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! Below is the draft of a possible program we could offer in late October 2025 or sometime in 2026 if there is enough interest. This tour would 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 Lowell National Historic Site. If this might appeal to you, please send us an email (no commitment is necessary.) Based on the response, we will decide whether or not to book it for next October. Does it sound enticing to you?.
DRAFT ITINERARY (Notice the short bus rides!!! You could drive the entire route in just under 6 hours if you didn't make any stops!)
Day 1: Wednesday, May 28 (R,D)
Individual arrivals in Boston, MA.
Gather with staff and fellow travelers at tonight’s welcome dinner.
Overnight Boston
Day 2
Drive 35-min from Boston to Lowell National Historical Park. The park's textile mill buildings and exhibits interpret the emergence of the industrial revolution in the United States. We will take a ranger-led guided tour of Suffolk Mill and enjoy canal boat cruise tour. Drive 1 hr to Sturbridge, MA.Overnight Sturbridge
Day 3
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 Sturbridge
Day 4
In Hartford stops will include the Mark Twain House Museum and the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center and the Connecticut's Old State House which served as the state capitol building from 1796-1878. Overnight Hartford
Day 5
Drive 1 hr to Mystic Seaport Museum. We will spend the morning at the Mystic Seaport, the largest maritime museum in the U.S. Drive 15 min to Groton to visit the Submarine Force Museum. Proceed one hour to our hotel in Providence, RI. Check into hotel for 3 nights.
Overnight Providence, RI
Day 6
Today we will learn about the history of Newport and tour two of its mansions, including the Vanderbilt's "cottage," The Breakers. 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.. Overnight Providence, RI
Day 7
Drive 45 min to New Bedford. Take ferry from New Bedford to Martha’s Vineyard for a day's excursion. Return to our hotel in Providence. Overnight Providence, RI
Day 8
Tour environs. Drive an hour to Plymouth/outskirts of Boston for the night.
Overnight outskirts of Boston
Day 9
End of tour.
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