Welcome to Notch Above Tours School Tour pages!

School and Student Tours:
An overview of our highly entertaining, educational tour designs.

Dear Educator:
Thanks very much for taking time to learn about Notch Above Tours. Founded in 1993 by two of us with backgrounds in education and domestic and international travel, we have remained a locally-owned, Vermont-based company. Over the last ten years, a fairly simple yet sincere philosophy has evolved.
Treat our clients the way we want to be treated. Create and conduct the best, most innovative tours possible. Continue to learn, improve and have fun while we do it!
We understand that when you consider a school tour, your priorities are safety and education. You want your students to have a meaningful learning experience outside the classroom and you want them to arrive and return safely. Choosing the right tour company is a big decision. You need great service, security and ease of planning.
I encourage you to read "Why Should I Travel with Notch Above Tours?" Among other reasons: We are a Vermont S-Corporation with memberships in the prestigious National Tour Association, Vermont State Chamber of Commerce, Stowe Area Association, local chambers of commerce, Vermont Convention Bureau and American Bus Association. We deposit all payments in a Union Bank business escrow account and hold a one-million dollar professional liability insurance policy. Our deposit and refund policies are clearly stated and very generous when compared to industry standards.
Notch Above customizes all our tours. What that means is that you can determine exactly what you want to see and do and we will develop the tour accordingly. We do provide sample itineraries and are always happy to make suggestions. "Cookie cutter tours" are not our modes operandi. We work hard to design each tour to meet your interests and budget.
We do not claim to package the lowest priced tours. We insist on high quality. Groups find that our tours are competitively priced and offer great value.
Notch Above has a long and satisfying track record with Premier Coach. Another locally owned company, Premier has the newest and most modern motor coach fleet in North America. Coach Operators must complete an extensive training program in both coach operations and customer service. Premier has garages in Vermont, New Hampshire and Upstate New York and is a charter member of the International Motor Coach Group.
It is interesting to me that so many of us living in Northern New England and Upstate New York feel that we need to work with companies from "away" for many services. We often times are unaware that we have incredible resources "in our own back yard". Schools have found that Notch Above can provide all the services of tour companies from "away", but also provide a level of personal attention, cultural understanding and accessibility that outside companies often do not.
Please scroll down to visit the rest of our Educational Tour page and feel free to contact us if you have questions, need additional information, or would to have us prepare a proposal for your tour. From all of us at Notch Above Tours, thanks for your interest.
Sincerely,

- Jim Jackson
Jim Jackson
President

Call Toll Free 1-800-639-2367 • email us

Comments from school groups about Notch Above

"This is the third school trip I have been on to Washington, DC with Notch Above. All have been great! This one was perfect! I cannot say enough good things about it. The bus driver was great and the tour guide was phenomenal. Everything went so smoothly. We saw so much and were not rushed. And the kids really enjoyed the trip. I guess they are still talking about it. I cannot thank you enough for all you did!" - Sue B, Benson, VT
"Your staff and service were wonderful very pleasant, flexible and professional. Our guide was entertaining, knowledgeable and very friendly despite the rain!" - Betty O, Island Pond, VT
"This trip to Lake George is great for the 8th grade. They are always busy so we have very few issues. The driver, lodging, meals and itinerary were excellent. We¹ll definitely use you again." - Eileen T, Fairfield, VT
"Your entire staff was kind and patient—you made our trip!" - Michele A, Plattsburgh, NY
"Once again Notch Above gave us a great trip." - N. Fogg, Hartford High School, Hartford, VT

Sample Educational Tours and Itineraries

Notch Above offers school/student tours to destinations throughout the Eastern United States and Canada. Sample itineraries for a few of these destinations are included here. Please contact us (info@notchabovetours.com) if you are interested in traveling to another location, have questions, or need additional information. We will be very happy to provide a no obligation proposal and price quotation.

