New England has always been a favorite area for fall foliage. For seniors and boomers who would rather not drive but wish to sit back and take in the sights from the windows of a deluxe bus or train, there are options ranging from one-day trips out of Boston to multiday trips that bring tourists to Maine and the Canadian Maritime provinces.
Bur Tours Beginning in New Hampshire and Connecticut
Tye’s Top Tour & Travel, based in Merrimack, NH has a variety of motor coach tours from both Boston and New Hampshire. For example, starting Oct. 10, 2010 there is an 8-day trip that shows off the beauty of Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine for $1,599, which covers six nights at a first-class New Hampshire hotel and one night in Boston, plus many breakfasts and dinners.
Longer Tye’s bus tours cover Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and New York City, as well as Maine and Rhode Island, all on the same trip. For details, call toll-free: (800) 374-6819.
There may be spots left on the extremely popular 8-day bus trip covering Connecticut, Massachusetts, and parts of eastern Canada run by New England Vacation Tours.that start at $1,819 for quad occupancy.See the company website for details.
Caravan and Insight Tours from Boston.
Another longtime bus tour company, Caravan, runs numerous bus trips through all six New England states in September and October over 8 days and 7 nights, leaving from Boston. Costs begin at under $1,000 and are pegged to the price of hotel rooms that range from standard to deluxe. For details and to reserve space call 1-800-Caravan.
Insight Tours feature deluxe accommodations and stops – including some relaxing 2-night visits – in such beautiful towns as Stowe, Vermont and Williamstown, Massachusetts. Departures are scheduled from Boston throughout September and October. Prices for the 8-day tours begin at $1,999. Travelers can get a brochure from contactus@InsightVacations.com or reserve places through travel agents.
Road Scholar (Elderhostel) Foliage Vacations
Road Scholar, formerly Elderhostel, has all kinds of special interest tours starting in the New England states in September and October. These include photography trips, a Vermont visit with an American Revolution theme, and multiday trips geared to eating lobster starting from Newport, Rhode Island. Details can be found at roadscholar.org, or by calling toll free 800-454-5768.
Finally, look into the 2 ½ hour foliage tours of Connecticut on a historic steam engine train out of Essex. The Essex train begins in the town of the same name that’s 40 minutes from Hartford or New Haven.
All in all, there are a wide selection of non-driving foliage tours in New England.
Grace Lichtenstein - I prefer "seasoned" to "senior" but whatever term you use, I have been an outdoor adventurer for most of my adult years. I am a cycling ...
