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America's Historic Atlantic Shores
We’ve all come to look for America. And if we think we know it, we should look again—and closer. This unique voyage offers a wide-ranging, thoughtful and delightful rejoinder to the critique—often made by Americans themselves—that their nation is without its history. We have chosen six distinctive locations on the Eastern Seaboard that, experienced together, offer a grand portrait of American history, architecture and culture from the Colonial era to the present. Departing from Halifax, we sail first to the charming shoreline city of Portland, then on to Gilded Age mansions of Newport, Rhode Island, and the naval heritage of Annapolis, Maryland en route to the birthplace of our nation, Colonial Williamsburg, America’s premier living museum. In Charleston, South Carolina, we will take in the enchanting atmosphere of Palmetto trees and wrought-iron balustrades during the perfect October weather, and we will tour Savannah, Georgia’s oldest city, saved by Lincoln from Sherman’s predations and by more recent preservationists from the advances of “modernization.” During the bright, crisp days of fall, enjoy a memorable survey of some of America’s most historic centers—places where American history was created and endures.
Itinerary
September 28 • HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA, CANADA | EMBARK
September 29 • AT SEA
September 30 • PORTLAND, MAINE, USA
October 1 • NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND
October 2 • AT SEA
October 3 • ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND
October 4 • YORKTOWN | COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG | YORKTOWN, VIRGINIA
October 5 • AT SEA
October 6 • CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA
October 7 • SAVANNAH, GEORGIA
October 8 • AT SEA
October 9 • WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA | DISEMBARK
View Detailed Itinerary
Monday, September 28, 2009
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, Canada | EMBARK
Arrive at Halifax’s airport and transfer to the port to embark Clelia II. Set sail. (D)
Tuesday, September 29
AT SEA (B, L, D)
Wednesday, September 30
PORTLAND, Maine, USA
Arrive in Portland, Maine’s largest city, and explore the charming Old Port district, with boutiques and quaint restaurants lining cobblestoned streets. The nearby Arts District is home to many small art galleries, antique shops, and artist studios. In the heart of this picturesque quarter is The Portland Museum of Art, home to more than 18,000 works that date back to the American Colonial era. Also see the landmark Portland Observatory as well as one of America’s best preserved Victorian residential neighborhoods, situated on a cliff above the western promenade. (B, L, D)
Thursday, October 1
NEWPORT, Rhode Island
Clelia II sails into the yacht-filled harbor of Newport, the one-time summer playground of New York’s wealthiest families. Many of the grand “cottages” they built are now cared for by The Preservation Society of Newport County and are open to the public. See the Breakers, the 70-room Italian Renaissance mansion of Cornelius Vanderbilt II, and Marble House, designed by architect Stanford White and inspired by the Grand Trianon, the garden retreat of French kings at Versailles. Alternatively, visit the National Museum of American Illustration, housed in Vernon Court Mansion and exhibiting works by Noman Rockwell, Maxfield Parrish, and N.C. Wyeth. Also enjoy time at leisure exploring the historic harbor at Newport with its fine architecture. (B, L, D)
Friday, October 2
AT SEA (B, L, D)
Saturday, October 3
ANNAPOLIS, Maryland
Annapolis is a city of narrow brick streets, colonial mansions, and an atmosphere of an old shipping village. Our tour will include the Maryland State House, the oldest U.S. capitol in continuous legislative use, where the Treaty of Paris was ratified; the William Paca House and Garden, the expansive estate of a former governor of Maryland; and the U.S. Naval Academy. In the afternoon, enjoy time at leisure to stroll through the city’s historic neighborhoods. Alternatively, take an excursion along Maryland’s eastern shore with visits to the historic towns of Easton and St. Michael’s. (B, L, D)
Sunday, October 4
YORKTOWN | COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG | YORKTOWN, Virginia
From the port of Yorktown, our excursion leads to historic Colonial Williamsburg. The capital of the Virginia colony from 1699 to 1780, Williamsburg is the nation’s premier living museum, offering visitors a glimpse of life as it was in the 17th and 18th centuries. A guided tour leads along the Duke of Gloucester Street, Williamsburg’s main thoroughfare, past the Capitol, the courthouse, the Governor’s Palace, and Bruton Parish Church, which has held Episcopal services since 1715. Enjoy lunch at the historic King’s Arms Tavern before time at leisure to explore the museums and side streets, which are filled with taverns, bakeries, and the restored houses of wheelwrights, coopers, apothecaries, and other tradesmen. Later in the afternoon visit your choice of the Yorktown Battlefield, site of the decisive 1781 battle, or the award-winning Williamsburg Winery. (B, L, D)
Monday, October 5
AT SEA (B, L, D)
Tuesday, October 6
CHARLESTON, South Carolina
Arrive today in Charleston, one of the East Coast’s loveliest cities. A prosperous, cosmopolitan seaport as far back as colonial times, it was in here in Charleston’s harbor that Confederate troops first fired upon Fort Sumter, thus starting the Civil War. Tour Charleston’s extensive historic district, including the Heyward-Washington House, an 18th-century structure which features a separate kitchen house and enchanting formal garden. In the afternoon, drive to Middleton Place Plantation, a carefully preserved 18th-century plantation that is a National Historic Landmark. Situated on the Ashley River, the property includes the House Museum, built in 1755 as the gentlemen’s guest quarters, and 65 acres of magnificent gardens, or take the ferry to Fort Sumter, site of the 1861 beginning of the Civil War. (B, L, D)
Wednesday, October 7
SAVANNAH, Georgia
Call at Savannah, Georgia’s oldest city, founded by James Oglethorpe in 1733, on a bluff overlooking the Savannah River. In December 1864, the city fell to Sherman’s troops and was spared certain destruction when President Lincoln intervened on its behalf. Today the fine avenues and open spaces that Oglethorpe planned form the cornerstone of the three-square-mile historic district, which features over 1,000 Federal and Regency buildings and 21 verdant squares brimming with azaleas, gardenias, cabbage palmettos, English yews, giant oaks, and other lush vegetation. A tour includes a visit to a private 1867 home, its garden and carriage home as well as the Telfair Art Museum. In the afternoon enjoy time at leisure to stroll among the lovely streets and squares. (B, L, D)
Thursday, October 8
AT SEA (B, L, D)
Friday, October 9
WEST PALM BEACH, Florida | DISEMBARK
Disembark in West Palm Beach and transfer to the airport for flights home. (B)
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