Why Student Travel to Vermont & New England?
Vermont and New England are rich in history, cultural resources and attractions. A visit is like stepping back in time. Vibrant community life and rural ways still remain strong despite 21st-century inroads. From milk processing to marble and granite carving to hand-crafted chocolates and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, students can get behind-the-scenes and see raw materials being turned into finished products. Tour historic working farms and modern dairy operations as well as smaller specialty farms raising llamas, emus, highland cattle and miniature ponies. The state’s landscape is filled with geological curiosities and unsolved riddles about Vermont’s earliest native inhabitants and settlers. Many colleges and universities, cities and towns have art centers or museums featuring exhibits by historic and contemporary artists. Breathtaking views and thrilling moments await those ready for adventure. Take a ride on a ski lift; ride bikes on scenic back roads; ride a vintage train; or cruise on beautiful Lake Champlain. The attractive setting of the Green Mountains draws world-class artists and music performances and theatre are scheduled throughout the year. Once you visit, you’ll realize Vermont is truly a special place!

Discover Vermont
A Sample Student Itinerary
Day 1 - Travel to Vermont. View Quechee Gorge,   Vermont’s “Little Grand Canyon” is a 3,000-foot-long, 163-foot-deep chasm formed 13,000 years ago.   Then stop at Simon Pearce Glass where you will watch glass being blown and shaped using hydropower for the glass furnace. Visit the Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS).    New England’s leading raptor care and educational facility provides rare insight into the lives and spectacular abilities of over twenty species of birds of prey including hawks, vultures, ravens, eagles, owls and Peregrine Falcons. The education staff can arrange a custom tour. Explore Woodstock. Considered one of New England’s most beautiful villages, you’ll walk among the opulent mid-19th-century homes and structures built around the Village Green and along broad streets. The stately Woodstock Inn presides over the Green. Walk across a covered bridge and stop in F. H. Gillingham & Sons General Store, owned and run by the same family since 1886.   Check in your hotel featuring an indoor pool, hot tubs, fitness room and indoor corridors. Dinner at the hotel then an evening of Karaoke.
Day 2 - Begin the day with breakfast at the hotel. Your first visit is the Norman Rockwell Exhibit. The world-renowned illustrator lived in Arlington, Vermont from 1939-53 and many local residents who modeled for his illustrations serve as hosts. The exhibit is housed in a 19th-century church. Optional morning musical performance at a local high school is available to those groups seeking performance options. Luncheon at the high school. This afternoon, visit the Bennington Museum and Old Bennington. See the largest collection of works by folk artist, Grandma Moses, and extensive collections of flags, uniforms, firearms, dolls, toys, tools, furniture, paintings, sculpture and Bennington pottery. The education staff can arrange a custom tour. Ascend the Bennington Battle Monument, a 306-foot monument erected to commemorate the 1777 battle where the Green Mountain Boys defeated the King’s troops. Enjoy spectacular views of Vermont, New York State and Massachusetts. See the Old First Church where Robert Frost and Vermont forefathers are buried in the Burying Ground. Return to your hotel for overnight and a Pool Party Picnic.
