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

Day 1: Wednesday, September 16, 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. We will gather this evening for a drinks reception, followed by dinner. (D)

Day 2: Thursday, September 17, 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. We will continue on to 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. 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 the evening will be at leisure. (B)

Day 3: Friday, September 18, 2020: Plymouth
This morning our guide from the Jenney Museum will take us on a walking tour of Plymouth and  show us where Hobbamock had his wetu (house). He was a Pokanoket who came to live with the Pilgrims during their first year.  We will learn about the herring run and many other interesting facts about how the Pokanokets helped the Pilgrims. 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.

You’ll visit the National Monument to the Forefathers and finish the day at the Pilgrim Hall Museum. The nation’s oldest continuously operating public museum, it houses an unmatched collection of Pilgrim possessions telling the story of brave and determined men and women building lives and homes for themselves and their children in a new world. We will see William Bradford’s Bible, Myles Standish’s sword, the only portrait of a Pilgrim (Edward Winslow) painted from life, the cradle of New England’s first-born, Peregrine White, the great chair of William Brewster, and the earliest sampler made in America, embroidered by Myles Standish’s daughter. (B/D)

Day 4: Saturday, September 19, 2020: Plymouth EMBARKATION FESTIVAL
This morning we will visit 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 New England specialty, a Lobster Dinner. (B/D)

Day 5: Sunday, September 20, 2020: Cape Cod EMBARKATION FESTIVAL
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. The “Mayflower Compact” was signed on November 11, 1620 on board the Mayflower shortly after she came to anchor off Provincetown Harbor. We will visit the Mayflower Compact Monument, situated at the base of the bluff where the Pilgrim Monument is located. 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 return to the Plantation to paint Delft tiles, as well as enjoying a traditional Thanksgiving meal. (B/D)

Day 6: Monday, September 21, 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
September 16-17, 2020
Boston Park Plaza Hotel
50 Park Plaza
Boston, MA 02116

Plymouth, MA
September 17-21, 2020
Hotel 1620
180 Water Street
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. Please note we are currently not purchasing any new flights, as airlines are so affected by the coronavirus.

What’s included in the tour price of $2,499?

Price based on a minimum of 25 participants
Triple-occupancy discount $175
Quad-occupancy discount $250

Your Tour Includes

•   Land transportation: via deluxe air-conditioned coaches
•   All transfers from Boston Airport
•   Accommodations (double-occupancy) in 3-star and 4-star hotels
•   Meals as indicated in the itinerary
•   Professional Tour Director throughout the tour
•   Local guides for city tours
•   Entrance fees included as per itinerary
•   All taxes and tips except as indicated below

Your Tour Does Not Include

•   Round-trip air transportation and related taxes and fees
•   Single supplement ($600)
•   Meals and beverages not identified in itinerary
•   Items of a personal nature
•   Gratuities for local guides and driver

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 June 2020
•   Final payment is due by July 3, 2020
•   Reservations will be accepted after July 3, 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 100 days before departure: $100 cancellation penalty
From 99-15 days prior to departure: $350 cancellation penalty 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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