Burlington, Vermont  2 nights
Day 1: Arrival in BurlingtonWelcome to Vermont! After arriving in Burlington,
make your way to your hotel to get settled in.
Day 2: Sightseeing tour of VermontIncluded meals: Breakfast, Tasting, Welcome dinner
An all-day foliage tour introduces you to Vermont’s scenic, rustic, quirky charm and the spirited small towns that make up the Green Mountain State. In the fall, the dense greenery of its resident birch, sugar maple, and beech trees turns to blazes of gold and vermilion.

• Stop in Stowe to enjoy a guided tour of the Trapp Family Lodge—yes, the Trapp family of “The Sound of Music” fame. This European-style mountain resort is ensconced among thousands of acres of trails, gardens, and pastures, and has been owned and operated by the Trapps since 1950.
• See how apple cider is produced during a visit to a mill and enjoy a tasting of the refreshing drink at the height of apple-picking season.
• Make a sweet pilgrimage to the Ben & Jerry’s Factory in Waterbury. Of course, we won’t let you leave before you’ve had a scoop at this colorful, cow-print institution.

Join your group for a welcome dinner this evening, served with beer or wine.
White Mountains Region, New Hampshire1 night
Day 3: Transfer to the White Mountains RegionIncluded meal: Breakfast
Before leaving Vermont, you’ll get a taste of more of the state’s delicious and iconic flavors.

• Stop at a local family-owned sugar shack for a sugaring presentation.
• Enjoy free time to explore the sugar shack’s grounds and take the opportunity to shop for locally made maple and sugar products.
• Pay a visit to a sugar bush to learn about maple syrup production in Vermont.

Next, you’ll travel east to New Hampshire, leaving the rolling Green Mountains behind as you head for the granite peaks of the White Mountains.

• Pass through the White Mountains, stopping at the catch-your-breath pass of Franconia Notch and its jewel-like Echo Lake. When the air is still, you’ll see the fall foliage reflected in its waters.
• Continue your drive down the state’s most famous scenic byway, the Kancamagus Highway. Known as the Kanc to locals, it stretches more than 34 miles, cutting through the heart of the White Mountains National Forest. Keep your eyes peeled for covered bridges, waterfalls, alpine ridges—and, if you’re lucky, a moose crossing. This living part of New Hampshire’s natural legacy is named after Chief Kancamagus, the last Sagamore of the Pennacook people.

Portland, Maine 2 nights
Day 4: Portland via Mt. WashingtonIncluded meal: Breakfast
Geological marvel. Climatological spectacle. Views for days. Mount Washington sits in the Presidential Range of the White Mountains, and hiking, driving, or riding to its peak is a rite of passage for New Englanders. Today, you’re in for a thrilling trip to the top of the New England—some 6,288 feet above sea level.

• Board the Mount Washington Cog Railway for an epic ride through three climate zones culminating at the region’s highest summit. Don’t forget your waterproof jacket and warm hat—even when the temperatures are warmer at its base, the summit of Mount Washington is notorious for having the “world’s worst weather,” so you’ll want to be prepared for rain, ice, and even snow.
• Take in the beautiful foliage and incredible vistas that the region is known for, like Owl’s Head, Bretton Woods, and the historic mountain passes known as “notches” to locals. On a clear day, you might be able to see the Atlantic Ocean.

After returning from the summit, cross the border to Maine and stop in the coastal city of Portland, where your Tour Director will show you around. Expect your classic New England sights—historic cobbled streets and brick buildings—as well as an exciting food scene serving up everything from fresh-caught lobster to inventive international cuisine and craft brews. (Be sure to check it out with your free time for lunch.)

• Pass the Portland Observatory, a historic maritime signal tower, as well as Fort Allen Park, a waterside urban oasis overlooking Casco Bay.
• Visit the Old Port neighborhood, filled with independent bookshops and quaint local boutiques.

Day 5: Trolley tour of KennebunkportIncluded meal: Breakfast
Travel down along the coast of Maine to the quaint fishing town of Kennebunkport where sea captains' mansions and presidential summer homes dot the rocky shoreline. Board a private trolley for a guided tour that rolls through 300 years of local history, from Native American heritage to the town's shipbuilding heyday.

• Pass President Bush's estate at Walker's Point, perched on a dramatic peninsula where the Bush family has summered for generations.
• View Saint Anthony's Franciscan Monastery, a peaceful retreat set amid manicured gardens and wooded trails overlooking the Kennebunk River.
• Cruise along the coastline to admire Kennebunkport's picturesque beaches, where sandy crescents meet the Atlantic's crashing waves.
• Stop to see Spouting Rock and Blowing Cave, natural formations where the ocean surges through rocky crevices, sending spray skyward with each powerful wave.
• Enjoy free time for lunch and shopping in Kennebunkport's village center, where boutiques, galleries, and seafood shacks line the harbor-side streets.​

Return to Portland and use your free evening to explore its abundant nightlife and dining options, or join us on an optional outing to experience Maine’s main pride and joy: briny, right-out-of-the-water seafood. Learn how to shuck and slurp down oysters and how to prepare a proper, buttery lobster roll.

