Our next tour will be in and about Boston, Massachusetts August 4-8, 2008. While there we will also be traveling south to Newport, Rhode Island with its collection of outrageously ornate mansions, and then North to Manchester by the Sea and Marblehead, called the “Yachting Capital” of America.
We are trying to make the annual tour an exciting mini-vacation with trips to historical landmarks such as Paul Revere’s home and the Old North Church where Revere hung his lantern to announce “One if by land, two if by sea” to warn the citizens of the British troops arrival.
MONDAY, AUG. 4, 2008: Many of us will be traveling during Monday, August 4th and your room at the MidTown Hotel will be awaiting you and is included in the Tour price.
TUESDAY, AUG. 5, 2008: We are off to Beacon Hill a 19th century exclusive residential neighborhood in downtown Boston directly north of the Boston Common and the Boston Public Gardens. This area was developed in the 1790’s for Boston’s richest families. Beacon Hill is only about one—half mile square and is known for its cobblestone streets, brick sidewalks, perpetually-burning gas lights – and hidden gardens. Three of these private homes will open their doors for us to see their tiny hidden gardens.
Paul Revere House. Our bus will take us to the home of Paul Revere, the oldest building in Boston. The house is so small it is hard to imagine that Revere lived here with his wife and six children.
Old North Church. Near the Revere house is the Old North Church where the famous lanterns were hung. With this signal the American Revolution began.
Harvard University and the Glass Flowers. After lunch we travel a few miles to Harvard University in Cambridge where we will see its world-famed glass flowers, the perfect botanical representations which were created in Germany starting in 1887. The 850 plant species and enlarged plant parts – all made of glass – were originally commissioned to aid in teaching botany. To this day no one knows how they were made.
Faneuil Hall Marketplace. This is the core of Boston’s waterfront. The buildings in which the marketplace is housed, have been there since 1746 when patriots defied the authority of King George. Today it has over 125 shops and 21 restaurants.
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 6, 2008: We travel today to Newport, Rhode Island to see:
“The Breakers”, built for railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt in 1895, surpasses in size and lavish decoration the other Newport mansions.
“Green Animals” overlooking Narrangansett Bay has over 80 topiaries and has been called the “finest topiary garden” in the country.
“The Elms”. This mansion was built by a coal magnate in 1901 and is a copy of Chateau d' Agnes at Asnieres, France. The elaborate classical revival gardens are considered to be the most beautiful of all the Newport Mansions.
We return to Boston for Dinner together.
THURSDAY, AUG. 7, 2008: We travel today to the North Shore of Massachusetts.
Marblehead. “Grey Gulls” is an unusual private garden that sits on a beautiful stretch of craggy coastline. The garden’s design reflects a consciousness of its unique location, with sinuous beds mirroring the surrounding curves of shore and sea. Hundreds of unusual annuals, perennials and bulbs now thrive here along with pools, fountains, waterlilies, giant koi and bronze sculptures.
Manchester by the Sea. Private Garden of Frederick Rice. The first garden here was laid out in 1928 for the present owner’s grandfather. Frederick Rice, a floral and garden designer and lecturer, has created an English cottage-style garden that is laid out in a series of rooms furnished with an extraordinary variety of perennials, annuals, roses, vines and deciduous and evergreen shrubs. The garden was featured in the 1996 summer issue of Country and Country Home magazines as well as in Meredith Publishing’s Country Garden Planner.
Mr. Rice has invited us to have lunch in his gardens.
Private gardens of Kathy and George Putnam III, Manchester by the Sea. Four generations of the Putnam family have developed and cared for this remarkable property nestled in the hillside beside Lobster Cove. Over the course of the past 16 years the Putnam’s have restored and reinterpreted the design orchestrated by Mr. Putnam’s grandmother. Looking out from the terrace, you can see the ocean, the pond and the pool, three different ways of looking at water. The garden was constructed in three different stages. The pool and lower gardens, nearest the ocean, were designed in 1929-30. The uppermost gardens were begun in 1951.
We will return to Boston for Dinner together.
FRIDAY, AUG. 8, 2008: Today is your day for exploring Boston. To give you a great overview, we have reserved space on the “Duck Tour”, a most unusual and enjoyable way to see the city in 80 minutes. After boarding an authentic World War II amphibious vehicle, you’ll drive by all the places that make Boston the birthplace of freedom and a city of “firsts”. And, as the best of Boston unfolds before your eyes, your vehicle will splash right into the Charles River for a breathtaking waterside view of Boston and Cambridge.
The afternoon is your own to tour Boston, shop, visit museums or historical sights. In the evening we will have our farewell banquet at the beautiful Hotel Colonnade.
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