10 Terrific Tours of the U.S. & Canada
These trips offer an in-depth look
at regions from coast to coast
By Elizabeth Armstrong
Canadian Tourism Commission
Here are 10 trips to consider, six in the U.S. and four in Canada. For detailed itineraries and departure dates, call (800) 680-2858 or visit the tour division of Vacations To Go.
Unique culinary experiences, spectacular vistas and captivating waterfront cities and towns are featured on the seven-night "Northern California" escape with Brendan Vacations (from $1,600 per person).
You'll start in San Francisco and get oriented with a guided exploration of such key landmarks as Union Square, the charming Victorian homes known as the "Painted Ladies" and Fisherman's Wharf, where no-frills food stands sell paper cups of cracked crab and clam chowder. There's also an evening tour of Chinatown -- 24 blocks of food markets, dim sum eateries, tea shops and temples -- followed by dinner at one of the neighborhood's Chinese restaurants.
Head to Sonoma and Napa valleys and stop at a vineyard for tastings of wine, olive oil and artisan cheeses at al fresco tables. Explore the shady streets of picturesque Carmel-by-the-Sea, and in Monterey, see the avenue immortalized in John Steinbeck's novel, "Cannery Row," where the town's sardine-canning factories thrived until the late 1940s. The area has found new life as an attractive waterfront district filled with restaurants and shops.
The region's stunning natural beauty also is showcased, from the surf crashing against the rocky coast along Highway 1 to the plummeting waterfalls of Yosemite National Park.
Embrace the wide-open spaces and frontier spirit of the Old West on the weeklong, family-friendly "Cowboy Country" getaway with Tauck Bridges (from $2,750 per person, with a $200 discount for children under 18). On your travels in Wyoming and South Dakota, you'll spy animals in the wild, get a taste of ranch life and journey through unspoiled landscapes of canyons, mountains, grasslands and wildflower meadows.
A guide will help you spot beavers, eagles and elks on a rafting trip in Grand Teton National Park. Guests also have an opportunity to participate in a service project at the park as part of Tauck's volunteer program.
Check out the hot springs and spouting geysers of Yellowstone National Park, and in Cody, WY, get a perspective of the American West at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, named for one of the era's most colorful figures. You'll also bunk down at a guest ranch, where you can fish for trout or ride a horse through sage-carpeted fields.
Venture into the rugged Black Hills of South Dakota to see Gutzon Borglum's colossal tribute to four American presidents at Mount Rushmore National Memorial. The equally impressive Crazy Horse Memorial, a work in progress, is 17 miles away; it honors the warrior leader of the Oglala Lakota.
"Pioneer Adventures of the Old West" from Trafalgar Tours also is designed as a family vacation. The seven-night trip through the Southwest's glorious canyon country features kid-pleasing activities like stargazing, a ride on an old-fashioned train and rodeo entertainment (from $1,475 per person, with a 10 percent discount for kids 5 to 17).
In Arizona, young travelers can learn about the pre-Columbian Sinagua people at Montezuma Castle National Monument as they peer up at the cliff dwellings built into the limestone. An evening at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff lets them view the galaxy through ultra-powerful telescopes.
Climb aboard the Grand Canyon Railway for a jaunt through high desert, prairies and pine forests -- keep an eye out for elk, mule deer and antelope. You'll overnight at a lodge in Grand Canyon National Park, which lets you observe the early evening dance of sunlight and shadows on the walls of the vast, mile-deep chasm.
Ride an open-air vehicle through Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, which straddles the Arizona-Utah border, to see striking buttes and mesas; this was a favorite filming spot for directors of Hollywood Westerns. After sightseeing in the dusty desert, pamper yourself with a full day of leisure at Lake Powell Resort, an oasis amid the vermilion cliffs and sapphire waters of Glen Canyon National
Recreation Area.
In southern Utah, see the massive monoliths of Zion National Park, then head to Bryce Canyon National Park to marvel at the rocky spires called "hoodoos." You'll spend two nights here, allowing you to observe the hoodoos as they shift through various colors throughout the day -- cream, rosy pink, burnt orange and rust. On the last night, pull on your boots and cowboy hat for a farewell dinner and rodeo.
