Key: IF = In Flight Meals, B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner

Day 1: Tuesday, June 23, 2020: Arrival in Boston
On arrival in Boston, we will transfer to our hotel and the rest of the day will be at leisure. Reformation Tours can give touring suggestions in Boston.

Day 2: Wednesday, June 24, 2020: Boston
Today will be at leisure with tickets for a hop-on, hop-off trolley ride in Boston. One place that may be of interest is the King’s Chapel Burying Ground where the grave of Mary Chilton, Plymouth Pilgrim and first European woman to step ashore in New England, is located. (B)

Day 3: Thursday, June 25, 2020: Boston, Duxbury, Plymouth
Our first stop this morning will be the New England Historic Genealogical Society for an orientation and tour of the library, as well as a special presentation about the First Families. There will be an opportunity to trace your own family tree.  After our tour, we will continue south into Duxbury for a visit to the Alden family house museum. John Alden and Priscilla Mullins arrived in Plimoth Colony on board the Mayflower in 1620. Their courtship was immortalized as one of America’s great love stories in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, “The Courtship of Miles Standish.” In 1627, the couple moved to Duxbury where they built a home, raised 10 children and became prosperous farmers while John also served as one of Plimoth Colony’s leaders. We will check in to our hotel in Plymouth and have a group dinner. (B/D)

Day 3: Friday, June 26, 2020: Plymouth
This morning our guide from the Jenney Museum will take us on a walking tour of Plymouth continuing through Brewster Gardens to the waterfront and to Plymouth Rock. The tour of Plymouth will continue to Leyden Street where the Pilgrims first began arranging their housing sites before Christmas in 1620 after disembarking from the Mayflower. They built their houses along this street from the shore up to the base of Burial Hill where the original fort building was located and now is the site of a cemetery and First Church of Plymouth. Town Brook is adjacent to the street and provided drinking water for the early colonists. Governor William Bradford, Dr. Samuel Fuller, Peter Browne and other settlers owned lots along the road. The famed First Thanksgiving was likely held nearby in 1621.

After lunch on our own at the waterfront, we will visit the Mayflower II, a detailed reproduction of the ship that the English colonists sailed to Plymouth. We will walk about the ship and meet historical characters who describe the living conditions on the journey across the Atlantic Ocean. We will see the passengers’ cramped quarters, peer into the hold where the goods were stored, and compare the spacious Master’s cabin to the confined sailors’ accommodations. We will learn about the Mayflower Compact and get our own personal copy.

We will continue on to Plimoth Plantation. Known as a living history museum, it recreates actual life at the time of the famous immigrants.  Their lives, experiences and concerns, along with those of the Wampanoag Indians on whose land they settled, are brought to life. At the 17th-Century English village, travel back to the year 1627! Costumed actors answer questions in character and inform guests of the Pilgrims difficult beginnings in the colony. See live demos on blacksmithing, farming and cooking in the village. Next to the Village, we will find the Wampanoag Homesite and meet people who explain the history and culture of the Wampanoag people. We will discover how the 17th-century Wampanoag would have lived along the coast during the growing season; planting their crops, fishing and hunting, gathering wild herbs and berries for food, and reeds for making mats and baskets. We can go inside mat-covered wetu, the Wampanoag word for house. Food is cooked over an open fire using only the ingredients that were available in the 1600s. At the riverside we may see men making a mishoon – the Wampanoag word for boat – using fire as a tool to hollow out a tree. We will end the day with a tribal feast. (B/D)

Day 4: Saturday, June 27, 2020: Plymouth OFFICIAL MARITIME SALUTE
This morning we will travel to the harbor and enjoy musical entertainment, vendors, educational tents, Wampanoag exhibits, roaming reenactors, and food trucks. We will then board our boat to see the Tall Ships in the harbor honoring the Pilgrim’s Mayflower journey. A lunch featuring Lobster Rolls will be served on board. In the afternoon, we will visit the Pilgrim Hall Museum which houses an unmatched collection of Pilgrim possessions telling the story of the brave and determined men and women building lives and homes for themselves and their children in the new world. We will have dinner together this evening. (B/L/D)

Day 5: Sunday, June 28, 2020: Cape Cod OFFICIAL MARITIME SALUTE
This morning we will sail to Provincetown, at the tip of Cape Cod, passing by Clark’s Island. This was the site where the Pilgrims celebrated the first Sabbath in the New World. It’s also an important site in Wampanoag history. Our coach will meet us and take us to the Pilgrim’s First Landing Park. After two months at sea, the Pilgrims on the Mayflower approached the New England coastline and spied land on November 9, 1620. The strong winds meant that they were well off course, and Master Christopher Jones decided to land near Provincetown rather than risk shipwreck.  The Pilgrims’ first steps are commemorated with a plaque and a small park located in the middle of the rotary at the end of Commercial Street, appropriately called Pilgrims’ First Landing Park. The Cape Cod Pilgrim Memorial Association built the Pilgrim Monument to honor the Pilgrims’ first landing in Provincetown. Exhibits at the Museum highlight the arrival of the Mayflower Pilgrims, the town’s rich maritime history, the early days of modern American theater in Provincetown, and the building of the monument.  We’ll have free time to purchase lunch in Provincetown.