​Boston, Massachusetts 2 nights
Day 6: Boston via SalemIncluded meal: Breakfast
En route to Boston, stop in Salem, where centuries of maritime glory, revolutionary fervor, and infamous witch trials have left an indelible mark on American history. Meet up with a local guide for a walking tour through this storied city, spanning four centuries from its 1626 founding to its vibrant present-day character.

• Learn about Salem's critical role in the American Revolution, when its privateers harassed British ships and its citizens fueled the fight for independence.
• Discover how Salem became America's premier seaport from 1790 to 1812, when its merchant vessels sailed to the Far East and brought unprecedented wealth to this coastal enclave.
• Hear stories of the inventors, political leaders, and cultural figures who called Salem home, as well as tales from its Hollywood connections and, of course, the dark chapter of the 1692 witch trials.
• Enjoy free time to explore Essex Street, Salem's pedestrian-friendly heart, where historic architecture houses eclectic shops, cafés, and museums that keep the city's multifaceted past alive.

Continue to Boston and enjoy free time for the rest of the day. If you’re feeling energetic, the city is a walker’s paradise with widely available public transportation. Head to the Charles River Esplanade, Boston Common, or Public Garden before turning in for the day—these leaf-lined, pedestrian-friendly green spaces become a magical display of colorful foliage in the fall.
Day 7: Sightseeing tour of BostonIncluded meals: Breakfast, Farewell dinner
Spend the morning getting to know Boston, one of the oldest cities in America, on a guided tour. You'll sweep through more than 250 years of American history, following the Freedom Trail past landmarks enshrined in American colonial history as your guide reveals the city's rich past—one building at a time.

• Drive through Copley Square, passing Trinity Church's Romanesque grandeur and the sleek, modernist John Hancock Tower that towers above it.
• Continue past the distinctive red brick row homes of Beacon Hill and the green expanse of Boston Common, where you'll spot the Edgar Allan Poe statue honoring the writer's Boston birth. Pass the gilded dome of the Massachusetts State House, the historic Omni Parker House hotel, and the Old South Meeting House, where colonists gathered before the Boston Tea Party.
• View the Old State House, site of the infamous Boston Massacre, before passing both the elegant French Second Empire architecture of the Old City Hall and the stark concrete of the current city hall, a Brutalist masterpiece. Continue by Faneuil Hall, the "Cradle of Liberty."
• Drive to Charlestown to view the USS Constitution in the Navy Yard and see the Bunker Hill Monument, which commemorates one of the first major battles of the American Revolutionary War.
• Disembark in the North End for a walking tour past Paul Revere's House and the Old North Church, Boston's oldest surviving church building, famous for its starring role on the night of April 18, 1775, when the church sexton held two lanterns to signal that British forces were arriving by sea.
• End your tour with free time to explore the charming Italian neighborhood's narrow streets (and rival bakeries!) in search of the perfect cannoli.

Enjoy a free afternoon in Boston or double down on your tour through America’s colonial and literary history with an optional excursion to Lexington and Concord. You’ll visit the site of the “shot heard around the world” and swing by Concord where you’ll spot the “Little Women” house.

Boston, Massachusetts 2 nights
Day 8: Sightseeing tour of Plymouth Included meal: Breakfast
Head to Plymouth and spend the morning exploring this historic coastal town. Visit a living history museum where costumed interpreters and detailed recreations bring the 17th century to life. Wander through a Pilgrim village, a Wampanoag homesite, and step aboard the Mayflower II—a full-scale replica of the ship that carried the Pilgrims to the New World.

• Enter the historic Plimouth Patuxet Museum to learn about the Indigenous inhabitants of southeastern Massachusetts, the Wampanoag people, as well as the colonial English settlers who arrived in the area.
• Stop in Pilgrim Memorial National Park to take a picture with Plymouth Rock, traditionally believed to be the spot where the Pilgrims first set foot in the New World in 1620. Although there’s no evidence this is the exact location of their fateful landing, the rock remains a powerful, if unassuming, symbol of American colonial lore.

Enjoy free time for lunch before returning to Boston.
Day 9: Free day in BostonIncluded meal: Breakfast
With your free day in Boston, join us for an optional excursion to walk the tree-lined paths and ponds of Boston Common and visit the opulent Wang Theatre. Modeled to evoke the grand European opera houses, expect gilded moldings, chandeliers dripping with crystal, and sweeping curved staircases.
If you’d rather set off on your own, you can hop on one of Boston’s beloved duck boats to revisit the city’s sights and sounds by land and on the Charles River.
This evening, sip a farewell drink as you celebrate your trip with your fellow group members.

Flight HomeDay 10: DepartureIncluded meal: Breakfast (excluding early morning departures)
Transfer to the airport for your flight home.