Nantucket Island Xmas Stoll 24

Day 1

Welcome Aboard! Join Gunther Tours for an exciting get-away filled with holiday cheer and yuletide spirit, set against the spectacular backdrop of "The Bay State," Massachusetts and the "The Ocean State," Rhode Island. Settle back, relax and enjoy a holiday themed movie on our drive to the seaside town of West Yarmouth, Massachusetts and our accommodations at the Hampton Inn for the next two nights. After checking into our hotel, enjoy your comfortable and spacious room before departing for a delicious dinner at a local restaurant.

Day 2

After breakfast we meet our step-on guide, and depart for a tour of Hyannis. Our tour includes a photo-stop at the John F. Kennedy Memorial overlooking Lewis Bay, a drive past the Kennedy Family Compound (limited views) and St. Francis Xavier Church, where the Kennedy Family worships, and more. Following our tour, we climb aboard Steamship Authority's High-Speed Ferry and depart for the island of Nantucket. Upon our arrival, you are free to enjoy your day, and do as you wish at the 51st Annual Nantucket Island Christmas Stroll. Stroll the cobblestone streets lined with more than 160 glittering, decorated trees; listen to strolling carolers dressed in Victorian garb; enjoy the scent of wood smoke wafting through a bustling, European-style marketplace; take in the Festival of Trees at the historic whaling museum (ticket not included); stop by and see Santa and Mrs. Claus greeting children beside a glowing hearth. This picture-perfect backdrop makes Nantucket's annual Christmas Stroll weekend a truly enchanting experience! Enjoy lunch on your own at one of the many restaurants to choose from located on the island. Later we cruise back to the mainland for a delicious dinner at a local restaurant before returning to the hotel for a good night's sleep.

Day 3

After breakfast we depart for Newport, Rhode Island to experience the splendor of Christmas at the Mansions of Newport. The elegance of the Gilded Age is recreated as you tour three magnificent mansions - Marble House, The Elms Mansion, and The Breakers. The mansions will be beautifully decorated for the holidays with thousands of poinsettia plants, spectacular evergreens, trees, wreaths, and fresh flowers! We begin with Christmas at the Marble House. Built by Mr. William K. Vanderbilt as a birthday gift for his dynamic wife Alva, a leading hostess in Newport society who envisioned Marble House as her "temple to the arts" in America. The house contains 500,000 cubic feet of marble and a Chinese Tea House built on the seaside cliffs, where Alva hosted rallies for women's right to vote. Next enjoy a visit to the Brick Market Place and Bowen's Wharf for lunch on your own and some holiday shopping. Containing over 25 unique shops and eateries, Brick Market Place includes three parallel rows of businesses offering everything you could dream of from Fashion to Shoes to handmade Gifts and Souvenirs. Bowen's Wharf is the Anchor of the Newport Waterfront, and premiere shopping and dining destination! Along brick walks and granite quays are redeveloped 18th-century sailmaker's shops, sail-drying lofts, and a variety of commercial wharf buildings that were essential for a busy maritime wharf and the establishing of Newport as a thriving seaport in one of the finest natural harbors in New England. Here you will find fragrant soaps and body lotions, unique jewelry, the perfect Christmas gift, the latest fashions for women and men, and a diverse selection of tasty eateries and great restaurants. Later, we will add a new sparkle to your holiday tradition with a visit to The Breakers Mansion. Sparkling Lights at The Breakers features The Breakers façade bathed in color and its landscape aglow with tens of thousands of festive colored lights illuminating the paths and trees. The gardens will be decorated in different themes as holiday music fills the air. Your ticket includes admission to The Breakers Mansion, all decked out in yuletide finery for the holidays. The grandest mansion in all of Newport is a symbol of the Vanderbilt family's social and financial preeminence during the Gilded Age of the late 19th-century in America. Before checking into the Holiday Inn Express for the night, we are treated to a delicious dinner at a local restaurant that serves up great local flavors.

Day 4

After breakfast we visit The Elms Mansion, a French-style chateau decorated in lavish Christmas holiday splendor. The summer retreat of coal magnate Charles Berwind of Philadelphia, The Elms contained every technological marvel of its time when constructed, and features monumental Venetian wall paintings and great tapestries. The elaborate Classical Revival gardens were recently restored and display marble and bronze sculptures. Later we depart for home taking with us wonderful holiday memories of Nantucket Island's enchanting Christmas Stroll, and the magnificent glitter and sparkle of yuletide finery on display experienced at Newport's imposing stately mansions. Happy Holidays!

B=Breakfast, D =Dinner