NE Itineraries

OCEAN CITY & CAKE TO CAKE

Coastal Maryland

HIGHLIGHTS ➤ 10 miles of sparkling Atlantic Coast beach ➤ Famous Assateague Island wild ponies ➤ Rural heritage at its best ➤ Excitement of the award-winning OC Boardwalk ➤ Experience crab cake and Smith Island cake delicacies

DAY-TO-DAY ITINERARY DAY 1: When you tour the Ocean City region, you will enjoy excellent accommodations and the sea air! Situated beside the roaring Atlantic Ocean, our 10-mile Boardwalk is just the place for long walks, a few reflective moments beside the ocean or a fun dinner with friends at one of the Boardwalk eateries. Or enjoy dining out on the town—Ocean City offers everything from boardwalk fries and cotton candy to the finest in elegant dining with classically trained chefs.

DAY 2: Today, visit the Life Saving Station Museum at the end of the Ocean City Boardwalk that has the absolute best view of Assateague and the Ocean City Inlet waters. Learn about the “lore of the sea” and the forerunner of today’s Coast Guard in the surf men that pulled fishermen to land with ropes and sheer strength. From here, you might glimpse the famous wild ponies of Assateague that entice visitors from around the world. Visit Assateague National Seashore Park and the lovely new visitor center to learn about coastal bays and wildlife in the area. Have lunch in nearby Berlin and enjoy the quaint specialty shops before heading back to Ocean City for a stroll on the boards or relaxation at the hotel.

DAY 3: Travel to the historic fishing town of Crisfield, where you can board tours to Smith or Tangier Islands in the Chesapeake Bay. On land, experience a lunch where you can enjoy crab cake, and see how crabs are steamed, picked and prepared as you await the delectable Chesapeake region delicacy.

Smith Island Cakes have been named Maryland’s official dessert. This multi-layer confection has become a famous favorite at meals and you can see how they are made and assembled. Talk with Smith Island native bakers and get a glimpse of how life was when the waters teemed with seafood and production and shucking houses were big business!

Schedule a stop at one of the local wineries on the way back or choose a round of golf for the afternoon. The Ocean City area offers extensive golfing choices.

Tonight might be the perfect evening for a traditional Eastern Shore crab feast or even fine Italian dining. Ocean City offers great choices for both, and everything in between, many with oceanfront or bayside dining.

CONTACT: Ocean City MD Dept. of Tourism/CVB

OTHER ITINERARIES AVAILABLE:

➤ Norma Dobrowolski • www.ococean.com 4001 Coastal Hwy., Ocean City MD 21842 Phone: 800-626-2326 • Email: ndobrowolski@ococean.com

➤ Seaside Adventures ➤ Relaxation at the Beach

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HISTORY MEETS HOSPITALITY

Franklin, Oil City and Titusville Pennsylvania

HIGHLIGHTS ➤ Snooze in a Caboose ➤ See & Hear Antique Musical Marvels ➤ Tour a Wild West Museum ➤ See where the world’s First Successful Commercial

Oil Well was drilled ➤ Take a Train Ride “Through the Valley That Changed

the World”

DAY-TO-DAY ITINERARY DAY 1: Franklin DeBence Antique Music World in Franklin, Pennsylvania offers mechanical, musical marvels from the 1800s to the 1940s. These very rare and one-of-a-kind treasures have been preserved and restored as a repository of our past.

Our next stop is St. John’s Episcopal Church for a close-up glimpse of a complete set of Tiffany windows, one of only six sets left in the country. Tiffany installed the windows around the turn of the century as the church was being restored after a devastating fire.

We’ll shop till we drop along Franklin’s Liberty Street and enjoy lunch on your own at one of the many fine eateries.

Franklin’s Antique Mall gives us a tour of their “Wild West Museum” with its one-of-a-kind display of famous cowboys and we will also find the finest Civil War room in the country.

industry in the 1890s and early 1900s. John D. Rockefeller and his Standard Oil Company was associated with the building during this time and large vaults were installed to accommodate his sizable amounts of money and securities.

After a delicious lunch at Coal Oil Johnny’s eatery and bulk food store, it’s off to tour Tyred Wheels Museum. Antique cars, toys, airplanes, pedal cars and over 5,000 miniature vehicles are on display.

