Great Gardens of East Coast USA

DAY 1
Thursday 1 May 2014
Sydney – Washington DC

Meet your Ross Tours representative at Sydney Airport for our flight to Washington DC, where we’ll check into the Omni Shoreham for a four-night stay. The Omni Shoreham is an institution in the US capital and has hosted inaugural balls for every president from FDR to Bill Clinton. It sits on 11 acres, adjoins one of Washington’s great parks and offers fabulous views.
Accommodation: Omni Shoreham, Washington

DAY 2
Friday 2 May 2014
Washington (B/D)

An orientation tour of Washington DC will put the White House, Capitol Building, Pentagon and other landmarks into their city context. The afternoon is free to relax, or lunch at the Smithsonian and wander through the nearby National Botanic Garden with Michael. We’ll all meet up this evening for our Welcome Dinner in the hotel restaurant.
Accommodation: Omni Shoreham, Washington

DAY 3
Saturday 3 May 2014
Washington (B)

Step back into the 18th century today at Mount Vernon, the plantation home of the first President of the United States, George Washington. We’ll explore the Palladian-style mansion and stroll through the gardens. They give a great insight into Washington’s varied passions. After lunch in the restaurant at Mount Vernon we’ll have some time to explore the museums of the Smithsonian Institute. Don’t miss the Enid Haupt Roof Gardens.
Accommodation: Omni Shoreham, Washington

DAY 4
Sunday 4 May 2014
Washington (B/D)

The morning is free for us to explore the beautiful houses and gardens of Georgetown before our afternoon visit to Dumbarton Oaks. Owner Mildred Bliss and designer Beatrix Farrand collaborated for more than 30 years on this garden, considering and planning every terrace, bench, urn and border. Each terrace is sculpted with glass, brick, mosaic pebble and plants. These days it’s part of Harvard University and meticulously maintained.
We’ll meet up after dinner this evening to tour the famous Washington monuments, including the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials, all beautifully illuminated.
Accommodation: Omni Shoreham, Washington

DAY 5
Monday 5 May 2014
Washington – Philadelphia (B/D)

A pause for reflection at Arlington Cemetery this morning before we leave Washington for Philadelphia, where our hotel is the Omni Independence. It’s right in the historic centre of the city, next to Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. We have an afternoon free to explore. Dinner is included tonight.
Accommodation: Omni Independence, Philadelphia

DAY 6
Monday 5 May 2014
Philadelphia (B)

Today an insight into the wealth, influence – and philanthropy – of the du Ponts, one of America’s most prominent families. Just outside Philadelphia is Brandywine Valley, home to many grand gardens including Longwood Gardens. Pierre du Pont had the first flower gardens laid out at Longwood in 1907. He went on to create a horticultural tour-de-force to rival anything he had seen in Europe. Huge and elegant glass conservatories were built to house 20 indoor gardens. After our guided tour there will be time for lunch and free time to explore before we head back into Philadelphia.
Accommodation: Omni Independence, Philadelphia

DAY 7
Wednesday 7 May 2014
Philadelphia (B/L)

Back to Brandywine this morning to visit Winterthur. This was the home and garden of Henry Francis du Pont (1880-1969), a cousin of Pierre. Du Pont developed an appreciation of nature as a boy and it served as the basis for his life’s work in this garden. He selected plants from around the world to enhance the natural woodland setting, planting an understory of rhododendrons and azaleas beneath the tree canopy following meticulous colour planning. Close to the house the Sundial garden, Reflecting Pool and Peony Garden link the domestic to the wider landscape. The house itself is the premier museum of American decorative arts so well worth a look. A light lunch is included. Don’t miss the shop!
Accommodation: Omni Independence, Philadelphia

DAY 8
Thursday 8 May 2014
Philadelphia – New York (B/D)

A brilliant garden for us this morning: Chanticleer, described as a ‘pleasure garden’ and designed to illustrate the beauty of the art of horticulture. It dates from the early 20th century, and was the summer home and country retreat of Adolph Rosengarten. It’s been open to the public since 1920 and it’s unlike any other public garden you’ve ever seen!
There’s the Old Tennis Court garden, with its fantastic emphasis on foliage, the fabulous folly of the Ruin Garden, an exuberant and flowery Pond Garden and an immense Woodland Garden, which is a particular joy at this time as it blooms with countless rare spring ‘ephemerals’ such as the trilliums.
We’ll make a lunch stop in Wayne before continuing to New York. Le Parker Meridian is home for the next four nights. The hotel is spectacularly located in the very heart of the city, a short walk from Central Park, Carnegie Hall, the Broadway theatres and Fifth Avenue’s famous shops. Dinner is included this evening.
Accommodation: Le Parker Meridian, New York

DAY 9
Friday 9 May 2014
New York (B)