Day 3 - After breakfast, depart the hotel and visit a Maple Museum. See how Maple Sugaring works from trees to the finished product. Travel through Middlebury, Vermont’s landmark college town and the home of prestigious Middlebury College which you will see. Tour the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory, the fun-filled birthplace of America’s most loveable bears. Visit the Shelburne Museum, “New England’s Smithsonian” with 37 exhibit buildings on 45-acres displaying over 80,000 pieces of Americana including furniture, crafts, folk art, quilts, horse-drawn carriages and sleighs, wildfowl decoys and the SS Ticonderoga, the last steam-powered side-wheeler of its type in the US. The Museum’s education staff can arrange custom tours. Explore Burlington and the Church Street Marketplace. This historic pedestrian mall includes department stores, shops, boutiques and restaurants. Drive through the campus of the University of Vermont, chartered in 1791. Check in your hotel with an indoor pool and indoor corridors.
Tonight, enjoy a pizza party and arcade with video games, air hockey, ski simulators and more.
Day 4 - Begin the day with breakfast at the hotel. Optional morning musical performance at a local high school or shopping center, available to those groups seeking performance options. Then tour Rock of Ages. Truly one of New England’s most spectacular scenic sites, you’ll see an active working 50-acre, 600-foot-deep granite quarry. The Visitors’ Center includes interesting exhibits, historic photos and granite gifts. Visit Montpelier, our nation’s smallest state capitol and view Vermont’s State House, one of the oldest and best preserved in the country. Luncheon at the State House Cafeteria. Travel to Stowe, the Ski Capital of the East. Vermont’s highest mountain, lush meadows and valleys, the classic white church steeple, red barns, covered bridges, traditional country stores and Stowe village shops which have provided the necessities of life for residents and visitors since 1840. Visit the Cold Hollow Cider Mill where you’ll see how cider is made and sample the finished product. Stop at a Haunted Covered Bridge before some free time to explore the Shops and Sites of Stowe Village. Enjoy a scenic ride up the Mountain Road to Mt. Mansfield Ski Area. Then pass the Trapp Family Lodge. You begin to hear “The Sound of Music” as you come upon the Austrian chalet where the Trapp family has been welcoming guests since 1944. The lodge is still owned and operated by family members. Conclude the afternoon with a tour of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory. See how it’s made and taste a scoop of “Vermont’s finest”. Return to Burlington where you’ll enjoy a great dinner and dance to tunes as you cruise on beautiful Lake Champlain
Day 5 - After breakfast at the hotel, travel home.
What’s included:
• Notch Above Tour manager
• 4 nights lodging
• 4 Breakfasts
• 1 Luncheon
• 4 Dinners (including Lake Champlain Dinner Cruise)
• Karaoke Evening and Arcade Evening
• Visits to Quechee Gorge, Simon Pearce Glass, Woodstock, Old Bennington, Middlebury,
   Burlington and Church Street Marketplace, Montpelier, Stowe , Cold Hollow Cider Mill,
   Haunted Covered Bridge and Mt. Mansfield Ski Area
• Admission to and tours (where indicated) Vermont Institute of Natural Science, Normal Rockwell Exhibit,
   Bennington Museum, Bennington Battle Monument, Maple Museum, Vermont Teddy Bear Factory,
   Shelburne Museum, Rock of Ages and Ben & Jerry’s
• Taxes and gratuities for lodging, meals and attractions listed as included
• Optional performances for those seeking that option normally incur no cost.
   However, if there is cost, it is not included in tour cost
• Customary gratuities for Tour Manager are not normally included in tour cost

