THIS R&J TOUR IS AN ULTIMATE AUTUMN EXPERIENCE.
“If you can pick and choose, there is no better time for a motor trip through Vermont than in autumn,” Abner W. Coleman wrote in the very first issue of Vermont Life published in 1946.
Coleman continues to say, “Vermont during the autumn months offers delights indescribable.”
This is the absolute prime time to journey through the Green Mountain State with R&J Tours! Vermont is a unique and special place, especially along the back roads, in the villages and small hamlets where quality of life and being a good neighbor is a priority. It is a place of mystical mountains, rolling hills, green valleys, picturesque farms, scenic rivers and color. The autumn woods run the entire color spectrum from the blazing reds of the maples, the yellows of birch and beech to the violets of the ever present mountain backgrounds. But it’s the Charming Villages that bring it all together and give life and character to a time and era we all so fondly remember.
Join us as we explore the CHARMING VILLAGES OF VERMONT!
Day 1 – Home to Lansing, IL
A travel day thru beautiful Wisconsin to Lansing, IL will begin our adventure to the charming villages of Vermont. Coffee & lunch breaks are planned along the way. Dinner will be on your own.
Hotel: Holiday Inn Express
Day 2 – Lansing to Erie, PA
Travel day across Indiana & Ohio today where the scenery & color begin to intensify east of Cleveland as we journey along Lake Erie into NW Pennsylvania. Coffee & lunch breaks will be enjoyed at convenient stops. Dinner will be on your own.
Included Meals: Breakfast
Hotel: Hampton Inn
Day 3 – Erie to Bennington, VT
Today we will travel across southern New York. This section of freeway will be a colorful introduction to the days ahead. Our entry into Vermont and the Village of Bennington is a pleasant preview of what is in store. Our “Welcome to Vermont” dinner will be served up special for you tonight!
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Hotel: Hampton Inn (2 Nights)
Day 4 – Bennington
This morning is all about the beautiful scenery, both outside and in! We’ll take a scenic drive through the autumn woods and see some iconic bridges along the way. Taking the backroads, we journey to the Sugar Shack in Arlington, which features the setting for most of Norman Rockwell’s classic Saturday Evening Post art. After some great sightseeing, we have a privileged visit to Hildene, the Lincoln family home of Robert Todd Lincoln, son of Abe Lincoln. This ancestral home sits on 412 acres with breathtaking views of the Vermont landscape. Here we enjoy an included lunch with our hosts before continuing on where we’ll make a stop at the incredible Bennington Museum. Here we will experience a definite highlight of the trip, the Grandma Moses Gallery! Later we’ll gather for dinner at a local favorite restaurant.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Villages: Bennington, Manchester Depot, Manchester, Arlington & North Bennington
Day 5 – Bennington to White River Junction, VT
Breakfast at our hotel begins another day in autumn paradise. We’ll make a stop this morning at Quechee Gorge Village where we can shop a bit. We’ll have an opportunity for a short hike to Quechee Gorge for some great photos as we look down 163 feet to the cascading waters of the Ottauquechee River framed in stunning fall color. Just down the road and across the Quechee River is the Simon Pearce Glass Gallery. You’ll have time to browse the shops viewing the magnificent glass pieces. In the lower level you will have an opportunity to watch the glass blowers making their glass treasures…it’s an amazing display of skill! We’ll enjoy a delightful lunch at the Quechee Inn at Marshland Farm. Built in 1793, the Inn was originally the home of Colonel Joseph Marsh, Vermont’s first lieutenant governor. Then we will be on our way to Weston, a mountain crossroads village that embodies all we envision when we think “Villages of Vermont.” Weston is home to the world reknowned Vermont Country Store, Vermont’s number one nostalgia outlet. The oval common is shaded with majestic maples that surround the village bandstand. Don’t miss the old mill on the bubbling mountain stream that runs through town. Next comes Chester, “hometown Vermont.” We’ll enjoy dinner on our own tonight while checking out the local area.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Villages: Bondville, Peru, Londonderry,Weston & Chester
Hotel: Hampton Inn (2 Nights)
Day 6 – White River Junction
Viewing a map of Vermont, distances look formidable until we realize that it’s really not very far from place to place. We’ll travel only about 80 miles today with so much to see and do. This morning we’ll spend some time at the Billings Farm Museum, a “Gateway to Vermont’s Rural Heritage.” We’ll enjoy lunch on our own along the way. A little further down the road is Plymouth Notch and the birthplace of President Calvin Coolidge. This historic village, a National Historic Landmark, is virtually unchanged from the early 1900’s and is a fascinating step back to a time gone by. The Florence Cilley General Store is a favorite of visitors. Back on the coach, we’ll take a late afternoon drive then enjoy dinner at the Baited Hook, a family lakeside restaurant on Mascoma Lake. Afterwards, we head back to our hotel for a good night’s sleep after this wonderful day!
