July 19-22 (Tuesday-Friday)

Theatre in The Berkshire Mountains

Massachusetts 

Day 1: Welcome Aboard!  Travel in comfort aboard our deluxe motor coach to the “Bay State,” Massachusetts.  After checking into the Comfort Inn for the next three nights, we are treated to a delicious dinner at a popular local restaurant.  (D)                                      

Day 2: After a hearty continental breakfast we meet our step-on guide, and depart for a narrated driving tour of the Berkshire Mountains.  Hear about the “Gilded Age” when the Berkshires were considered the “Inland Newport” as you drive past “cottages” built by the titans of American industry like Carnegie, Westinghouse, the Vanderbilt’s and more!  After lunch on your own we tour the summer home and studio of Daniel Chester French.  French was an extremely successful artist who created more than 100 works of public sculpture.  He is best known for creating the seated Abraham Lincoln for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. and the Minute Man statue in Concord, Massachusetts.  Plan to visit the Barn Gallery and the museum shop, and then spend some time enjoying the grounds and gardens.  Later we return to the Inn to relax and freshen up before going out for a delicious dinner and a live theatre performance at one of the Berkshire’s many renowned theatrical institutions such as the Berkshire Theatre Festival, the Barrington Stage Company, Williamstown Theatre Festival, or Tanglewood.  Note:  The selection of a theatre will be subject to show scheduling and ticket availability.  (B, D)                    

Day 3: After a hearty continental breakfast we depart for the Norman Rockwell Museum.  Take a self-guided tour through the museum to see the world’s largest and most significant collection of original Rockwell art.  After our tour enjoy a delicious luncheon at the charming and historic Red Lion Inn.  After lunch we depart on a driving tour of the North County area of the Berkshires.  See Williamstown “the village beautiful,” Williams College, and drive along the Mohawk Trail, a scenic and historic route followed by the Native Americans and the Five Nations, as they traveled between the Connecticut and Hudson Valleys.  Later we return to the Inn to relax and freshen up before departing for Jacob’s Pillow, a National Historic Landmark and home to America’s longest running dance festival. Our visit will include a guided tour and history of the grounds, a casual picnic dinner, a pre-show talk, and is capped off by a spectacular live performance!  (B, L, D) 

Day 4: After a hearty continental breakfast we depart for Hancock Shaker Village, the “City of Peace.”  The Shakers are one of the most intriguing social and religious movements in American History.  Your visit will introduce you to their religious principles, and the ingenuity, simplicity and beauty of Shaker life, art, tools and buildings.  After lunch on your own at the Village Harvest Café we depart for home.  We take with us fond memories of our New England get-away, the Berkshire Mountains, the contrasting lifestyles of American industrialist and the simplicity of the Shakers, the thrill of live theatre and dance, and a greater appreciation of Native American history, and the patriotic and iconic works of Daniel Chester French and Norman Rockwell.  (B)    

Included:

?  Basic amenities

?  3 nights at Comfort Inn

?  3 hearty continental breakfasts

?  1 luncheon

?  2 dinners

?  1 picnic dinner

?  2 shows

?  Guided Tours of Berkshire Mountains

?  Daniel Chester French Home & Studio

?  Norman Rockwell Museum

?  Hancock Shaker Village

?  Attractions and admissions per itinerary

Price:

$779.00 Double/PP       $729.00 Triple/PP

$699.00 Quad/PP                   $979.00 Single

Deposit:  $125.00/PP

Balance Due:  June 6, 2011 

                             Depart                 Return

Gunther                 6:00 AM                9:45 PM

Carney                  6:45 AM                9:00 PM