New!  Scenic New York and Erie Canal Cruise/Tour   Erie Canal cruising, Hudson River Valley and Finger Lakes

June 13-22, 2010

Land tour from $2899.00

HURRY! Only 5 rooms left!

Tour closes to new bookings no later than April 30.

New York, the Empire State, is so much more than just its name-sake city! This new tour shows a different face of New York as we cruise the Erie Canal system and explore the Hudson River Valley, the hills of the Southern Tier and the Finger Lakes. If you took our 2007 or 2009 tours that visited the western portions of the Erie Canal, you will find virtually no repetition in this tour.

In 2010 we cover “new waters” as we sail for two full days from Oswego to Syracuse and Syracuse to Waterloo. At one time, the Albany-Buffalo “mainline” of the Erie Canal was fed by a network of feeder canals reaching from Lake Champlain to the Alleghany Mountains. Two significant branches still operate in central New York. First, the Oswego Canal provides a direct route from Lake Ontario north to intersect the main canal near Syracuse. The second branch connects the Finger Lakes to the cross-state canal via the Cayuga-Seneca Canal. We explore these branches and the beautiful reaches of the main canal through Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge and east to Oneida Lake. Passage through multiple locks is a cruise highlight.

The tour traces a great circle round-trip from Syracuse. We travel first on the canal, then by train on Amtrak’s former New York Central RR (NYC) “Water Level Route” along the shores of the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers. We continue on the Metro North RR Hudson River Line past West Point and the Highlands, with an optional evening trip to visit Grand Central Terminal. Next we ride Metro North’s rugged former Erie RR mainline, traveling over rugged hills and across the soaring Moodna Viaduct west into the Southern Tier. For contrast, we enjoy Sunday brunch in the diner on the Tioga Central RR, which operates a former NYC line into the Allegheny Mountains of northern Pennsylvania. We also have a streetcar ride at the Trolley Museum of New York.

The Hudson River Valley is the historic heartland of the Empire State. The region is particularly noted for its grand estates. Most Americans know that President Franklin Roosevelt resided at Hyde Park, but there are many other exceptional homes in the valley. On this tour we focus on less frequently visited sites including Kykuit, the hill-top mansion of John D. Rockefeller Sr. We also cruise on the Hudson past the great estates, dine at the 1766 Beekman Arms Inn, and lunch at the “other CIA”, the Culinary Institute of America.

Driving west through the Southern Tier we experience Hawks Nest Drive as it twists along the slopes of the southern Catskill Mountains through the grand canyon of the Delaware River. We marvel at the treasures of the Corning Museum of Glass, see the shining waters and rugged slopes of the Finger Lakes, enjoy a wine tasting, have a luncheon cruise on Canandaigua Lake, and celebrate our Farewell Dinner at Belhurst Castle overlooking Seneca Lake.

Best of all, if you book both our “Rails, Sails and New England Islands” tour from June 4 to 13 and this tour, you will qualify for our $75 per person Multiple Booking Discount and we will provide connecting coach travel on Amtrak from Boston to Syracuse on June 13 to connect to this tour as an additional “thank you”.

This tour is escorted by Rail Travel Center VP/General Manager Carl Fowler, a native New Yorker. Complete details follow! All aboard!

Day One, Sunday, June 13 Arrive Syracuse. Independent arrivals into Syracuse today. Accommodations for the next three nights are at the newly restored Jefferson Clinton Hotel in the historic downtown Armory Square district.

Day Two, Monday, June 14 (B,L,D) All-day Erie/Oswego Canal cruise. We make a short drive north this morning to Oswego, on the shores of Lake Ontario. Here we board the canal packet “Emita II” of Mid Lakes Navigation, our transportation for the next two days as we sail the waters of the Erie Canal system. We visit the excellent H. Lee White Maritime Museum, then begin the ascent to Syracuse. We pass through seven locks on the Oswego Branch Canal, ascending from the lake to join the “mainline” of the Erie Canal near Brewerton. In late afternoon we cruise the main canal to Oneida Lake and Syracuse. Our motorcoach transfers us back to the Jefferson Clinton Hotel after dinner.

