The Big Apple, The Hudson & Niagara Falls
A Great Summer Vacation
8 Days | Spring | Summer | Fall
Starting At $Flexible Pricing
A great summer vacation tour your group will explore the Big Apple, then spend a couple of days driving along the Hudson north all the way to Niagara Falls. Let us know if you want to customize the attractions or restaurants and your put your slant on it.
Highlights
New York City
Hudson Valley
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Niagara Falls, NY
Tour Inclusions:
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EscotGroups by US Tours Flexible Pricing:
- Customizable Comps
- Net Rates
- Luxury or First Class Hotels & Meals
- Motorcoach Transportation & Professional Tour Managers are available
Whatever you want, EscotGroups by US Tours will be happy to structure tour prices to match your needs. Just let us know!
Itinerary
Day 1 – New York City
Arrive today in New York City and check into your Midtown Manhattan hotel for a three-night stay. Enjoy a free evening for exploring and dinner on own.
Day 2 – Guided NYC Tour – Free Time in Rockefeller Center – Dinner & Broadway Show
After breakfast at the hotel, depart for a guided tour of the City that Never Sleeps. From Central Park to Times Square, you will hear the history and see popular sites and locations throughout the city.
Next, enjoy free time and lunch on own in Rockefeller Center, a shopping experience unlike any other. You’ll find beloved New York brands, international names, and up-and-coming designers. This is the best shopping destination in Midtown Manhattan for spring fashions, and where you come to rediscover that shopping is as much about where you are as about what you find.
Rockefeller Center offers a variety of dining options. From the bite grabbed on-the-go, to the “where-the-locals-eat” outdoor hot spot, you’ll find the finest New York culinary talent at Rockefeller Center.
Tonight, dinner is served at a landmark New York restaurant, Carmine’s, a family-style Italian Ristorante, followed by a Broadway Show where your reserved Orchestra Seat tickets. Return to the hotel following the performance. (B,D)
Day 3 – Statue of Liberty – 9/11 Memorial & Museum – One World Observatory
This morning, take the Ferry to the Statue of Liberty, America’s most iconic symbol of promise and possibility. You will also have time to visit Ellis Island, where over 12 million immigrants arrive in the United States and was the nation’s busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954.
Following a break for lunch on own, the afternoon includes a visit to the 9/11 National Memorial & Museum. The 9/11 Memorial Museum tells the story of the events of 9/11 through artifacts that range in scale from the monumental to the intimate, as well as through first-person accounts and multimedia displays. The 9/11 Memorial consists of two enormous reflecting pools set in the footprints of the Twin Towers. Each pool is about an acre in size; 30-foot waterfalls cascade down all sides. Hundreds of white oak trees line the surrounding plaza.
Then visit the One World Observatory. Start by ascending to the top of the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere in less than 60 seconds; look toward the horizon and feel the City’s invincible spirit. Explore three levels filled with innovation and inspiration at One World Observatory, located in the top three floors of One World Trade Center.
Tonight, enjoy free time for dinner is on your own and one last evening to explore the “Big Apple.” (D)
Day 4 – Hudson Valley – West Point – Lunch at Thayer Hotel – Brotherhood Winery – Poughkeepsie
This morning after breakfast, depart New York City for the Hudson Valley, a National Heritage Area known for its scenic beauty and fascinating history. Start with a guided tour of West Point Academy. This riding and walking tour of West Point Academy will include Cadet Chapel & Trophy Point. See the central area where cadets live and attend classes. Enjoy the history and beauty of this section of the post. Visit Parade Grounds where today’s cadets drill and parade. This is where George Washington drilled and organized the Continental Army. Tour Trophy Point, Battle Monument and relics of wars dating back to the Revolution. Get ready for a million-dollar view of the scenic Hudson Valley. There will also be time to visit the gift shop.
Lunch is included today at MacArthur’s Riverview Restaurant located at the Thayer Hotel. This renowned restaurant on the Hudson River, with its Gothic windows and old-world charm, sets the stage for a truly unique dining experience.
Then enjoy a Tour and Tasting at Brotherhood Winery. Experience the historic atmosphere of Brotherhood Winery by taking a leisurely stroll through the vast network of underground cellars. Excavated by hand in the late 19th Century, the dimly lit cellars house over two hundred oak barrels and feature a crested vault containing some of the oldest vintages in America.
Knowledgeable guides will reveal the secrets of these mysterious vaults and keep you amused with tall tales of folly and tragedy. The tour will get you well acquainted with the complete wine making process and you will feel like an expert in oenology. Following the tour, enjoy a tasting of their wines.