Quebec City
4 Days/3 Nights
Quebec City is the cradle of French civilization in North America and the only walled city north of Mexico. The city is uniquely beautiful. The charm of Europe lives on behind the centuries-old walls where cafes bustle and horses still click over winding cobblestone streets. The region offers a multitude of learning opportunities including museums, historic sites, festivals throughout the year and outdoor activities. It is truly the history of unique people, strong and proud of their Amerindian, French and British roots. Discover the Greater Quebec Area!
Day 1 - Join your Notch Above Tour manager and travel to Quebec City.   Identification is needed for the border crossings. Upon arrival meet a local bilingual guide and tour Quebec City. The tour normally includes the Plains of Abraham, Cape Diamond, Joan of Arc Gardens, Grande Altee, Parliament, Place d' Armes, Chateau Frontenac,             Place Royal and much more. Check in your hotel centrally located in or immediately adjacent to Vieux Quebec (the Old City). Enjoy dinner this evening at a local Sugar Shack. The traditional menu normally includes: home-made pickles, country bread & butter, French Canadian pea soup, baked beans, maple smoked ham, potatoes (chiard aux grillardes), traditional Quebecois tourtiere meat pie, pancakes with maple syrup, coffee, tea & milk and maple taffy on snow. Return to the hotel after dinner.
Day 2 - Begin the day with a full American breakfast at the hotel. Then visit the Artillery Parc.   The National Historic Site played an extremely important role in the history of Quebec City. Visit historic buildings unique to the area. See a scale model of Quebec City (1806). This will be an interactive visit including a costume workshop (subject to availability). Visit the Citadelle, located atop Cap Diamant. Its construction began in 1820 and lasted more than 30 years. Headquarters of the Royal 22 Regiment since 1920, the star-shaped Citadelle is the largest fortified group of buildings still occupied by troops in North America. Enjoy luncheon at a Café in the Old City. This afternoon view The Quebec Experience, a 3D Sound and Image Show. You’ll journey through the great historical moments of a capital city which has evolved under American, French and English influence. This evening it’s off to Galeries de la Capitale. This indoor shopping center is home to 280 shops, department stops and eateries. It also houses a recreation park with 17 rides and attractions including a skating rink and mini-golf. Each traveler will be given a meal voucher. You can use this money to purchase dinner at the Galeries food court or restaurants. Conclude the evening with an IMAX movie at Galeries de la Capitale.
Day 3 - After a full American breakfast at the hotel, meet your local bilingual guide for a tour outside Quebec City. Drive along the Old King's Road with a stop at Montmorency Falls. The spectacular 272-foot falls (higher than Niagara Falls) offer a great view of the St. Lawrence River. Visit Marie's Bread Oven where you’ll sample the finished product. Stop at the Woodcarver's Museum and Copper Shop.   Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre Shrine has been the destination or pilgrimages for several centuries and is named after a Saint to whom sailors once prayed. The basilica interior is lit by 240 stained glass windows and a remarkable rose window. Numerous artistic treasures are housed here. Return to Quebec City for a mid-afternoon Scavenger Hunt in Vieux Quebec. You local guide will help you interact with “locals” and move around the Old City as you complete the hunt. Later this afternoon enjoy free time to visit the shops and sites of the Old City. Dinner this evening at an Old Quebec Café.
Day 4 - Begin the day with a full American breakfast at the hotel. This morning visit The Old Port Interpretation Center. Learn about the lives of the City’s residents and sailors with a variety of participatory games and activities. Then a visit to the Musee de la civilization. This popular thematic museum focuses on participation and interaction featuring more than 10 simultaneous exhibitions and interactive workshops.    Enjoy free time in Old Quebec before your mid-afternoon departure for home.
Other Tour Options Can Include:
Musee de l’Amerique francaise
Legends Economuseum
Onhoua Chetek8e: Traditional Huron Village
Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area
Valcartier Vacation (Summer Aquatic & Winter Slide) Village
History, Art & Heritage Discovery
Interpretive Nature Walk in the Wild or Along the St. Lawrence River
Whale Watching
Tour Ile d’Orleans (by coach or bicycle)
What’s included:
• Notch Above Tour manager
• Luxury motor coach transportation
• 3 nights lodging
• 3 Breakfasts
• 1 Luncheon
• 3 Dinners
• Afternoon city tour of Quebec City with local bilingual guide
• Morning Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre tour with local bilingual guide
• Admission to Artillery Parc (including costume workshop)
• Admission to the Citadelle
• Quebec Experience 3D Sound & Image Show
• Evening at Galeries de la Capitale
• IMAX Movie
• Visit to Montmorency Falls, Marie’s Bread Oven, Woodcarver’s Museum & Copper Shop
• Scavenger Hunt in Vieux Quebec
• Admission to the Old Port Interpretation Center
• Admission to the Musee de la civilization
• Taxes and gratuities for lodging, meals and attractions listed as included
• Customary gratuities for driver, tour manager and local guides are not included in tour cost