Day Three, Tuesday, June 15 (B,L,D) All day Erie/Cayuga-Seneca Canal cruise. This morning we sail the main Erie Canal west through a beautiful region of lakes and cottages. The canal passes through Cross Lake before entering Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge. This is a unique area of waterfowl marshes and deep woods. Bring binoculars today, as the bird-spotting can be very good. Near Montezuma we enter the Cayuga-Seneca Branch Canal and ascend two locks as we cruise south. In mid-afternoon we stop in the historic village of Seneca Falls. During our port call it is possible to walk to the Women’s Rights National Historic Park. Here, in1848, the first Women’s Rights Convention called for true universal female and male suffrage. While enjoying dinner, we continue west to Waterloo near the outlet of Seneca Lake. Our coach returns us to the Jefferson Clinton Hotel after completion of two remarkable days cruising on three different canals of the Erie Canal system!

Day Four, Wednesday, June 16 (B,L,D) Amtrak’s EMPIRE SERVICE on the “Water Level Route”; Hudson River Valley estate touring. This morning we board Amtrak’s EMPIRE SERVICE for a fast run from Syracuse to Rhinecliff along the shores of the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers. This is the legendary former New York Central “Water Level Route”, with great views of the rivers, Erie Canal and Catskill Mountains. For the next three days we are exploring the estates, gardens and matchless scenery of the Hudson River Valley.

We begin with a tour of the extravagantly furnished Staatsburg mansion, the former Ogden Mills estate. The grounds here offer superb vistas across the Hudson to the Catskill Mountains. After lunch we explore Wilderstein, the Victorian residence of Margaret “Daisy” Suckley, a cousin and confidant of President Franklin D. Roosevelt who gave him his beloved dog Fala. Wilderstein is an example of a lovely Victorian residence without the “over the top” opulence experienced at Staatsburg.

Our hotel for the next two nights is Rhinebeck’s Delamater House, a bed and breakfast inn comprised of seven elegant Victorian homes located around a pretty central courtyard. Delamater House is adjacent to and managed by the 1776 Beekman Arms, which competes with the Griswold Inn in Essex CT for the title of “America’s oldest continuously operated hotel”. We enjoy a superb dinner this evening at the Beekman Arms.

Day Five, Thursday, June 17 (CB,L) Locust Grove; lunch at the CIA; Hudson River Cruise; streetcar ride at Trolley Museum of NY. We drive south this morning through Hyde Park to Poughkeepsie. En route we catch a glimpse of the Vanderbilt and FDR homes, but our destination is the less-visited but exceptionally beautiful Locust Grove Estate, the home of Samuel F. B. Morse, inventor of the telegraph. We tour the house and its wonderful gardens, which should be at spring peak. There also is a gallery of Hudson River School landscapes and Old Master art.

Lunch is at the Culinary Institute of America, which occupies a magnificent building overlooking the Hudson River. This is the most renowned chef school in the United States. Later we cross to the western shore of the Hudson at the historic river port of Kingston. Here we have a two-hour scenic cruise down the Hudson on the “M/V Rip Van Winkle” round-trip from Rondout Landing to Hyde Park. There are excellent views of Staatsburg, Wilderstein, other mansions and the Catskill Mountains from the vessel. Finally we visit the Trolley Museum of New York and ride a streetcar along a restored portion of the Ulster and Delaware RR to Kingston Point.

Day Six, Friday, June 18 (CB,L) Metro North RR Hudson Highlands trip; visit Kykuit and Philipsburg Manor; optional evening train to Grand Central Terminal. We board a Metro North RR train at Poughkeepsie this morning for the continuation of our journey on the former NYC Hudson River Line. Our route takes us past Storm King Mountain and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and under the soaring Bear Mountain Bridge before reaching Tarrytown, where we visit two very different estates.

Philipsburg Manor Upper Mills is an 18th century Dutch farm representing the pre-Revolutionary War era in the Hudson Valley. It includes an operating gristmill and stone manor house. For contrast we visit Kykuit, originally the home of John D. Rockefeller Sr. and later his grandson, former Vice-President and New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller. Kykuit is a mansion set in a hill-top location with views out over two states and includes magnificent formal gardens with fountains and modern sculpture. The home is filled with antiques, art (including modern art) and Rockefeller memorabilia. Our hotel tonight is the Doubletree Hotel Tarrytown.

