L & M
Tours C
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L & M Tours Newsletter #13 718-238-2284 – www.lmtours.net April 2016
With the arrival of Spring (at least the calendar says so, if not the weather!), it is time to look ahead to a full season of new trips and old favorites mixed in. Keep an eye out for all the new long trips scheduled for summer and call in now to reserve a place so that these wonderful adventures can take off! In the meantime, to whet your appetite for the great times that a long trip can provide, read our scoop on last month’s trip to Savannah and Charleston, with a “surprise box” full of photos contributed by our loyal passengers.
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APRIL . . . at a Glance (see 2016 catalog for full details)
T H A N K S F O R T H E
MEMORIES 9 Sat Philadelphia Landmarks
Highlights: Ryerss Mansion (1859) in Burholme Park, Philadelphia, featuring generations of art & heirlooms; tour of Physick House (1786), the only free-standing Federal townhouse in Society Hill. Lunch at Positano Coast.
Nineteen L & M passengers left behind
New York’s unpredictable weather to bask in
the sultry climate of two jewels of the South:
Charleston and Savannah. Jimmy, Neil, and
Garry were especially happy as they had taken
the trip last year when it was non-stop rain,
and this time not a drop was felt. The first
stop was Fort Sumter in South Carolina, the
site of the first battle of the Civil War on
April 12, 1861. Arriving on the first boat of
the morning to the restored fort, L & M
passengers were able to participate in the
stirring ceremony of raising the flag, with the
help of the National Park Ranger. Two other
passengers were so inspired by the historic
grounds that they decided to start collecting
National Park “passport stamps,” and they are
now motivated to visit the more than 400
National Park Service sites around the country
to “get stamped”! Fortunately L & M offers
many bus trips to such sites this year,
especially as it is the NPS’ 100th anniversary.
9 Sat Shady Maple Smorgasbord & More Highlights: Indulge in a 200-foot buffet of delectable PA Dutch buffet, a family tradition; visit the downstairs Gift Shop & nearby Farm Market; also Kitchen Kettle Village.
10 Sun Newark’s Farmers Market & Christiana Mall Highlights: Best quality produce & international groceries at low prices; Christiana Mall in Delaware features 150 shops & foot court—with NO SALES TAX!
13 Wed Man of La Mancha at Westchester Highlights: “Dream the Impossible Dream” again with Don Quixote & Sancho Panzo in this award-winning musical at Westchester Broadway Theatre in Elmsford, NY. Lunch included. Mini-bus.
15 Fri Brandywine River Museum of Art & More Highlights: Brandywine River Museum is known for the art of three generations of Wyeths—N.C., Andrew, & Jamie—as well as American landscapes & illustration; tour of Newlin Grist Mill (1704), with Miller’s House, Blacksmith Shop demonstrations, & nature walks. Lunch included.
16 Sat Howe Caverns Highlights: Learn about how Howe Caverns was discovered & head down via elevator to the enormous main cavern, immense galleries, grottos, & an underground lake with a 15-minute boat ride. Lunch included.
16 Sat Penn Dutch Amish Tour Highlights: Guided tour in the heart of the Amish farmlands & its schools & windmills; stop at Kitchen Kettle Village. (This is no visit to an Amish home.) Lunch at Good ‘n’ Plenty.
17 Sun Spring Blooms at Longwood Gardens Highlights: 240,000 tulips are in bloom, azaleas are growing in Piece’s Woods, & Meadow Garden is resplendent with flowering trees; 1,050 landscaped acres & 20 indoor gardens; afternoon organ performance. Lunch included.
One passenger snapped this
beautiful blooming tree as she
traipsed around Charleston and
encountered a small museum—
the Old Slave Mart Museum
which chronicled the history of
slavery in the South, with nearly 40% of the
slave trade originating in Charleston. The small
building stood on one of the few remaining
cobblestone streets and is the only known
extant building used as a slave auction gallery.
Inside, she took a picture
of the brick wall opposite a
photo of a female slave,
and felt that “if only walls
could speak,” these would
certainly tell sad stories of
thousands of broken lives.
