Pre- and Post- Convention Optional Tours

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Trapp Family Lodge & Mt. Washington 3-Day Tour:
Begin the tour by touring the historic Shelburne Museum, viewing 150,000 works of art and Americana located in 39 buildings. On the way to the Trapp Family lodge, stop at the Ben & Jerry’s factory for some ice cream, then enjoy a special evening at the lodge. Day two takes you to Goodrich’s Maple Farm, and Mt. Washington-the Northeast’s highest peak and holder of the world’s record for wind velocity (231 mph). Stay overnight at Mr. Washington Hotel, site of 1944 Bretton Woods Conference that set the free world’s monetary standard. On day 3, visit the Barlett Experimental Forest and Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, followed by a stop at the property of an award winning Tree Farm. Requires moderate walking. A detailed itinerary is now available.
Sunday, July 11- Tuesday, July 13, 8:00am-5pm $1,160 per couple/$770per person

Scenic Vermont & the Working Landscape 2-Day Tour:
Begin your day with a sugarhouse tour and then on to the scenic drive corridor known as US Route 4. Peer over the edge at Quechee Gorge, visit the village shops, and continue to Marsh Billings Rockefeller National Historical Park – Vermont’s Tree Farm #1 and a national leader in conservation stewardship. Make an optional visit to Billings Farm ($7 charge). Dinner and overnight in White River Junction and back on Scenic Rte. 4 to Calvin Coolidge Historic Site, Shackleton Thomas Furniture workshop, Long Trail Brewery for lunch, and a ride on the Killington Gondola to the peak with its five-state view. Portions of this tour are not handicap accessible. A detailed itinerary is now available.
Sunday, July 11- Monday, July 12, 8am-5pm $400 per couple/$250 per person

Monday, July 12, 2010

Greater Burlington Tour:
Visit the Joseph C. McNeil Station, a 50 MW wood-fired electrical generating station located in Burlington, VT. You will see from the inside how the use of low-grade wood benefits woodland owners, electrical consumers, and the environment .At the next stop, Dakin Farm, you will see how time-honored skills and century-old tradition combine with the most modern smokehouse facilities to produce ham, cheddar cheese, pure Vermont maple syrup, and other specialty foods known the world over. The final stop of the day will be to the Shelburne Museum, one of the nation's finest, most diverse, and unconventional museums of art and Americana. Requires moderate walking. A detailed itinerary is now available.
Monday, July 12, 8:45am-5pm $55 /person

Food & Family Tour:
Enjoy hot beverage and a pastry snack at the restored Waterbury Depot with Green Mountain Coffee Roasters exhibit showing where coffee beans come from and how they are treated to make their nationally known coffee. Travel to Stowe Mountain Resort for fun on the Alpine Slide and a picnic lunch. On the way back stop at the Cold Hollow Cider Mill for freshly pressed cider and watch the cider mill in operation. Finally, tour the Ben and Jerry's ice cream factory and enjoy the euphoric sample of the day. Requires minimal walking.
Monday, July 12 8:45am-5pm $40/person

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Explore Lake Champlain Tour:
Enjoy a two-hour tour of the “fifth great lake,” historic Lake Champlain, on the Melosira, University of Vermont’s research vessel. Learn about the ecology of a lake surrounded by forests, then dock at Burlington’s ECHO Museum for lunch. After lunch, those those returning from the lake cruise will visit the Ecology, Culture, History and Opportunity (ECHO) Museum for lectures on all aspects of Vermont, New York, and the lake they share. Also explore more than 70 live species of animals and over 100 interactive exhibits. Those who take the ECHO Museum tour in the morning will go out on the lake, following lunch, on the Melosira. This tour is limited to 48 participants, with half on the lake in the morning while the other is at the museum, then switching places after lunch This is a rare opportunity to learn about large lake ecology from top researchers from the University of Vermont and visit a museum dedicated to the lake and Vermont’s landscape. Requires minimal walking and includes lunch. The ECHO Museum and the dock for the Melosira are located directly west of the convention hotel and within walking distance.
Tuesday, July 13, 9:00am-5:00pm $60/person

Capitol Tour:
Begin this tour with a visit to Rock of Ages, an experience like no other: visit a granite quarry nearly 600 feet deep, watch artisans as they cut, sculpt and polish, explore exhibits, browse the gift shop, bowl on our outdoor granite lane and make your own stone gift at our sandblast activity center. Tour the Hope Cemetery and see some of the finest examples of memorial design and granite craftsmanship ever produced. See how maple sugaring works at Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks. Tour the Capitol Building after lunch in Montpelier. You will learn about Vermont's exciting past at the Vermont Historical Society and History Museum. Requires minimal walking. A detailed itinerary is now available.
Tuesday, July 13 7:30am-5:00pm $40/person

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Lake Champlain Dinner Cruise:
Lake Champlain is the largest freshwater lake in the U. S. after the five Great Lakes, and is one of Vermont’s most sought after destinations. The best way to enjoy the lake is with a cruise aboard the 424 passenger Spirit of Ethan Allen III as you enjoy a sumptuous dinner with other convention participants and visitors to Burlington.
Wednesday, July 14 6:30pm-9:00pm $50/person

Friday, July 16, 2010

Northeast Kingdom 2-Day Tour:
The Northeast Kingdom of Vermont is the least populated, coldest, and wildest region of Vermont. Find out why it is the most special! The two-day tour includes visits to boreal and northern hardwood forests, glacial lakes, covered bridges, the largest maple syrup processor in the United States, a historic Victorian museum and library, a veneer mill, a woolen goods plant, a winery, and a tram ride to the peak of the mountain with the most annual snowfall in the eastern United States! The evening meal at the end of the first day along with breakfast the next day will be served dockside on Lake Memphremagog. Participants should be able to walk unassisted for two (2) miles each day on moderate trails and walks. Not handicap accessible.
Friday, July 16- Saturday, July 17, 8:00am-5pm $500 per couple/$300 per person. A detailed itinerary is now available.