Historic Boston, Salem & More!
4 Days/3 Nights

Boston, perhaps more than any other American city, is a place of living history. The Boston of Paul Revere, Samuel Adams and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow are still very much in evidence today beside the contemporary city of urban sophistication.
Day 1 - Join your Notch Above Tour manager and travel to Boston. Visit the New England Aquarium, a four-story ocean tank with 20,000 aquatic creatures including sea turtles, sharks, a coral reef and other exotic life.   Faneuil Hall is one of the most historic sites in the nation
—a gathering place for calls for freedom from colonial times to the present. Its Marketplace and adjacent Quincy Market are now some of the liveliest areas of the city with interesting shops, street performers, tantalizing restaurants and an expansive food court. Embark with your guide on the famous Freedom Trail with sixteen Revolutionary and Colonial-era historic sites. Visit Old North Church where two lanterns signaled the Redcoats' arrival by sea, the Old State House where the Declaration of Independence was read to the citizens of Boston in 1776. Visit the Boston Common, see the Boston Tea Party ship and the Old South Meeting House. Visit the USS Constitution ("Old Ironsides") and the Bunker Hill Monument. Dinner this evening at the Hard Rock Café, then ascend to the 50th-floor of the Prudential Center and enjoy a spectacular view of Boston from the Skywalk Observatory. The Prudential Center and adjacent Copley Place are home to a multitude of shops, boutiques and restaurants.
Day 2 - The first battles of the Revolutionary War were fought in the suburbs of Boston in Lexington and Concord. Today visit Lexington Green and The Minute Man sculpture. Tour Minute Man National Historical Park and follow the Battle Road traveled by the British. In Concord, see the North Bridge, sight of "the shot heard 'round the world," and considered to be the first gunshot of the American Revolution. Concord was also the home of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry David Thoreau and Louisa May Alcott. Enjoy a guided tour of The Old Manse, built in 1769 and home to both Emerson and Hawthorne. Pass Walden Pond, where rebel philosopher Thoreau lived alone in a cabin for two years.
Cambridge is the home of America's oldest college, Harvard, and the site where George Washington took command of the US army in 1775. Visit Harvard Square with a diverse blend of students, professionals and street performers. Tours of the Harvard campus may be arranged by Notch Above. Visit the Boston Museum of Science with over 600 interactive exhibits, the Hayden Planetarium, a Laser Show and Omni Theater with a giant domed screen and incredible sound that makes for a riveting experience.
Dinner this evening at Dicks Last Resort and a performance of Shear Madness
Day 3 - Experience 17th-century life at Plimoth Plantation. Wander through timber frame houses, grain fields and garden plots. Talk with Pilgrims as they go about their daily chores of planting, tending their animals and cooking. Travel to "America's home town", Plymouth, with its narrow streets and clapboard mansions. See Plymouth Rock, the historic harbor and Mayflower II, a full-scale replica of the Pilgrim's sailing vessel.
Return to Boston and visit the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum. The story of our 35th President is movingly told in a film and exhibits. Kennedy family memorabilia may be seen. Enjoy a dinner cruise in famous Boston Harbor this evening on The Spirit of Boston.
Day 4 - Salem is known for the witchcraft hysteria of 1692, a rich maritime tradition and the architectural splendor of its Federal homes. Stroll the cobblestone streets. Visit the Salem Witch Museum where you'll learn about the hysteria that spread throughout the colony like wildfire. Then experience a scene from a witch trial at the Witch Dungeon Museum. Visit the Pirate Museum to recount the history of marauding pirates who once plundered merchant ships off the New England coast.
Tour the House of Seven Gables immortalized by Nathaniel Hawthorne in his book of the same name.   A secret staircase was discovered during 1886 renovations.
Depart for home after your visit.

Thematic Tour Options Can Include:
    Boston by Sea: A Seafaring Adventure through Boston¹s Past
    Literary Trail of Boston
    Innovation Odyssey Tour
    Filmed in Boston: Touring the Sites Where Movies Were Made
    African-American Heritage Tour
What's included:
• Notch Above Tour manager
• Luxury motor coach transportation
• 3 Nights Lodging
• 3 Breakfasts
• 3 Dinners (including a Dinner Cruise)
• Admission to the New England Aquarium
• 3-hour city tour of Boston with local guide
• Admission to the Skywalk Observatory of the Prudential Center
• Morning tour with local guide to Concord and Lexington
• Admission to and tour of The Old Manse in Concord
• Admission to the Museum of Science and OMNIVAX theatre
• Reserved seat for Shear Madness
• Admission to Plimoth Plantation
• Admission to the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum
• Admission to the Salem Witch Museum, New England Pirate Museum, Witch Dungeon Museum and House of Seven Gables
• Taxes and gratuities for lodging, meals and attractions listed as included
• Customary gratuities for driver tour manager and local guide are not included in tour cost.
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Connecticut's Mystic & More
3 Days/2 Nights
Mystic most often draws to mind thoughts of maritime heritage and attractions. Southeastern Connecticut offers classic beauty, quaint New England towns and many memorable Mystic places.

