New England Baptist Heritage - Itinerary
Trace the history of Baptists in America against the backdrop of New England’s beautiful fall foliage. Explore the First Baptist Church of America, founded by Roger Williams; sites related to the first Baptist missionary from America, Adoniram Judson; the founding site of the first Baptist church in the South at Kittery, Maine; and meet with Directors of Missions throughout New England, all while enjoying the stirring sights of fall foliage at its peak.
Also travel to Plymouth to visit Plymouth Rock, the Mayflower II, & Plymoth Plantation. In Boston, follow the Freedom Trail to learn more about United States history, and travel to Lexington and Concord where the first shots of the Revolution were fired. Travel up the coast to Kittery, Maine, where William Screven founded a Baptist church that was relocated just a year later to South Carolina due to persecution. Drive along Vermont’s White River and through the brilliant colors of the Green Mountains. Make a stop high in the Ossipee Mountains at the “Castle in the Clouds,” and treat your senses to a picturesque cruise on Lake Winnipesaukee with its spectacular views of the surrounding fall foliage.
The sequence of touring and days may be altered to adjust to religious holidays, special closings of sites, air schedule changes, etc. Hotels listed subject to availability. Meal inclusions may vary by departure.
DAY 1, BIRMINGHAM/PROVIDENCE/PLYMOUTH
We depart for Providence, Rhode Island. Upon arrival, we are met by our New England coach and travel on to the First Baptist Church of America, which is where Judson gave his valedictory address. We also visit nearby Roger Williams Park and Brown University, seeing the building where Judson lived and studied. We continue to our hotel in Plymouth, Massachusetts, The Hilton Garden Inn, for dinner and overnight. (D)
DAY 2, PLYMOUTH
Following breakfast, we join fellow Southern Baptists for worship in Plymouth. After church, we visit Plymouth Harbor, where Plymouth Rock is located and where the Mayflower II, a full-scale reproduction of the type of 17th-century sailing vessel that made the famous voyage in 1620, is anchored. We then travel the short distance to Plimoth Plantation where costumed role players portray what daily life was like for the pilgrims. We have a short time for exploring the Plantation, and then visit a number of Judson sites. We visit Adoniram Judson’s boyhood home; the 3rd Congregational Church (where Adoniram Sr. was pastor); Burial Hill, site of the first fort circa 1621, and the Judson family plot, just yards away. Dinner is included this evening. (B,D)
DAY 3, BOSTON/LEXINGTON/CONCORD/NORTHBOROUGH/TEWKSBURY
After breakfast at the hotel, we depart and travel north to Boston, where we spend the morning following the Freedom Trail, a 2.5 mile red-brick walking trail that leads you to 16 nationally significant historic sites, every one an authentic American treasure. Preserved and dedicated by the citizens of Boston in 1958, the Freedom Trail today is a unique collection of museums, churches, meeting houses, burying grounds, parks, a ship, and historic markers that tell the story of the American Revolution and beyond. We enjoy lunch at Quincy Marketplace, with its wide variety of options to suit all tastes. This afternoon we travel to Lexington and Concord, where the first shots of the Revolution were fired. From there, we continue to Northborough to visit the homesite of Luther Rice, a great supporter of both education and missions who worked alongside Adoniram Judson as a missionary to Burma in 1812. Nearby are the offices of the Baptist Convention of New England, where we are treated to a special presentation before traveling on to Tewksbury and the Holiday Inn for dinner and overnight. (B,D)
DAY 4, PORTSMOUTH/ KITTERY/KENNEBUNKPORT/TEWKSBURY
This morning we travel north to Portsmouth, New Hampshire where we visit the Seacoast Community Church and are treated to a brief guided tour of Portsmouth. We continue up the coast into Maine for a stop at Kittery, where William Screven founded a Baptist church in 1682. Due to persecution, the church remained in Kittery just one year and then relocated to South Carolina. We continue towards Kennebunkport, where the summer home of former President George Bush is located. Dinner is included in Maine, and then we return to Tewksbury for overnight. (B,D)
DAY 5, KILLINGTON/MONTPELIER
Today we journey through Massachusetts and into Vermont, taking in beautiful scenery along the way. We stop in Killington and ride 1.25 miles in a gondola to the top of Killington Peak, where we take in majestic views of five US states and Canada. Following lunch in Killington, we continue traveling along the White River, making several stops at scenic overlooks. Our destination this evening is the Comfort Inn at Maplewood in Montpelier, Vermont. (B,D)
DAY 6, STOWE/MONTPELIER
After breakfast at the hotel, we travel to nearby Stowe for a relaxing day of sightseeing. We visit the Morse Farm, a picturesque working farm where the Morse family has produced maple syrup for 200 years. The farm offers free sugar house tastings and tours, multimedia displays in a real woodshed theater, a nature trail, country store, and an outdoor Vermont farm life museum. We also visit Cabot Creamery, where we tour the factory and watch cheese makers at their craft, and then enjoy samples of their award-winning cheeses. We travel on to Ben & Jerry’s for a fun and educational factory tour where we learn how ice cream gets “from cow to cone.” Another highlight of our day is a visit to the Vermont Teddy Bear Company factory. We return to Montpelier for dinner and overnight. (B,D)
DAY 7, MOULTONBOROUGH/MANCHESTER
After breakfast at the hotel, we drive to Moultonborough, New Hampshire and visit the “Castle in the Clouds,” a magnificent turn of the century estate that sits high in the Ossipee Mountain range. The views of Lake Winnipesaukee and the mountains beyond from this wood and stone structure are fantastic. In addition to the castle itself, the property also boasts a number of hiking trails and paths, and countless cascading waterfalls. Folloing lunch at the cafe here, we travel on to Manchester for dinner and overnight at the Four Points by Sheraton. (B,D)
DAY 8, LAKE WINNIPESAUKEE/MANCHESTER/BIRMINGHAM
We have breakfast at the hotel and then travel to Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire’s largest lake, approximately 25 miles long by 15 miles wide. The lake boasts over 240 inhabitable islands, some of which we will see on our lake cruise. Surrounded by three mountain ranges - the Ossipee Mountains, Belknap Mountains, and Sandwich Range - the views of fall foliage surrounding the lake are truly spectacular. After the cruise, we continue to the Manchester airport for our return flight to Birmingham. (B)