This evening participants optionally can join Mr. Fowler for an independent evening ride down the balance of the scenic Hudson River Line to New York City to visit Grand Central Terminal (GCT). Mr. Fowler will lead a walking tour of GCT upon arrival. There is free time to purchase an independent dinner at the legendary Oyster Bar seafood restaurant or at any of the other cafes (in every price range) in what is probably the most beautiful train station ever built. There are frequent trains back to Tarrytown; and our hotel provides a free shuttle to/from the station until 9:30 p.m. Round-trip fare from Tarrytown to New York is $16.50 for adults and $11.00 for seniors at fares in effect in August 2009.

Day Seven, Saturday, June 19 (B,L) Ride the former Erie RR from Suffern to Port Jervis; scenic Hawks Nest Drive. We cross the Hudson this morning on the Tappan Zee Bridge and board the train at Suffern to ride Metro North’s former Erie RR mainline west to Port Jervis. This is one of the most scenic local train services in the northeast. We cross the 3200 foot-long Moodna Viaduct (the longest train trestle east of the Mississippi) which towers 193 feet above the creek below. Next the line climbs over the southern ridges of the Shawangunk Mountains before our mid-day arrival at Port Jervis. Lunch is included at the historic Erie Hotel adjacent to the station.

This afternoon we enjoy beautiful Hawks Nest Drive. NY Highway 97 climbs steeply above the canyon of the Delaware River as it passes between the Catskill Mountains to the north and Pennsylvania’s Pocono Range to the south. At Lackawaxen, we make a photo stop at the remarkable Roebling Suspension Bridge, which once carried the Delaware and Hudson Canal across the river. We join the Route 17 “Quickway” at Hancock and speed west through the beautiful mountains of New York’s Southern Tier to Corning, where we stay the next two nights at the Radisson Hotel.

Day Eight, Sunday, June 20 (B,L) Tioga Central RR Sunday Brunch train; Corning Museum of Glass; Rockwell Museum of Western Art. We drive into the Allegheny Mountains of Pennsylvania this morning to ride a very pretty former NYC coal-hauling line, now operating as the Tioga Central RR. We travel along the shores of Hammond Lake round-trip from Wellsboro on the “Lakeshore Express” while enjoying Sunday Brunch in the diner.

This afternoon we visit the Corning Museum of Glass, which houses the remarkable collection of the Corning Glass Works, the makers of Steuben glass and Corning Ware. Displays show the history of 3500 years of glass-making and include one of the world’s finest collections of art glass. We also visit the Rockwell Museum of Western Art. Billed as “The Best of the West in the East”, it displays paintings and sculptures by such masters as George Caitlin, Charlie Russell and Frederick Remington.

Day Nine, Monday, June 21 (B,L,D) Finger Lakes; lunch cruise on Canandaigua Lake; Glenora Vineyards; Belhurst Castle Farewell dinner. Our last full tour day includes a very scenic morning drive from the Alleghany Mountains of the Southern Tier to the rolling hills of the Finger Lakes region. We have a very special lunch cruise on the sternwheeler “Canandaigua Lady” as it sails the waters of Canandaigua Lake past shores lined with vineyards, cottages and deep forests.

This afternoon we drive to Glenora Wine Cellars, which overlooks Seneca Lake, a waterfall and sweeping views. We can taste Glenora’s award-winning vintages before driving north on the bluffs above the lake to Geneva. Here we enjoy our Farewell Dinner at Belhurst Castle, a former estate on Seneca Lake. We overnight at the Holiday Inn Auburn.

Day Ten, Tuesday, June 22 Erie Canal Museum; tour ends. We visit Syracuse’s excellent Erie Canal Museum this morning, which sums up our experience of New York’s remarkable waterways. Our tour ends with mid-day drop offs at the Amtrak station and Syracuse Airport.

Don’t forget our special offer! Combine this tour with our “Rails, Sails and New England Islands” tour and receive a $75 per person Multiple Booking Discount plus free Amtrak travel between Boston and Syracuse to join this tour!

TOUR PRICES include all canal, river and lake cruises; rail fares (except for the optional New York City evening); motor coach travel; hotels and luggage handling; tour manager services; and meals and admissions noted as included above. Not included are alcoholic beverages, souvenirs, connecting travel to/from Syracuse, or hotel transfers in Syracuse on Day One, as trains and flights arrive throughout the day. Cab fare is about $10 from the Amtrak station or $20 from the airport to our hotel.

$2899.00 per person, double occupancy

$3699.00 single occupancy

Conditions and Booking Information (the fine print)

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Last modified: May 03, 2010