Boston & Salem, MA

Depart from Southgate via motorcoach with your Custom Holidays Tour Leader and travel to your en route hotel for an overnight stay. Hotel: Hampton Inn Rome, NY

After arrival in the Boston area, visit the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. Step back into the recreated world of the early 1960s and experience first hand the life and legacy of President John F. Kennedy. Period settings from the White House and 25 multimedia exhibits create a stirring account of President Kennedy's thousand days in office. Housed in a striking building designed by I.M. Pei, the national memorial to President Kennedy sits on a 10-acre waterfront site on Columbia Point offering panoramic views of Boston's skyline and Harbor Islands. Dinner is included this evening at Hardcover Restaurant, a traditional steak and seafood restaurant. Check into the Best Western Plus in Danvers, MA for a 3 night stay. (B,D)

This morning, following an included breakfast at the hotel, depart for a full day of Salem! We'll begin the day with a guided tour of Salem, most widely known as the site of the Witch Trials of 1692. However, this colorful coastal city has much more to offer including rich marine heritage combined with an impressive display of historic architecture and amazing stories that span almost four centuries. Following your tour, visit the Salem Witch Museum. Step back in time to 1692 for a dramatic history lesson using stage sets with life size figures, lighting, and narration to experience this dramatic witch hunt that struck fear and terror into the hearts of the Salem townspeople and ultimately led to the court trials and executions of many. Enjoy free time for lunch on your own at the harborside shopping village of Pickering Wharf. This afternoon, visit the national historic landmark of the House of Seven Gables. This home is best known today as the setting of world-renowned American author Nathanial Hawthorne's 1851 novel. This afternoon you will have the opportunity to meander about Pickering Wharf and Downtown Salem. (B)

Included breakfast at the hotel. The first stop will be a boat cruise for an historic one-hour tour through Boston's world-famous harbor. Sit back and relax and hear heroic tales of the Revolutionary War and local legends of the sea. Visit the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum where the Sons and Daughters of Liberty welcome you to a one-of-a-kind experience and you can be part of the famous event that forever changed the course of American History! It's more than a stroll through historic artifacts, it's an adventure! This floating museum is unlike anything you've ever experienced before. Live actors, high-tech interactive exhibits, authentically restored tea ships and the stirring, multi-sensory documentary "Let It Begin Here" are just a taste of what you'll see, hear and feel. Free time and lunch on your own at Faneuil Hall/Quincy Marketplace. Located in downtown Boston, steps away from the waterfront, Faneuil Hall is alive today as it was in 1742 when our nation's fathers proclaimed it "The Cradle of Liberty". Enjoy unique local shops and nationally recognized shops while indulging in the local cuisine. This afternoon, tour along the famous Boston Freedom Trail viewing many historic sites while hearing tales of the brave Bostonians and Colonialists who dared to challenge Britain and helped establish the greatest republic in the world. Visit the USS Constitution, launched in Boston in 1797, USS Constitution is the oldest commissioned warship afloat and earned her nickname "Old Ironsides" during the war of 1812 when she fought the British frigate HMS Guerriere. Naval officers and crew still serve aboard her today. A "must see" location is the North End, Boston's Little Italy. It is a maze of narrow streets with some of the city's oldest buildings. You will pass historic sites like the 1690 Paul Revere House and the Old North Church, which played a key role at the beginning of the Revolutionary War. This evening enjoy dinner at the Union Oyster House. The restaurant enjoys the unique distinction of being America's oldest restaurant. This Boston fixture, housed in a building dating back to Pre-Revolutionary days, started serving food in 1826 and has continued ever since with the stalls and the oyster bar, where Daniel Webster and many other historical persons were constant customers. (B,D)

This morning, insure your baggage is placed outside your room door before breakfast for pick up by the hotel staff, who will deliver it to the coach. Check out and depart. Meet the costumed guide at the Lexington Visitor's Center for a 2 hour tour of Lexington and Concord. Hear the story of April 19, 1775. Visit the Minute Man National Park and see the Minute Man statue in both Lexington and Concord. Finally, trace the retreat of the British back to Boston. Following the tour, visit the boutique shops in historic Lexington as well as enjoy lunch on your own in the quaint city. Overnight in Utica, NY at the Hampton Inn. (B)

Breakfast is included at the hotel. Make your way home filled with memories of your Boston & Salem Tour with rest and meal stops en-route. (B)