We will now travel to Titusville, Pennsylvania to check in to the Caboose Motel, the region’s unique accommodation. These 21 cabooses are selfcontained with heat, AC, showers, TVs, phones, Internet and outside decks. This overnight stay will truly be a one-of-a-kind experience.

The evening meal will be served at the Cross Creek Resort nestled in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania.

DAY 3: Titusville After a busy day it’s time to check in and relax at the Quality Inn in the heart of the “Oil Heritage Region.”

Dinner will be served at The Commons at Franklin offering the finest cuisine and four-star service.

DAY 2: Oil City to Pleasantville After breakfast, our local step-on guide will take us to Oil City, Pennsylvania to visit the Venango Museum of Art, Science and Industry, where we explore several thematic displays including “Black Gold or Black Magic.”

Just a short walk from the museum we will tour the National Transit Building, the operational headquarters for 84% of the domestic oil

Breakfast will be a short walk from the cabooses at any one of Titusville’s fine restaurants.

Our first stop of the day will be at Drake Well Museum, where the first successfully commercial oil well was drilled in 1859 and launched the modern petroleum industry. Here we will see a full-scale replica of the original oil well and many more oil-related exhibits.

The highlight of the day will be a ride on the OC&T Railroad “through the valley that changed the world.” Hear narrations of how the oil boom created towns almost overnight. Ride the open gondola car and mail a souvenir postcard from the only operating Railway Post Office train car in the United States. A delicious box lunch will be served on the return trip.

CONTACT: Oil Region Alliance of Business, Industry & Tourism

OTHER ITINERARIES AVAILABLE:

➤ Betty Squire • www.oilregion.org 217 Elm St., Oil City, PA 16301 Phone: 814-677-3152 • Email: bsquire@oilregion.org

➤ Musical Wheels & Oily Rails Tour ➤ Oil City History Tour

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WHERE THE POTOMAC MEETS THE CHESAPEAKE…AND MARYLAND BEGINS

St. Mary’s County, Maryland

HIGHLIGHTS ➤ Discover the island where Maryland’s story began ➤ Climb Potomac River lighthouses ➤ Explore Maryland’s first colonial capital ➤ Savor fresh seafood at waterside restaurants ➤ Less than one hour from Washington, D.C.

DAY-TO-DAY ITINERARY St. Mary’s County is where the Potomac meets the Chesapeake and Maryland begins! Early explorers found this Chesapeake Bay peninsula full of surprises and full of charm. Your group will, too!

DAY 1: Start your visit where 140 hardy colonists came ashore in 1634. Visit the St. Clement’s Island Museum and discover Maryland’s beginnings.

Enjoy a guided tour of the museum that tells the story of Maryland’s first landing. Then take the water taxi out to the actual Potomac River Island.

This quiet island of beach grass and water birds is crowned with an enormous cross that commemorates the place where the colonists first landed. There is also a lighthouse to tour.

Leonardtown lies along breezy Breton Bay. The quaint town square has numerous cozy restaurants for lunching and shops with regional art and unique finds for exploring. In warm weather sidewalk dining is the way to go.

A short bridge from the mainland gets you to your second island: St. George Island. The oldest lighthouse on the Potomac River, Piney Point Lighthouse, is just around the corner. The Piney Point Museum has historic vessels that once plied the Potomac and the Chesapeake Bay. The setting is sandy and serene.

Seafood is savory in St. Mary’s! Waterside restaurants serve not only crabs and crab cakes—try a crab muffin! Or dig into the fresh catch of the day. In the summer, try rockfish. And in those “r” months, September through March, mouth-watering fried oysters top the menu.

DAY 2: Spend the morning at Historic St. Mary’s City. Experience 17th century life, Maryland style. Meet its planters, printers and sailors—and its Indians! The “city” offers inspiring outdoor living history. Along its trails you’ll find a garden plantation, an Indian Hamlet, a town center and the Maryland Dove, a working replica of the tall ship that brought the first colonists to Maryland. Allow enough time to browse the site’s fabulous gift shop!

Leave the 17th century and enter the 18th at Sotterley Plantation, which offers grand sweeps of the Patuxent River and of history.

Sit down to a welcoming lunch just for your group on the riverside portico, then tour the rambling manor house, where each nook and cranny holds a story. The gardens are lovely and the grounds are dotted with outbuildings worth an inquiring peek.

Ready for more seafood? St. Mary’s can fill that order—or try other fresh fare at one of the county’s many unique restaurants.