Day 1 - Join your Notch Above Tour manager and travel to Connecticut. Your visit begins at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum, the world¹s largest Native American Museum.   Move in time from the last Ice Age to the present through a series of permanent exhibits, many with audio and interactive features. Walk through a remarkable half-acre re-creation of a 16th century Pequot coastal village, featuring authentic sights, sounds and smells. The Mystic Aquarium takes you on an adventure from shallow sunlit seas to the dark reaches of the deep ocean. Discover the Alaskan Coast, where you'll get up close to beluga whales and harbor seals or explore deep-sea wrecks, ancient sunken artifacts, and bizarre creatures of the abyss at the new Challenge of the Deep. Get within inches of over 3,500 sea creatures through sixty feet of crystal clear viewing. Then discover Olde Mistick Village, sixty unique stores and boutiques, set in a re-created 1720 New England village. Check in your hotel featuring a heated indoor swimming pool. Dinner at a local restaurant.
Day 2 - After breakfast at the Inn, you¹ll tour Mystic Seaport, the Museum of America and the Sea. America's premier maritime history attraction includes more than 17-acres. Board the 150-year-old whaling ship, Charles Morgan. See tall ships, a 19th century seafarer's village and fascinating demonstrations including exhibitions, performances, role playing and a planetarium. With advance notice, thematic and focus tours can be presented to school groups. Educator's Resource Materials are available. Travel to nearby New London to board the Historic USS Nautilus & Submarine Force Museum. Walk the decks of the world's first nuclear-powdered submarine, first ship to go to the North Pole and the first submarine to journey 20,000 leagues under the sea. The award-winning museum provides a glimpse into the lives of the soldiers who sail the ocean depths in the "sharks of steel." Dinner in a local restaurant, then time to explore the Crystal Mall with over 150 shops and a dazzling 8-foot Waterford crystal chandelier. Return to the hotel.
Day 3 - Enjoy breakfast at the hotel. Visit the beautiful 100-acre US Coast Guard Academy, one of our nation's four armed service academies. Home of America's tall ship, EAGLE, the Corps of Cadets, Leadership Development Center, training center, Coast Guard Museum and the Coast Guard Band. Depart from New London with optional visit to the Mark Twain House in Hartford en route home.
What's included:
• Notch Above Tour manager
• Luxury motor coach transportation
• 2 nights lodging
• 2 Breakfasts
• 2 Dinners
• Admission to the Mashantucket Pequot Museum
• Admission to the Mystic Aquarium
• Visit to Olde Mistick Village
• Admission to Mystic Seaport
• Visit to Historic Ship Nautilus & Submarine Force Museum
• Visit to the US Coast Guard Academy
• Taxes and gratuities for lodging meals and attractions listed as included
• Customary gratuities for driver, tour manager and local guide are not included in tour cost
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Lake George, Lake Placid & New York's Adirondacks
3 Days/2 Nights
Explore the beauty of New York's Adirondacks, an area embracing some six million acres. Lake George offers an abundance of educational attractions, historic sites, museums, soft adventure, wildlife and environmental experiences.

Day 1 - Join your Notch Above Tour manager and travel to Lake George and visit Fort William Henry Museum. This restored colonial fortress will transport you to another time. The original Fort was built in 1755 to block an anticipated French advance into the Colonies. Experience life on the frontier, living history demonstrations, guided tours, artifacts and gift shop. The Fort is the site of James Fenimore Cooper's classic, The Last of the Mohicans.    Relax during a Lake George luncheon cruise on the Lac du Saint Sacrement. 365 islands dot the 32-mile-long lake. Enjoy luncheon and entertainment in the elegant dining room
This afternoon, experience a thrilling Whitewater Rafting ride on the Sacandaga or Hudson River. Certified guides accompany you. The excitement of rafting combined with environmental information and river games makes this a fun-filled afternoon. After a sumptuous Buffet Dinner in Lake George, enjoy 3 hours of unlimited fun playing Laser Storm Games, driving LeMans Go Karts and Roller Skating. Then check in your Lake George hotel with an indoor swimming pool.
Day 2 - Begin the day with a breakfast buffet at the hotel. We're off for a day at New York's largest fun park, Six Flag's The Great Escape. A 140-acre theme park with over 125 rides, live shows and attractions. Features include a full water park, 6 roller coasters, including the Boomerang Coast to Coaster and live shows. Fun for all ages. Meal vouchers will be provided for both luncheon and dinner at the Park. Return to the hotel for an evening of swimming in the indoor pool. Lake George is also home to over 79 factory outlet stores.
Day 3 - After buffet breakfast at the hotel, depart from Lake George and travel to Lake Placid. Located in the heart of the Adirondacks, Lake Placid's claim to fame revolves around its role as host of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics. The region offers vestiges of the Olympics and significant historical sites. Take the glass elevator 250-feet up to an enclosed observation deck of the Olympic Jumping Complex and Skydeck. See the Bobsled and Luge runs and Lake Placid Winter Olympic Museum in the Olympic Center. Enjoy luncheon on-your-own in Lake Placid Village. Visit the John Brown Farm which his family maintained while he fought his anti-slavery campaigns in the late 1850's. See the small graveyard where he was buried after he was hanged by the Commonwealth of Virginia for treason and murder. Late afternoon departure from Lake Placid and return to your school.
What's included:
• Notch Above Tour manager
• Luxury motor coach transportation
• 2 nights lodging in Lake George
• 2 Breakfasts
• 2 Dinners
• Luncheon cruise on Lake George
• Tour of Fort William Henry
• Whitewater rafting (aprox. 1 1/2 hours on the river)
• Admission to Great Escape Fun Park
• An evening (3 hours) of unlimited Go Karts, Laser Storm and Skating
• Admission to the Lake Placid Olympic Jumping Center & Museum
• Admission to the John Brown Historic Site
• Taxes and gratuities for lodging, meals and attractions listed as included
• Customary gratuities for driver, tour manager and local guide are not included in tour cost.
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Montréal Day Tour