Did you root for Christopher Reeve's modern playwright, Richard Collier, as he wooed Jane Seymour's 1912 Elise McKenna in the campy time-traveling classic "Somewhere in Time"? Sharing top billing with the stars of the 1980 tear-jerker was the stately Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, MI, where much of the filming took place; the movie's fan club meets here yearly in October. Opened in 1887, The Grand is a classic Victoria-era retreat and boasts the world's largest porch, which measures 660 feet long. Travelers spend two nights at The Grand
when they join "Mackinac Island and the Great Lakes" a weeklong itinerary offered by Globus (from $2,079 per person).
Mackinac Island retains some of its turn-of-the-century character, too. No motorized vehicles are allowed, so transportation is provided by horse and carriage and bicycle. Globus' guests can join a tour of Fort Mackinac, a former garrison for both British and American troops, and sample the confections of the island's famous fudge shops. Other stops on this tour of Michigan's sights include a reconstructed 1715 fur-trading village at Colonial Michilimackinac and the Bavarian-style village of Frankenmuth.
If the toot of a train whistle and the rhythmic clickety-clack of the tracks is music to your ears, then the nine-night "Cruise the Bays and Railways of New England" from Collette Vacations may be just the ticket (from $2,149 per person). It features nostalgic excursions on four famous trains, which pass through scenic spots inaccessible to cars.
In New Hampshire, the North Conway Scenic Railroad travels past bluffs, ravines, rushing streams and gorgeous mountain views. The next day, chug up the highest peak in the Northeast, Mount Washington, in the world's first mountain-climbing cog railway train.
You'll also board the Green Mountain Flyer Train, a vintage diesel locomotive that pulls restored coaches through the countryside of southern Vermont. In Connecticut, hop on the Essex Steam Train for a meandering journey past meadows, farms, forests and streams, as well as wetlands that provide a habitat for geese, blue heron, egrets and other birds.
Plus, you'll see the offshore delights of Portland, ME, from the decks of a ferry that sails pretty Casco Bay, past the Victorian cottages that dot the shores of Little Diamond and Great Diamond islands. The trip concludes in Newport, RI, once the summer playground of the Vanderbilts and Astors. It's fitting that you'll say goodbye to your fellow travelers aboard a yacht, sailing Newport's harbor on a farewell dinner cruise.
Two things are sure to satisfy the soul in the American South -- food and music. The eight-night "Tastes and Sounds of the South" from Brendan Vacations capitalizes on the culinary scenes and musical legacies of the region (from $1,749 per person).
See why Nashville, TN, is the capital of country music as you visit Music Row, home to recording studios and record labels, and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, where costumes, instruments and other memorabilia are displayed. Guests are treated to an evening at the Grand Ole Opry, one of the most influential live shows in country music history. A side trip to Lynchburg calls at the Jack Daniel's distillery for a lunch that pairs courses with varieties of the Tennessee whiskey.
Next up is Memphis, city of the blues and final resting place of Elvis Presley. You'll make a pilgrimage to his home, Graceland, to view his cars, jets, gold records and the rooms where he lived.
In Lafayette, LA, tour a living-history village that tells the stories of the French-speaking Acadians who were expelled from eastern Canada by the British in the mid-18th century. An evening of Cajun food and music caps off the day. Then it's off to New Orleans, a city known for its great food, timeless jazz and easygoing manner. A sightseeing tour of the Big Easy visits the produce stalls of the French Market, the street artists of Jackson Square and the Greek Revival and Italianate
mansions of the Garden District. That evening, you'll feast on Creole favorites at a French Quarter restaurant.
"Great Resorts of the Canadian Rockies" a six-night getaway with Globus, pairs the majestic, wild scenery of Alberta with luxury hotels that promise every creature comfort (from $2,199 per person). After a day of exploring the great outdoors, you'll retreat to the pampering environment of a Fairmont Hotels & Resorts property, with spas, fine dining and well-appointed rooms at the ready.
In Banff National Park, stay at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, perched on an emerald-green expanse of water framed by snowcapped peaks. The staff helps guests arrange canoeing, horseback riding, fishing and mountain biking excursions.