End the day in the Poughkeepsie, NY area where you check into your hotel for a two-night stay. Dinner is in your own this evening. (B,L)
Day 5 – Maple Syrup Farm Tour – Hudson River Cruise – FDR Presidential Library – Culinary Institute Dinner
After breakfast this morning, tour one of the Hudson Valley’s Maple Farms. New York is one of the few places in the world where Sugar Maple trees (the official state tree) thrive and maple syrup is produced. Native Americans taught early settlers in this area how to create this delicious natural treat. Today, New York State is one of the world’s top producers of maple products. Learn how the sap is turned into syrup and enjoy a tasty sample.
Then enjoy a two hour Narrated Cruise through the majestic Hudson Highlands aboard the luxurious Pride of the Hudson. The captain will narrate the sights along the way including: Washington’s Headquarters, Mount Beacon, Bannerman Island, Breakneck Mountain, the town of Cold Spring, Constitution Island, West Point and World’s End, the deepest point of the Hudson River.
Next, visit the FDR Presidential Library & Museum. The first presidential library—and the only one used by its namesake while in office—was planned and designed by Roosevelt in the Dutch Colonial style and houses his official papers, books, and other memorabilia, as well as the papers of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The library’s study was the scene of several of the president’s popular “fireside chats.” It remains as it was when FDR used it during his third and fourth terms. Museum exhibits focus on all aspects of FDR’s life, from his boyhood through his presidency, including the desk he used in the Oval Office, and his 1936 Ford Phaeton. Additional exhibits trace the life and accomplishments of Eleanor Roosevelt.
Then travel to Hyde Park, NY for dinner at the Culinary Institute of America. The Culinary Institute of America operates a family of unique award-winning restaurants staffed by students and faculty in the CIA academic programs. Return to your hotel after dinner. (B,D)
Day 6 – Niagara Falls, NY – Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino
This morning depart for Niagara Falls, NY where on arrival, you check into the Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino for a two night stay. Included with your stay will be a Free Slot Play bonus and meal coupons. With over 2,500 slot machines, and more than 60 table games, Seneca Niagara offers endless ways to win with the most sought-after slot, table, keno, and poker games in New York. Feel the anticipation, experience the thrill, and claim your fortune at Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino. Dinner is included this evening at the hotel. (B,D)
Day 7 – Observation Tower – Maid of the Mist – Cave of the Winds – Winery Tour & Tasting – Dinner at Top of the Falls
This morning you make your way to the Observation Tower where you’ll get a panoramic view of all three waterfalls – American, Bridal Veil and Horseshoe Falls. The Tower’s Observation deck extends out over the Niagara Gorge and is the only place in the Park to view both the American and Horseshoe Falls at the same time! Ride the elevator down to board the Maid of the Mist.
Enjoy the NEW Maid of the Mist, one of the most famous boat rides in the world, will take you up close to the Falls where you will feel the spray and hear the thunder. For more than 150 years the Maid of the Mist has taken countless visitors through the foam and spray at the bottom of Niagara Falls. Get ready for damp, but thrilling ride, on their brand new electric pontoon boats!
Next, it’s time for a thrilling walk on Niagara Falls’ wild side. The spectacular Cave of the Winds Tour takes visitors into a stormy mist zone, where “soaking up the experience” takes on new meaning! The journey begins with an elevator ride 175 feet down into the Niagara Gorge. Geared-up in a souvenir rain poncho and specially designed sandals, guests follow wooden walkways along Niagara River to the Hurricane Deck, just a few breathtaking feet from the torrents of Niagara Falls. Here, rushing Bridal Veil Falls creates tropical storm-like conditions. Talk about a rush! Nowhere else on Earth gets you closer to the Falls!
After a break for lunch on own, the afternoon features a winery tour and tasting at an area winery. Niagara Falls USA is home to a burgeoning wine region in a truly unique atmosphere. The cool climate and rolling hills and valleys make for a one-of-a-kind terroir, home to small and large producers alike — and all kinds of grapes. It is now home to over 22 wineries, breweries and cideries.
Dinner this evening is included at Top of the Falls Restaurant. As the only restaurant overlooking Niagara Falls, Top of the Falls Restaurant offers a one-of-a-kind dining experience. The Top of the Falls menu offers modern American cuisine and classic dishes, and every dish is accompanied by spectacular waterfall views. The venue, located within Niagara Falls State Park, on Goat Island, overlooks Terrapin Point, and features panoramic views of Horseshoe Falls through floor-to-ceiling windows and outdoor dining decks.
Return to Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino for the evening. (B,D)
Day 8 – Made in America Store – Depart for Home
After breakfast, stop by the Made in America Store where you can find gifts and souvenirs that are truly made in the U.S.A.! After your visit depart for home. (B)