Another surprising stop was the Charleston
Tea Plantation, 127 acres of lush verdant tea
bushes and the only such plantation in North
America. Everyone explored the grounds with
an informative trolley ride and a visit to the
computerized greenhouse, followed by a
factory tour demonstrating the stages of tea
production: picking, delivering, macerating,
oxidizing, and drying. Also in full glory was one
of the oldest oak
trees in South
Carolina, a “baby” at
400 years, compared
to Angel Oak also in
the state, at a
robust 1,500 years.
Looking good, kid!
The excursion to Savannah, Georgia, was
likewise filled with history and Southern
charm. With a walking tour, it was easy to get
a sense of the 22 squares that grid the city,
each an enclave of trees, flowers, statues,
and fountains
commemorating
historic persons or
events in the city’s
history. Around the
squares, homes and
churches display
their elegant,
uniquely Southern
architecture. As
alluring as the Spanish moss that hangs from
so many trees is, the guides were quick to
17 Sun
The Barnes Foundation Highlights: Founded in 1922, the museum holds 3,000 masterpiece paintings, plus textiles, decorative arts, jewelry, & furniture; new exhibition: “Picasso: The Great War, Experimentation, & Change.” Lunch included.
18 Mon Mansions Along the Delaware Highlights: Tour Glen Foerd (1850) on the Delaware River, built by financier Charles Macalester Jr., & Andalusia (1795), built by Nicholas Biddle, with lush gardens; scrumptious lunch at Pen Ryn Estate.
19 Tues Big Band—Villa Roma Resort Highlights: In Callicoon (NY) resort, the Big Band Era comes alive with 9 musicians & 2 vocalists singing the music of Glen Miller & Tommy Dorsey; lunch with fruit cup, minestrone, roasted chicken, London broil or tilapia, veggies, & dessert.
20 Wed Little Anthony & the Imperials
Highlights: At Caesars in Atlantic City, Little Anthony & the Imperials repeat their 1960s hits “Shimmy, Shimmy, Ko-Ko-Bop,” “Goin’ Outta My Head,” and many others. Lunch at Phillips Seafood & $25 slot bonus.
20-21 Wed-Fri
Foxwoods & Mohegan Sun Casinos
Highlights: Olde Mistick Village for lunch & shopping; Garde Art Theatre for “Country Royalty” Show tribute to Hank Williams & Patsy Cline; Foxwoods Casino for play, dinner, & check-in; Tanger Outlets; visit to Mohegan Sun Casino for more luck. $10 slot (Foxwoods), $15 meal/retail credit & $15 free bet at Mohegan. 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner.
22-24 Fri-Sun
Vermont Maple Festival & More Highlights: Neighborly Farms for cheese-making & samples; Burlington hotel; Danforth Pewter; 50th annual Vermont Maple Festival with exhibits, demos, crafts, antiques, food, Vermont Maple Beverage Tasting (tasting glass included!); St. Albans Historical Museum; Green Mountain Coffee Visitor Center & Case; Quechee Gorge Village with the area’s best shopping. 2 continental breakfasts, 2 dinners.
24 Sun Ford Theatre & Dumbarton House
Highlights: The site of Lincoln’s assassination in April 1965, but the place where his legacy lives on; galleries of historic artifacts & visit to the Peterson House where Lincoln was carried & died; Dumbarton House (1800) features Federal period architecture & furnishings. Dinner included.
24 Sun Stormville Antique Show
Highlights: More than 600 vendors from eight states offer bargains & treasures of arts, crafts, & collectibles in the Hudson Valley; wide variety of food concessions. Mini-bus.
25 Mon Eisenhower National Historic Site
Highlights: Home & farm of General & President Dwight D. Eisenhower & his wife Mamie, located adjacent to the Gettysburg Battlefield; free time at Gettysburg National Military Park & Visitor Center. Lunch included.