Montreal is often called Canada's most cosmopolitan city. The second-largest French speaking city in the world is home to inhabitants who represent no fewer than eighty different ethnic groups. Montreal is a city shaped by its past and proud of its bicultural heritage. Perhaps what visitors notice most about the city is the vitality and joie de vivre of Montreal¹s people as experienced in neighborhood markets, boutiques, restaurants, cafes and festivals. With over twenty-five museums, a multitude of historical sites including the Old Port and Old Montreal with cobblestone streets and remarkable 18th and 19th-century architecture and a wide variety of educational and fun-filled activities, Montreal is the ideal school tour destination.
Join your Notch Above Tour manager and travel to Montreal. Visit the Biodome where everything is alive. Fish, reptiles, birds and mammals live in four ecosystems found in South, Central and North America and the North and South Poles:   Tropical Forest, Laurentian Forest, Polar World and St. Lawrence Marine. After your Biodome visit, ascend 556-feet on the funiculaire to the top of the Olympic Stadium Tower, the world's tallest inclined tower, with a 50-mile view of Montreal, the Laurentian Mountains and the Saint Lawrence Seaway. On a clear day you can see all the way to Vermont and the Adirondacks. Luncheon at Olympic Park, site of the 1976 Summer Olympics.
Visit Old Montreal, one of North America's most remarkable architectural ensembles along cobblestone streets. Visit Notre Dame Basilica, a masterpiece of neo-Gothic architecture built between 1824 and 1829. Its interior is of beautifully sculpted wood and gold leaf and its stained-glass windows depict biblical scenes and three-and-a-half-centuries of Montreal history.
Afternoon options may include:
Visit to the Montreal Science Center featuring a variety of interactive exhibits, an Immersion Movie Game and IMAX Theater; or take an exhilarating and unforgettable ride on the wild side! Experience a Jet Boat Ride on the Lachine Rapids; or An afternoon and evening at LaRonde amusement park with over thirty thrilling rides, volcanoes and dinosaurs in a unique simulation theatre, the largest Nintendo Game Center in North America and a Medieval Village.
Late afternoon explore the Underground City, a twenty-mile maze of pedestrian passageways linking eight shopping centers and hundreds of restaurants, boutiques and specialty shops. An above ground stroll along Sainte-Catherine Street reveals Montreal's main shopping promenade. Dinner this evening at the Hard Rock Café before departure for home.
Other Tour Options Include:
Visit the Cosmodome/Space Center
A visit to one or more of Montreal¹s 25+ Museums
French or Spanish Montreal
Music & The Arts in Montreal
Bicycle Tours of Montreal

What's included:
• Notch Above Tour manager
• Luxury motor coach transportation
• Admission to the Biodome
• Cable car ride to the Observatory of the Olympic Tower
• Luncheon at Olympic Park
• Visit to Old Montreal
• Admission to Notre Dame Basilica
• Dinner at the Hard Rock Café
• Afternoon options include:
• Jet Boat Ride on the Lachine Rapids;
• Admission to the Montreal Science Centre, Exhibit Halls, IMAX and Reality Theatre; or
• Admission to LaRonde
• Taxes and gratuities for meals and attractions listed as included
• Customary gratuities for driver, tour manager and local guides are not included in tour cost.
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Montréal, Ottawa & Quebec City
4 Days/3 Nights

