5 – New Hampshire mountain majesty
Your fall foliage tour continues as you take in the charming rural New England landscape while climbing into the stunning White Mountains. You’ll be surrounded by the full glory of autumn during lunch in North Conway, where a RAVEN-series presentation on the wildlife indigenous to the area increases your understanding of this wonderful part of the country. Pause to pay homage to the much-beloved Old Man of the Mountain, a natural rock “profile portrait” that stood guard over Franconia Notch until the forces of nature did him in during 2003. Continue on to the Mount Washington Hotel for a memorable overnight stay. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it has been a favorite getaway of wealthy folks from as far away as Philadelphia for over 100 years
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: The Mount Washington Hotel, Bretton Woods, New Hampshire

Day 6 – The proud home of “the world’s worst weather”
A visit to the Mount Washington Observatory, perched at the 6,288-foot summit of the mountain and experiencing some of the most extreme weather on earth, will be a memorable experience during your fall foliage tour. In April of 1934, a wind gust of 231 mph – still the world record for a surface station – was recorded here. You’ll be able to meet the dedicated (and hardy) resident meteorologists and learn about their work during a special lecture. Later, cross into the Green Mountains of Vermont for a two-night stay at a charming inn.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: The Inn at Essex, Essex Junction, Vermont

Day 7 – Cultural and culinary delights
Take an enriching journey through Americana at the Shelburne Museum, where a fascinating array of diverse exhibits includes the SS Ticonderoga sidewheeler as well as American painting and sculpture, folk art, carriages, toys, cigar-store Indians and much, much more. Then continue on to Shelburne Farms. Dedicated to “Cultivating a Conservation Ethic,” Shelburne Farms has been a model agricultural estate since its creation in 1886. Today, this National Historic Site practices environmentally, economically and culturally sustainable rural land use. During your visit, you’ll meet the cheese-makers who turn the milk from a herd of 125 purebred Brown Swiss cows into award-winning farmhouse cheddar cheese, and see the Breeding Barn built to provide Vermont’s farmers with hackney horses at the turn of the 20th century. You have a very special treat in store tonight as you attend a culinary dinner theatre experience at the New England Culinary Institute.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: The Inn at Essex, Essex Junction, Vermont

Day 8 – The sweet side of Vermont
You’ve always just poured it on your pancakes without giving it a single thought. Well, no fall foliage tour would be complete without a sweet encounter with the maple syrup that Vermont produces more of than any other state. Later, enjoy a ferry ride across the lake from the Green Mountains to the Adirondack Mountains and the alpine village of Lake Placid in New York State. The glorious autumn scenery surrounding you is an inspiration.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Mirror Lake Inn Resort and Spa, Lake Placid, New York

Day 9 – Placidly perfect
You’ll understand why the lake was given its name as you admire the peaceful beauty around you during a cruise on its calm waters. The village of Lake Placid is usually just that – except when the Winter Olympics are in town, as they were in 1932 and 1980. While visiting the Olympic Ski Jumping Complex, try to imagine what it would feel like to be standing way up there at the top of the jump, with the long, thin boards strapped to your feet the only things between you and the ground far below. You’ll gain a new respect for intrepid athletes who dare to even attempt ski jumping. It may surprise you to encounter Civil War history in upstate New York, but you will when you visit the John Brown Farm, home and burial place of the famed abolitionist who lost his life trying to free southern slaves.
Meals: Breakfast
Lodging: Mirror Lake Inn Resort and Spa, Lake Placid, New York

Day 10 – And, they’re off!
Saratoga Springs has long been a mecca for devotees of “the sport of kings,” as you’ll see when you tour the National Museum of Racing, devoted to the history and traditions of thoroughbred horse racing, and a take a drive along the famous racetrack. It was also a popular destination for Victorian socialites who came to “take the waters” of its therapeutic mineral springs when not at the races. As your fall foliage tour comes to an end, please join us for a farewell cocktail reception and dinner at your Vermont country inn this evening.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Jackson Gore Inn, Ludlow, Vermont

Day 11 – Homeward bound
Although it’s the final day of your fall foliage tour, you’ll still be amidst the glowing red, yellow and orange of autumn in New England as we drive the approximately 163 miles back to Boston. Your tour ends at Boston’s Logan Airport at 3:30 PM or at The Langham Hotel, Boston at 4:30 PM, depending upon traffic. Please allow a minimum of two hours for airport check-in formalities. We wish you a safe and pleasant journey home.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch

Tauck’s grand fall foliage tour finds Mother Nature decked out in all her autumn finery throughout New England – space sells out quickly!

Tauck is currently working hard to provide information regarding this tour. Please check back soon for more information.

If you have an immediate questions, please call us at 800-788-7885 or email info@tauck.com.

Did you know that you can link-up Tauck itineraries to create longer journeys? Many of these trips are in the same region, and depending upon availability you might connect with them before or after your trip. Alternatively, you might find one of these options better suited for your interests and preferences or for when you are available to travel.

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