NE INTRO

emily k. weber

New York Water Taxi

Sightseeing Alternatives

Strasburg Rail Road

NORTHEAST

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Chug through rural Pennsylvania on the Strasburg Rail Road or cruise past the New York skyline.

he Northeastern United States offers rich history and pleasing scenery. Explore in a unique way while soaking in the sights and magnificent views aboard one of the many rail or boat tours. Here is just a sampling of

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excursions available from Maine to Maryland: The Cape Cod Central Railroad in Massachusetts provides scenic excursions on diesel-operated locomotives.

The train runs from Hyannis over 23

miles of the New York, New Haven & Hartford railroad, passing cranberry bogs, forests and marshes. The railroad offers a package with Hyline Cruises that includes a one-hour cruise on a Maine-style coastal steamer of Hyannis

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Harbor and the Kennedy compound. (capetrain.com) In Vermont, passengers can travel on the Green Mountain Railroad’s White River Flyer along the majestic Connecticut River. The train departs from Union Depot in White River Junction and offers roundtrip journeys to Pompanoosuc Mills in East Thetford after a brief stop at the Montshire Museum of Science. (rails-vt.com) The Maine Eastern Railroad offers coastline views from large-windowed, stainless steel coaches. The railroad goes over 33 bridges on a 57-mile track between Brunswick and Rockland. (maineeasternrailroad.com) The Western Maryland Scenic Railroad is a 3½-hour, 32-mile ride between Cumberland and Frostburg.

The train passes through a breach in the Allegheny Mountains, crosses an iron truss bridge and threads a 914foot-long tunnel. Passengers have a 90minute layover in Frostburg to dine at the 1891 depot, shop in the old hotel or visit the Thrasher Carriage Museum. (wmsr.com) The Strasburg Rail Road departing from Strasburg, Pa., allows passengers to soak in the unspoiled charm of Lancaster County, where Amish farmers still plow their fields with horses and mules. The nine-mile, 45-minute excursion on America’s oldest short-line steam train goes to the town of Paradise and back. Across the road is the world-class Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, with more than 100 locomotives and coaches from yesteryear. Also in Strasburg are the National Toy Train Museum and the Choo Choo Barn, both with model train layouts. (strasburgrailroad.com) Enjoy the sights and sounds of historic Boston with Boston Harbor Cruises. See the contemporary and historic sights while experiencing the 94 June 2011

treasures and history of Boston’s waterfront on a 90-minute, narrated tour of Boston’s inner and outer harbors. Information and sights include tales of famous Revolutionary battles, the nation’s oldest continuously manned lighthouse, and islands of the inner and outer harbor. (bostonharborcruises.com) New York Water Taxi allows travelers to view the famous skyline, Brooklyn Bridge and Statue of Liberty aboard several harbor boat tours. The “Statue of Liberty Express” departs from Pier 17 at South Street Seaport and takes passengers on a narrated tour of the Big Apple, with close-up views of Lady Liberty. The “Statue by Night Cruise” spotlights New York under the stars. Enjoy a champagne toast as you cruise by the illuminated Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge and landmark buildings. The “HopOn/Hop-Off ” cruise allows passengers to disembark as they please for visits to such sights as the Intrepid Air and Space Museum, 9/11 Memorial, Statue of Liberty and Times Square.

Or they can just relax and enjoy the 90-minute loop. The tour picks up and drops off at West 44th Street (next to the Intrepid), Battery Park, South Street Seaport and Fulton Ferry Landing. (nywatertaxi.com) The MS Mount Washington offers dinner dance and excursion cruises on scenic Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. Surrounded by mountains, the 72-square-mile lake is the largest in the state. The U.S. mail boat Sophie C. takes passengers around to the islands as it makes its deliveries. Both cruises depart from Weirs Beach. (cruisenh.com) LGT

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE For more ideas on trips by rail or water in the Northeast, log on to http://leisuregrouptravel.com/?p=23771

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