Pilgrims Progress

Commemorate the 400th anniversary of the landing of the Mayflower and the founding of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, plus visit the inspirations for some of the greatest writers of the 19th Century!

Duration

Trip dates TBD

Tour Includes

• Round Trip flights on Southwest, where bags fly free!
• Spend all four nights at the same hotel in Plymouth!
• Local guides throughout the tour, each with their own specialty
• Visit to historic homes of 19th century writers such as Hawthorne and Alcott
• Dune ride on Cape Cod – get off the beaten track!
• Tour the Plimoth Plantation, a recreation of the original settlement and a native Wampanoag village
• 8 meals, including 4 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 3 dinners, including a special after-hours meal at Plimoth Plantaion!
• Baggage handling at all hotels
• 2 Professional Tour Directors
• All gratuities including drivers and directors

Please note: Any notice of fuel surcharges imposed by carriers and/or attractions will be disclosed at least 30 days prior to tour
departure.

Itinerary

• Sunday, September 27, 2020 – We’re shipping out to Boston!

Meet Dea and Declan at the Saint Louis Airport for our Southwest flight to Boston. When we arrive in “Beantown,” we meet our private Motorcoach and pick up our local guide, who takes us on a Driving Tour through history as we take in the sights and famous landmarks such as Bunker Hill, Boston Common, Copley Square and Beacon Hill. After our tour, we head out of town and over to Plymouth to our hotel for the next four nights, the Hotel 1620. This charming hotel is located across the street from the Plymouth Harbor and is located in the heart of historic Plymouth. After checking in, we enjoy a Welcome Reception, featuring lots of goodies made with the official state berry of Massachusetts, the cranberry! We then enjoy a water-front dinner at a local favorite, where the views are only matched by the incredible cuisine. (Welcome Reception, D)

• Mon, Sept 28 – Emmerson, Thoreau, Alcott, and More!

This morning after breakfast at the hotel, we head to Concord, where our local guide and literary expert takes us on a journey through the influences of some of history’s greatest writers. Our first stop is at the Old Manse, built in 1770 for patriot minister, William Emerson. In the mid-19th century, it was popular with the leading figures of the Transcendentalist movement such as Bronson Alcott, Henry David Thoreau and Margaret Fuller. We then head to Author’s Ridge in the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, the resting place of Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry David Thoreau. Our next stop is Concord’s historic Monument Square, where Henry David Thoreau once lived. Although most famous for his musing on solitude at Walden Pond, Thoreau had deep ties to the Concord community. After graduating from Harvard College in 1837, Thoreau taught children at the schoolhouse on the northwest end of the Common in 1845. He also once spent the night in jail for non-payment of taxes on the west side of the Common. A marker notes his arrest and his famous subsequent essay, Civil Disobedience. After lunch on your own, we visit two of the most important homes in Concord’s literary legacy - the Orchard House and The Wayside. The Orchard was the home of Amos Bronson and his daughter Louise May Alcott, and served as the inspiration for her beloved classic, Little Women. We learn more about their lives in the home on a guided tour, as well as enjoy time in the gift shop. The Wayside served as the home of many writers from the area. The Alcotts lived here for a time, as did Nathaniel Hawthorne and Margaret Sidney. It was the first literary site to become part of the National Park Service System. We then return to Plymouth, where the evening is yours to explore the area and enjoy dinner on your own at one of the many restaurants within walking distance. (B)

• Tuesday, September 29, 2020 – Pilgrim’s Progress and Plymouth Rock

After breakfast at the Hotel, we meet our guide Leo Martin, author, historian and storyteller, for an eye-opening walking tour of Plymouth. You will visit the Plymouth historic district and the National Monument to the Forefathers, the largest solid freestanding granite monument in the country. Leo, dressed in period costume, will explain the rich history of the Pilgrim story and tell you about the people, places and events that shaped the Colonial Era. Then, follow Leo to the harbor and visit Plymouth Rock. At the end of the tour, everyone will receive a signed copy of Leo’s book, Pilgrim Pursuit of Happiness. Then we set sail for a Plymouth Harbor Cruise. On this fully narrated cruise, you will learn about the history of Plymouth, and why the Mayflower finally lowered her sails and came to dock in Plymouth Harbor. After we disembark, enjoy lunch on your own at a harbor-side restaurant in Plymouth. After lunch, travel a short distance to the Mayflower II. Back from its recent restoration, the Mayflower II is replica of the original merchant ship that brought 102 passengers on a harrowing voyage across the Atlantic in the fall of 1620. You will undoubtedly be struck at how small the ship was, and will wonder how over one hundred people, including three pregnant mothers, could possibly have survived for more than ten weeks of storms and rough seas in such a small space. As you walk the decks, you will encounter costumed role players portraying Pilgrim passengers and members of the ship’s crew, along with modern-day staff and maritime artisans, all of whom are eager to give you a personal, intimate view of life on board the original Mayflower. We then head to Plimoth Plantation. Taking its name from the spelling in Colonial Governor William Bradford’s history of the colony, Plimoth Plantaion is a living history museum where replicas of the seventeenth century English Village and a Wampanoag Homesite bring the colonial Plymouth and Native American worlds vividly to life. Our visit begins when you meet a member of the Wampanoag tribe for a private, one-hour special presentation. Your interpreter will talk to you about the tribe’s history and culture and give you the opportunity to handle and examine Native American objects from the museum’s collection. Then spend time on your own exploring all that this enthralling museum has to offer. Visit the English Village, where costumed role players portray actual residents of the 1624 Plymouth Colony and perform tasks such as cooking, planting, needlework, blacksmithing and caring for livestock. They will tell their stories, discuss their dayto-day lives and activities, and answer any questions you may have about the Pilgrim’s world. Step into the Wampanoag Homesite on the banks of the Eel River and see how the seventeenth century Wampanoag lived along the coast. Although the people you will meet here are dressed in traditional clothing, they are not role players. They are all Native People and speak from a modern perspective about Wampanoag history and culture. You may encounter them planting crops, gathering wild herbs and berries, making reed mats and baskets or cooking over an open fire using only ingredients that were available in the 1600’s. They are proud of their Native heritage and will be happy to welcome you and talk with you about their traditions and stories. We then stay “after hours” at Plimoth Plantation for a special dinner where you will enjoy a traditional Wampanoag Social Feast. This delicious and enlightening experience, hosted by a Museum Educator, will offer you a slice ofseventeenth century Native American life as you dine on turkey, venison stew and unique Wampanoag foods featuring fresh seasonal ingredients. Learn about how the way we eat today has been influenced by the meeting of the English and Native American cultures 400 years ago. (B, D)