On the way down the Cape, we’ll see Corn Hill. On November 15, 1620, a party of 15 crew members of the Mayflower, at anchor in Provincetown harbor, set out in small boats in search of food. They came ashore at the mouth of the Pamet River and climbed a nearby hill where they discovered the Pamet Indian’s winter store of corn. That spot, now marked by a small monument, lies just over 100 feet from the entrance to Corn Hill Landing. On First Encounter Beach, we will see the site of the first skirmish with the Wampanoag people. On December 8, 1620, the Pilgrims, led by Standish and Bradford, met the Nauset Tribe of the Wampanoags. Due to previous bad encounters with European explorers, the meeting did not go well. We’ll also make a visit to the Cove Burying Ground where Mayflower Pilgrims Constance Hopkins Snow, Joseph Rogers and Giles Hopkins are buried. We will enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving meal at the Daniel Webster Inn before returning to Plymouth. (B/D)

Day 6: Monday, June 29, 2020: Martha’s Vineyard
For over ten thousand years the Wampanoag have inhabited the island of Noepe, now called Martha’s Vineyard. When the first Europeans dropped anchor in 1602, just before the Pilgrims, they numbered three thousand or more. To this day, they still occupy the aboriginal land of Aquinnah and count 1200 members, about 500 of whom live on the island. We will take a ferry to the island and enjoy  a tuided tour lead by a Wampanoag guide. We will return to the mainland and end the day with a New England specialty, a Lobster Dinner. (B/D)

Day 7: Tuesday, June 30, 2020: Depart
After breakfast, we will transfer to Boston Airport. (B)

Please note this itinerary is copyrighted.

What are accommodations like?

Our hotels are chosen for their quality, amenities and proximity to areas of interest. Whenever possible, we choose hotels in town centers, so that you are able to go off and explore in your free time. It may be necessary for us to substitute hotels for others of equal quality. You will be fully informed of any changes that affect you. Enjoy your stay!

Boston, MA
June 23-25, 2020
Boston Park Plaza Hotel
50 Park Plaza
Boston, MA 02116

Plymouth, MA
June 25-30, 2020
Fairfield Inn (Marriott)
16 Plaza Way
Plymouth, MA 02360

The tour begins and ends in Boston, MA. We can assist with flights or you are welcome to arrange your own. Airport transfers are included in the tour price, so let us know as soon as you have booked your flights.

What’s included in the tour price of $1,999?

Your Tour Includes

•   Land transportation: via deluxe air-conditioned coach / minibus
•   All transfers from Boston Airport
•   Accommodations (double-occupancy) in 4-star hotels
•   Meals as indicated in the itinerary
•   Professional Tour Director throughout the tour
•   Hop-on, hop-off trolley ride in Boston on June 24
•   Local guides for city tours 
•   Entrance fees included as per itinerary
•   All taxes and tips except as indicated below

Your Tour Does Not Include

•   Single supplement ($650)
•   Meals and beverages not identified in itinerary
•   Items of a personal nature
•   Gratuities for tour guide

Payment Schedule

•   Deposit of $350 will secure your place on the tour. Please send all payments to Reformation Tours, P.O Box 854, Belleville, IL 62222.
•   Final invoices will be sent in April 2020
•   Final payment is due by May 15, 2020
•   Reservations will be accepted after May 15, 2020, subject to availability

Cancellations

Regardless of reason, cancellations are costly. To offset these costs the following fees will apply, plus any non-recoverable expenses to our suppliers:
From time of deposit to until 100 days before departure: $100
From 99-15 days prior to departure: $350 plus any non refundable deposits
14 days or less prior to departure: No refund– Cancellation charges also apply to additional accommodation reserved prior to and after the tour.
– Cancellations must be received in writing by 5:00 p.m. central time on the last business day of the applicable time period.
– For flight changes or cancellations, revision fees and/or airline cancellation charges will apply.
– Roommates canceling can result in a single supplement charge for the roommate. The Participant who cancels will be responsible for that charge if a substitute roommate cannot be found.
– Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance is strongly recommended.
Reformation Tours cannot assume responsibility for any additional costs or fees relating to the issuance and/or cancellation of air tickets or other arrangements not made through Reformation Tours.

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