First up this morning is a lesson in planting design from the master, Piet Oudolf. His widely acclaimed High Line is a public park built on an historic freight rail line elevated above the streets on Manhattan’s West Side and owned by the City of New York. Oudolf is a leading figure in the New Perennial planting movement. His planting schemes emphasize plant structure as the most important aspect of a successful garden. Form and texture are valued as much as colour. It’s not just the planting here that impresses. The design of every detail, from bench to water fountain to steps, is sleek perfection.
The afternoon is free for you to go back to your hotel, or to stroll across to Times Square and join Michael on a visit to the 9/11 Memorial.
Accommodation: Le Parker Meridian, New York

DAY 10
Saturday 10 May 2014
New York (B)

We’ll take a short walk around the corner to Central Park for a guided tour this morning. There are sprawling waterways, green meadows, bridges, performance spaces, educational facilities, gardens and classical architecture. But above all else, this is a recreation space for the people of New York.
The afternoon is free and there are lots of choices, with Michael and our local guide to help to you decide.
Accommodation: Le Parker Meridian, New York

DAY 11
Sunday 11 May 2014
New York (B)

There are treasures in store this morning. The Cloisters Museum is the branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art devoted to the art and architecture of medieval Europe. Our guided tour will include the building and its cloistered gardens, located in Fort Tryon Park in northern Manhattan. Our next stop is Wave Hill, a public garden and cultural centre in the Bronx overlooking the Hudson River. Broad lawns and majestic trees complement dense and sophisticated theme gardens. This is a fantastic site on high bluffs looking across the Hudson River to the palisades.
Return to the hotel or join Michael in Harlem for the afternoon Gospel service at Greater Refuge Temple – quite an experience!
Accommodation: Le Parker Meridian, New York

DAY 12
Sunday 11 May 2014
New York – Boston (B)

We travel through stunning countryside from New York to Boston this morning and stop in at Hollister House in Connecticut. This classic garden in the English style is the home and garden of George Schoellkopf, an antique dealer. He used plasticine to model the garden in order to resolve the tricky contours of this sloping site! The creative solution has walls and hedges buckling throughout to provide a series of intimate spaces containing different planting styles surrounding the 18th century farm buildings.
Later we’ll settle in to The Colonnade Hotel in Boston’s Back Bay, a short stroll to Fenway Park and the Museum of Fine Arts and directly opposite the fabulous shops of The Prudential Centre and Newbury Street.
Accommodation: The Colonnade Hotel, Boston

DAY 13
Tuesday 13 May 2014
Boston (B)

Discover the home of American democracy with a guided tour of Boston this morning, then this afternoon we’ll visit Cambridge, home of Harvard University. After a wander through some of the oldest quadrangles, we’ll visit the Harvard Museum of Natural History to see the world-famous display of glass flowers. These were made for Harvard by glass artisans in Germany for the purposes of teaching botany. They are botanically correct in every detail and astonishingly realistic.
Accommodation: The Colonnade Hotel, Boston

DAY 14
Wednesday 14 May 2014
Boston (B/L)

Today we discover the marvelous mélange of the colonial, the maritime and the aristocratic that is Newport Rhode Island, ‘America’s First Resort’. We’ll visit Cornelius Vanderbuilt’s summer mansion, The Breakers. This is the grandest of Newport’s summer ‘cottages’ and symbolises the Vanderbilt’s social and financial pre-eminence in turn-of-the-century America.
Another idiosyncratic garden this afternoon: Sakonnet Garden, which contains a huge range of original design ideas, desirable plants and exquisite planting schemes.
Lunch is included today.
Accommodation: The Colonnade Hotel, Boston

DAY 15
Thursday 15 May 2014
Boston (B/L/D)

Beautiful private gardens in an historic area of Boston are on the programme this morning when we visit gardens belonging to the members of the Beacon Hill Garden Club. We will be treated to lunch at William Prescott House, hosted by The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America.
The afternoon is free so you can stay on and discover more Beacon Hill gardens or return to the hotel. Our farewell dinner tonight will give us one more chance to share some stories.
Accommodation: The Colonnade Hotel, Boston

DAY 16
Friday 16 May 2014
Boston – Home Port (B)

Transfer for flights home

DAY 17
Saturday 17 May 2014
Inflight

DAY 18
Sunday 18 May 2014

Arrive Home

• Ross Tours Gardens of East Coast USA May 2014 Download

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Twin Share land only $10,595 per person
Twin Share including air $12,995 per person
Single Supplement $2,995 All prices in Australian Dollars.
Prices based on minimum 15 passengers.
Price is based on departure Sydney.

Includes
Return group economy airfare and taxes Sydney/Washington and Boston/Sydney
Air-conditioned motorcoach throughout tour
Deluxe accommodation in 4-star hotels for 14 nights
Breakfast daily (B), 3 lunches (L) and 6 dinners (D)
Guided tours of Washington DC, Philadelphia, New York City and Boston
Entrance fees to all gardens and sightseeing including Mount Vernon, Dumbarton Oaks, Arlington, Longwood Gardens, Winterthur, Chanticleer garden, High Line Park, Central Park NY, The Cloisters Museum, The Breakers, private gardens as per itinerary
Ross Tours travel wallet & bag
Membership to the Garden Clinic™ Club for 1 year (non-members)