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Villages: Windsor, Ascutney, Proctorsville, Tyson, Plymouth Union, Plymouth Notch, Bridgewater, Woodstock, Taftsville & Quechee
Day 7 – White River Junction to St. Johnsbury, VT
This morning after breakfast we’ve got some more beautiful scenery and small villages to see, but first we have the opportunity to visit with a local business owner and tour his 12,000 sq. ft. restoration shop where he specializes in pre-war era automobiles. The Bugatti is their favorite marque. We might even see some post war Alpha Romeo, Ferrari, and Lotus cars. Once you’ve been awed by the work they do, head next door to another local shop for your fill of tasty candies made right there! But don’t spoil your appetite before we enjoy lunch together in the quaint village of Cabot. We just might find some Vermont cheese along the way as well! This afternoon our adventure takes us through the city of Barre to the Rock of Ages Quarry. Be amazed as you stand on the edge of a 600’ deep granite quarry and hear the story of how this rock is mined. Now on to St. Johnsbury, the heart of what Vermonter’s proudly call The Northeast Kingdom. We settle in at the beautiful Comfort Suites of St. Johnsbury for the night and enjoy a pizza party together.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Villages: Norwich, Thetford, Bradford, Cabot, Barre, Danville & St. Johnsbury
Hotel: Comfort Inn & Suites
Day 8 – St. Johnsbury to Stowe, VT
This morning we’ll head over to Ben & Jerry’s for a tour and ice cream tasting! Who says ice cream isn’t for morning? This is another day of unsurpassed vistas as we travel through the Vermont countryside and wind our way through the mountainside to the classic village of Stowe. Stowe is the most famous and widely recognized village in all of Vermont. Stowe has it all: charming village streets, country stores, classic Victorian inns, and white spired churches. Just about every magazine and brochure you’ve ever seen on Vermont features this picturesque town. The best is still ahead as we make our way up a gentle winding mountain road to the Trapp Family Lodge. This gracious European styled mountain retreat is located at the original homestead of the von Trapp family. Famously chronicled in the musical “Sound of Music,” the von Trapp Family has been welcoming guests here since 1938. Experience Vermont hospitality at its best at this dreamlike resort lodge overlooking the magical mountain landscape only Vermont and this location can offer. We dine this evening in the relaxed luxury & comfort of the lodge dining room overlooking the valley below. This evening view “The Real Maria” story in the lodge theatre while still having time to stroll the retreat pathways.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Exquisite Dinner
Villages: Waterbury & Stowe
Hotel: Trapp Family Lodge
Day 9 – Stowe to Rutland, VT
Enjoy a fabulous “Trapp Family Lodge” breakfast and time to wander around this special lodge. Then we’re off to Burlington, Vermont’s largest city and home to the University of Vermont. Burlington has an almost seaside feel. Here we board the Spirit of Ethan Allen III for a delightful luncheon cruise on beautiful Lake Champlain and experience the beauty of the mountain horizons. Next an amazing Vermont experience awaits us – Shelburne Museum – One of the nation’s finest, most diverse, and unconventional museums of Americana. Thirty nine exhibition buildings set in a village on 45 very relaxing acres. Degas, quilts, tools, toys, gardens, Steamship Ticonderoga, covered bridges, and so much more. This promises to be an experience unlike you’ve ever had. This afternoon we travel more back roads south through Morgan horse country to Middlebury, another classic Vermont village. We’ll have a wonderful dinner together this evening and then a restful night at the hotel.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Villages: Stowe, Burlington, Middlebury
Hotel: Hampton Inn
Day 10 – Rutland to Corning/Painted Post, NY
Enjoy breakfast as we contemplate our drive in the beautiful countryside of New York State. Soon we will be on interstate highways but you will continue to have the feel of a backroads tour as we will travel one of the most picturesque interstates in our country! After a lunch stop we will make our way to the Corning Museum of Glass! It’s not just about casserole dishes! This museum covers glass as though it were art and you will enjoy yourself as you make your way through the many displays and of course find some time to enjoy the gift shop! After checking into the hotel, have a relaxing included dinner with your traveling friends.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Hotel: Hampton Inn
Day 11 – Corning/Painted Post to Middlebury, IN
Today is a travel day but the view out your motorcoach window will be wonderful. The countryside in western New York State is beautiful as we travel over hills, around lakes, and past streams, enjoying the fall beauty. We continue along Lake Erie as we make our way towards Cleveland and stop for an included lunch. Then we continue on into the farm lands of Ohio and Indiana. We’ll enjoy our time together and find a restful stop tonight in Middlebury, IN at the quaint Essenhaus Inn for a good night’s sleep.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Hotel: Essenhaus Inn
Day 12 – Middlebury to Rockford, IL
Morning breaks on another great Fall day! Our first stop is at the Jayco RV manufacturing plant where we will have the opportunity to see how beautiful 5th wheel RV’s are constructed. You’ll be amazed as you watch the construction from start to finish! Then why not take a look inside some of the finished products! Who knows…you may just have found your new winter retreat! We continue our travels west and through the heart of Amish Country and then enjoy the countryside as we skirt around Chicago and stop tonight in Rockford, IL with dinner together along the way.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Hotel: Radisson Hotel
Day 13 – Rockford to Home
Our journey concludes today as we motor across Wisconsin to our lovely home state of Minnesota. We’ll enjoy one last lunch together, then a short drive will get us to the Twin Cities and home after a fabulous trip to Vermont in the Fall!
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Motorcoach Per Person Pricing Information
Motorcoach Travel Protection Per Person
Travel Bucks
Deposit Due
Passport Needed
Tour Pace
Price Includes
26 Meals, Hotels & Activities as stated in brochure, Luxury Motorcoach
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10/03/2024 10/15/2024
Tour Highlights
* Fall Colors - Impossible to Describe!
* A True Back Roads Experience
* Covered Bridges & Museums
* Hildene Lincoln Family Home
* The Sugar Shack Featuring Norman Rockwell
* Bennington Museum with The Grandma Moses Gallery
* Village of Weston & The Vermont Country Store
* Simon Pearce Glass
* President Coolidge Historic Village
* Billings Farm Museum
* Quechee Village & Gorge
* Shelburne Museum
* Rock of Ages Tour
* Trapp Family Lodge
* Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Tour
* Lake Champlain Luncheon Cruise
* Corning Museum of Glass
* Jayco RV Plant Tour