• Wednesday, September 30, 2020 – A Cape (Cod) Escape!

Enjoy breakfast before we head out for an exciting day on Cape Cod, home to the Wampanoags for thousands of years, and where the Mayflower first landed before heading across the bay to Plymouth. Our first stop is a tour of the environment of Cape Cod led by an amazing team of naturalists, who will tell us about the salt marsh ecosystem and along seashores and identify the many animals and plants with the help of a mobile science lab that includes plankton nets, microscopes, water chemistry kits and identification tools. Then we bid farewell to the crew and meet our local guide who shares with us the stories of the Cape and the people who have called it home for centuries. Our destination is Provincetown, the historic village at the very tip of the peninsula which was the site of the Mayflower’s first landing in the New World. We stop at First Encounter Beach, site of the first meeting between Pilgrims and Native Americans before arriving in Provincetown, where you can enjoy lunch on your own in one of the many local eateries. After lunch, we visit the Pilgrim Monument, a 252-foot high granite tower overlooking the harbor commemorating the Pilgrims’ landing in November of 1620. If you choose, you can hike up the 116 steps and 60 ramps to the top, you will be rewarded with the most spectacular view on Cape Cod. From your birds-eye perch, gaze out over Providence Harbor where the Pilgrims and other passengers wrote and signed the Mayflower Compact before landing. You’re certain to be moved as you witness the site of the creation of a document so important in shaping the history of America. (Don’t worry if you don’t make the climb - the Monument is on a hill and there’s still a great view from the base!) Next we visit the Provincetown Museum, a charming, old-fashioned history museum features exhibits highlighting the arrival of the Pilgrims, the town’s rich maritime history and the contributions of Provincetown to American theater. A recreation of a nineteenth century sea captain’s parlor at his land-based home and his quarters while at sea, helps bring Provincetown’s history to life. Now it’s time to step out of history and into present day fun as we head into the Cape Cod National Seashore. Climb into four-wheel drive SUV’s and head out on an adventurous tour of the majestic dunes. You will see “dune shacks” where famous artists and writers like Eugene O’Neill and Harry Kemp became inspired to create their art, and the remains of the Peaked Hill Life Saving Station and learn how the brave “life savers” enacted their heroic efforts to save the lives of thousands from the doomed shipwrecks! Then we leave the dunes behind and travel back to the hotel. Along the way, we stop at the Lobster Boat Restaurant in Yarmouth for our farewell dinner. This casual waterfront seafood eatery is situated on the scenic Parkers River and overlooks the marina. Dinner features a traditional New England Clam Bake complete with steamah’s, chowdah and fresh, steamed lobstah’. Never fear - there’s an option for “landlubbers” as well. After an action-packed day and fun-filled evening, return to the hotel. (B,D)

• Thursday, October 1, 2020 – Homeward Bound

After breakfast we check out of the hotel, but before we head back towards St. Louis, we have a few more stops planned. We will visit the Alden House Museum, a National Historic Landmark was the home of John Alden and his wife, Priscilla. One of the original settlers on the Mayflower, the Aldens were memorialized by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in The Courtship of Miles Standish, a narrative poem that made the story a piece of American folklore. We then embark on a Literary Tour of Boston. Learn how the Revolutionary War of the 18th century was followed in the 19th century by a peaceful revolution of ideas, enriching the new nation's culture with radical expressions of freedom from a puritanical past, through stories and poems. We travel past Beacon Hill with its cobblestone streets and the houses of authors Sylvia Path, Robert Frost, Louisa May Alcott, Henry David Thoreau and Nathaniel Hawthorne. We then enjoy a farewell lunch at the Chart House, a waterfront legend on Long Wharf. Formerly the John Hancock Counting House, this seafood restaurant is a fusion of history and modern style. We then travel to Boston’s Logan International Airport for our flight home. Thank you for traveling with us! (B,L)

Please Note

• Trip cancellation insurance available at an additional charge. Please see the Travel Insured brochure available from our office and on our website. Additional Insurance can be bought if you purchase optional tours later.

• We encourage all travelers to purchase travel protection and pay with initial deposit. Please remember that certain benefits are time sensitive. Plans help provide coverage for unexpected circumstances and help protect your trip and your investment.

• Balance on base tour price is due June 1, 2020, and no refunds will be given after that time. If you purchase Travel Protection and need to cancel after June 1, 2020, you must file a claim. If you attempt to book after this date, there may be a substantial increase in price or you may have to arrive on a separate flight. Air portion of price may increase due to taxes and airline fuel surcharges. After due date, air will be purchased at available rate.