Ride the Icefields Parkway past alpine meadows, ancient glaciers and pristine lakes to Jasper National Park, where the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge offers rugged elegance deep in the Canadian Rockies. It's a peaceful place, where guests stay in cedar chalets and log cabins connected by paths. You'll also journey to powerful Athabasca Falls, where torrents of water rage over limestone rocks.
In Banff, ride a gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain for exhilarating views from an elevation of 7,486 feet. The regal Fairmont Banff Springs was modeled after a Scottish castle, and its turrets peek out from a sea of evergreens. It has a championship golf course and a spa with an inviting mineral pool for a post-hike soak.
Each fall, animal lovers travel to Churchill, a town on Hudson Bay in Manitoba, Canada, for a rare chance to watch polar bears in the wild. Marine animals that prefer to remain on sea ice, the polar bears are forced to come ashore when the ice in the bay melts. They congregate along the shores, waiting for the ice to freeze again. On the five-night "Polar Bears of Churchill" itinerary from Cosmos, participants venture into polar bear country in specially made tundra buggies (from $4,729 per person). Departures are limited to three dates in October.
The buggies are built for comfort in an unforgiving climate. They're heated and equipped with restrooms and a viewing platform; the driver will make sure you have the most advantageous views of the bears, some of which may approach the buggy to investigate you.
Participants make two visits to the tundra to commune with the bears. They also meet a team of huskies and take a dogsled ride through boreal forest, and see a collection of Inuit artifacts at the Eskimo Museum in Churchill.
The architecture, restaurants, shops and museums of vibrant cities beckon on the six-night "Capitals of Eastern Canada" trip from Insight Vacations (from $1,475 per person). Each destination has its own unique character, from the diverse ethnic enclaves of Toronto to the French flavors of Quebec City.
Cosmopolitan Toronto often is described as a city of neighborhoods, with blocks devoted to Italian, Chinese, Indian, Polish, Korean, Portuguese and Greek cultures. You can see just about all of them from the top of the CN Tower, one of the world's tallest buildings. You'll also take a detour to Niagara Falls for a refreshing ride on the Maid of the Mist boat.
Ottawa is Canada's stately capital of broad avenues, flower-filled formal gardens and the green-peaked roofs of the parliament building. Lose yourself in the Canadian Museum of Civilization; the country's most popular cultural attraction houses the world's largest indoor collection of totem poles.
Quebec City resembles a charming European city, with its sidewalk cafes, stone buildings on winding lanes and decidedly French nature. It's the only fortified city in North America, and you can walk the ramparts that circle Old Quebec.
In Montreal, Quebec's largest metropolis, guided sightseeing takes guests from the sleek structures of the modern downtown to the cobbled streets of Old Montreal. You'll enter the Notre-Dame Basilica to gaze at its dramatic sanctuary done up in eye-popping blues, gold, reds and purples.
Learn about Eastern Canada's deep connection to the sea on the nine-night "Canada's Atlantic Coast" from Collette Vacations. It explores the maritime history of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island through visits to fishing villages and bustling waterfronts (from $1,799 per person).
In April 1912, ships set off from Halifax to recover victims of the Titanic sinking; a sightseeing tour stops at the graveyard where they were laid to rest. You'll also visit the Victorian-style Public Gardens, a retreat for the city's residents since 1867, and the star-shaped Citadel, a fortification that boasts sweeping views of the harbor.
Join lobster fishermen aboard their boat in Shediac and learn how to catch, cook and crack your own crustacean. Then cross Confederation Bridge to Canada's smallest province, Prince Edward Island. It's the setting for the much-loved "Anne of Green Gables" books by Lucy Maud Montgomery, first published in 1908. You'll visit Montgomery's home, spend time with a local potato grower on his farm and visit the wharf in North Rustico, said to be a classic example of a working fishing village. The trip ends with a drive along the Cabot Trail, a scenic route that hugs Cape Breton's rocky coast.
The information in this story was accurate at the time it was published in March/April 2010.
Please visit Vacations To Go or call (800) 680-2858 for current rates and details.