DAY 3: Breakfast at a place the locals favor and follow up the eggs with a cooking demonstration of the area’s very own dish—stuffed ham.

Say good-by to St. Mary’s with a stuffed ham sandwich picnic box to enjoy on the motorcoach ride home!

Overnight at one of our great group-friendly hotels and enjoy the special touches that let you know you are welcome. Enjoy a complimentary breakfast before beginning a second inspiring day.

CONTACT: St. Mary’s County, Maryland Tourism

OTHER ITINERARIES AVAILABLE:

➤ Rebecca Deprey • www.visitstmarysmd.com P.O. Box 653, Leonardtown, MD 20650 Phone: 301-373-4200, ext. 1404 • Email: Rebecca.Deprey@stmarysmd.com

➤ Be Inspired! ➤ Maritime Menu

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New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont and Massachusetts

NEW ENGLAND FALL COLORS HIGHLIGHTS ➤ Boston, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine

without changing hotels ➤ Spectacular New England fall colors in the White and

Green Mountains ➤ Historical tour of Boston ➤ Visit some of Maine’s most photographed lighthouses ➤ Taste Maine lobster, Vermont cheese, New Hampshire

chocolate

DAY-TO-DAY ITINERARY DAY 1: Arrive Boston or Manchester You will be met at Logan International Airport or Manchester Airport and transferred to the Radisson Nashua Hotel. For those who arrive early in the day we have the opportunity to visit Anheuser-Busch Brewery for a tour and tasting and Swan Chocolate for a chocolate tasting. Welcome dinner.

DAY 2: Boston City Tour Our day begins with a visit to historic Boston, Massachusetts. Our first stop will be the USS Constitution, the oldest commissioned ship in the U.S. Navy. Next we will visit the North End of Boston, where we will see the Old North Church and Paul Revere’s Home. Then it is on to the famed Quincy Market for a bit of shopping and lunch. After lunch our tour of Boston will continue with the State House, Boston Common, Trinity Church and other Boston highlights. Our last stop this afternoon will be the Kennedy Library. Breakfast and dinner included.

DAY 3: New Hampshire We will enjoy a full breakfast buffet at the hotel before heading off to explore the New England fall colors. Be sure to bring your camera for the spectacular viewpoints and scenic vistas. If the weather is bad, we will skip the Kancamaugus Highway. The Kancamaugus offers some of the most dramatic views, with the fall colors and covered bridges.

Breakfast and dinner included.

DAY 4: Vermont Today we will have a taste of Vermont as we see how Vermont products are made. Our first stop is the Cabot Creamery, Vermont’s largest

dairy cooperative. In the tasting room we will be able to sample over 50 different types of cheeses. Next we’re heading to the infamous Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream for a factory tour and tasting. At Ben and Jerry’s we will be able to taste whatever flavor ice cream that is being produced. Later in the day we will visit Cold Hollow Cider Mill, where we will have the opportunity to taste fresh-squeezed cider and apple cider doughnuts, as well as a variety of other Vermont made products.

We will end the day with a traditional Vermont turkey dinner. Breakfast and dinner included.

DAY 5: Maine It is off to coastal Maine, where we will explore the Light House Trail.

Our first stop will be at Nubble Light, one of the most photographed points in Maine. Next it is on to the largest lighthouse gift shop in Maine, followed by a New England lobster lunch. This afternoon we will visit Portland and the famous Portland Head Light, as well as other lighthouses in the area. Breakfast and lunch included.

DAY 6: Massachusetts Today we will visit Historic Salem, home of the famous Witch Trials and the Maritime National Park. We will explore the Witch Museum and learn what really happened in Historic Salem as well as meet with a real witch who will answer questions that we may have. Later in the day we will visit scenic Rockport, where we will have time to explore this unique village. Breakfast and dinner included.

DAY 7: You will be transferred to the airport or train station for your return trip home.

CONTACT: Radisson Nashua – Crescent-Managed Hotel

OTHER ITINERARIES AVAILABLE:

➤ Laura Elkin • www.chrco.com 11 Tara Blvd., Merrimack, NH 03062 Phone: 248-230-8985 • Email: lelkin@chrco.com

➤ A Tasty Tour of Southern New Hampshire ➤ Girlfriend’s Escape – Pampering, Food and Fun

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