26-29 Tues-Fri
Outer Banks, North Carolina
Highlights: Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station Historic Site; Bodie Island Lighthouse (1872) with exhibits; Outer Banks Mall; Wright Brothers National Memorial; Elizabethan Gardens; Fort Raleigh National Historic Site; North Carolina Aquarium. 3 continental breakfasts, 2 dinners.
dissuade everyone from taking some as a
souvenir. Bugs, nicknamed “chiggers,” love to
nest in the moss and
surprise unwitting
travelers by infesting
their suitcases. The
guide mentioned that
the crew of the movie
Forrest Gump, filmed
in the area, celebrated
the end of the shoot
by draping themselves
in Spanish moss at a party, only to suffer
weeks of painful bites afterwards!
At a buffet at a Savannah restaurant, “The
Frog and the Peach,” passengers wondered at
the significance of the name. Everyone knew
the peach was Georgia’s
state fruit, but, in fact,
the state’s amphibian is
the “American green tree
frog.” Who says traveling
isn’t educational!
The biggest surprise was the final stop to
Beaufort, second oldest city in South Carolina
after Charleston, filled with antebellum
architecture and rich history. Our local tour
guide not only told delightful stories but sang
a few Civil War songs. Garry Blum beautifully
summed up the hospitality of the town:
Everyone at the visitors’ center told me
I could go to the second floor and look
thru their archives of old pictures and
newspaper articles. Wish I had more time.
I much appreciated their gesture.
Sounds like this
isn’t the last these
Southern cities will
see of their friends
from New York!
26 Tues Legacy of Miracles—Mt. Airy Casino
Highlights: Formerly known as Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, this rhythm & blues group sang such hits as “I Second That Emotion,” Tears of a Clown,” “Love Machine,” “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me,” & many others. Lunch buffet included, $20 slot bonus.
27 Wed Together Again—Foxwoods Casino Highlights: This show recreates the magic of Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers in a tribute performance of their greatest hits over five decades. Lunch buffet, $10 slot bonus.
27 Wed Foxwoods Casino & Tanger Outlets Highlights: Slot & shop with over 380 gaming tables& 4,700 slot machines, as well as 80 shops & restaurants at Foxwoods. Lunch buffet, $10 slot.
28 Thurs
Lost Egypt & National Parks Adventure Highlights: The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia presents stories & artifacts of “Lost Egypt,” including lots about mummies! Giant-screen film “National Parks Adventure” is a sweeping overview of the national parks’ history & the meaning of the American wilderness. Lunch included.
29 Fri Shady Maple & The Green Dragon Highlights: 200 feet of Penn Dutch cooking await hungry shoppers who then have their fill at Green Dragon Farmer’s Market with 7 large buildings & small shops—everything from “soup to nuts.” Lunch included.
30 Sat Spring in Cape May Highlights: Enjoy spring in beautiful Victorian streets, shops at Washington Street Mall, & beach walks; tour of Emlen Physick Estate (1879) & guided trolley tour of Cape May’s Historic District, including crafts & collectibles show.
30 Sat President & Poet Highlights: Tour newly restored Sagamore Hill, Teddy Roosevelt’s “Summer White House” in Oyster Bay & Museum; Walt Whitman’s home with 19th-century furniture & artifacts about the poet. Lunch included. Mini-bus
Thanks to Marian Spatz who said: “Great Newsletter. Thanks for sending. Enjoyed reading of offerings and reminding me to select a few!”
CONGRATULATIONS TO
RAYMOND L&M’s latest newsletter winner!
Please send your photos and written reflections on your trips to
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Please write, call, and send photos!
We all at L & M Tours
Wish you
All the beauty
of SPRING
&
HAPPY PASSOVER
SURPRISE BOX Journey to Charleston and Savannah
Step behind the lenses of three passengers to experience the history and beauty of old Charleston, Savannah, and Beaufort. Thanks to Garry Blum (GB), Annie Loo (AL), and Gabriella Oldham (GO) for sending in these photos.
Fort Sumter, Charleston, SC
(GO)
Flag raising (GO)
Fort Sumter Monument (AL)
View of Charleston Harbor Bridge (AL)
(GO)
Historic fort ruins (AL)
Churches of Charleston and Savannah
(GO) (GO) (AL)