Montreal is often called Canada's most cosmopolitan city; Ottawa's rich and diverse history is prominent throughout Canada's National Capital. Ottawa's parliament buildings have been described as being among the world's most beautiful. Quebec City is the cradle of French civilization in North America and emanates classic European charm and historical richness.
Day 1 - Arrive in Montreal and tour the city with your guide. See Old Montreal with its 17th 19th-century buildings, cobblestone streets and spectacular Notre Dame Basilica, the Old Port of Montreal, Chinatown, Olympic Park, downtown, Mount Royal and more. Visit the famous Biodome where everything is alive. Fish, reptiles, birds and mammals live in four ecosystems found in South, Central and North America and the North and South Poles:   Tropical Forest, Laurentian Forest, Polar World and St. Lawrence Marine. After your Biodome visit, ascend 556-feet on the Funiculaire to the top of the Olympic Stadium Tower, the world's tallest inclined tower, with a 50-mile view of Montreal, the Laurentian Mountains and the Saint Lawrence Seaway. On a clear day you can see all the way to Vermont and the Adirondacks.
Downtown you'll find the Underground City, a twenty-mile maze of pedestrian passageways linking eight shopping centers and hundreds of restaurants, boutiques and specialty shops. An above ground stroll along Sainte-Catherine Street reveals Montreal's main shopping promenade.
Dinner this evening at the Hard Rock Café, then time to challenge yourself and teammates to the ultimate sci-fi adventure game Laser Quest. Live action in a multi-level maze with fog and music.
Day 2 - Depart with your guide for Ottawa. Upon arrival visit the Byward Market. This lively market place is surrounded by shops, restaurants and cafes.

Then tour Ottawa and see the Supreme Court, Rideau Falls, Dows Lake, Hog's Back Falls, Ottawa City Hall, the Prime Minister¹s Residence, Rideau Canal, Rideau Hall, and tour Parliament Hill which includes the House of Commons, Senate and Library of Parliament. You¹ll have free time before dinner to explore the pedestrian mall along Sparks Street.
Dinner at a former marble factory built in 1866 before your return to Montreal.
Day 3 - Visit Pointe-A-Calliere, Montreal's Museum of Archaeology and History where you will enjoy a tour through six-centuries of Montreal history.   Free time in Old Montreal before luncheon at a charming restaurant housed in an 1880 building.
Afternoon options may include:
Visit to the Montreal Science Center featuring a variety of interactive exhibits, an Immersion Movie Game and IMAX Theater; or take an exhilarating and unforgettable ride on the wild side! Experience a Jet Boat Ride on the Lachine Rapids; or An afternoon and evening at LaRonde amusement park with over thirty thrilling rides, volcanoes and dinosaurs in a unique simulation theatre, the largest Nintendo Game Center in North America and a Medieval Village.
Tonight you'll step back in time to New France at the time of colonization. Indulge yourself in a traditional Quebec feast presented by characters in period costumes who will both serve and entertain you.
Day 4 - Depart from Montreal after breakfast and travel to Quebec City. Upon arrival, begin a magical journey through the great historical moments of a capital city which has evolved under French and American influences. The Quebec Experience is a 3-D Sound and Image Show. Then join your guide to tour the city. Among other sites you'll see the Plains of Abraham, Cape Diamond, Joan of Arc Gardens, Place d¹ Armes, the Chateau Frontenac, Place Royal and much more.

Walk in Quebec's Old City with its cobblestone streets, shops, boutiques, galleries and restaurants. Dinner in the Old City before you depart for home—or spend the night in Quebec City with departure the next morning.
Other Tour Options Include:
Visit the Cosmodome/Space Center
French or Spanish Montreal
Montreal & Quebec City
Montreal & Ottawa
Montreal, Quebec City & Ottawa
Music & The Arts in Montreal
What's included:
• Notch Above Tour manager
• Luxury motor coach transportation
• 3 Nights Lodging
• 3 Dinners
• 3 Breakfasts
• City tours with Local Guides in Montreal, Ottawa & Quebec City
• Admission to the Montreal Biodome
• Ride up the Inclined Tower to Observatory in Montreal
• Visit to the Montreal Underground
• Evening at Montreal Laser Quest
• Admission to Montreal¹s Museum of Archaeology and History
• Time to explore Old Montreal & Admission to Notre Dame Basilica
• Jet Boat Ride or Montreal Science Center or LaRonde Amusement Park
• Tour of Parliament Hill in Ottawa
• Quebec 3-D Experience Show
• Visit to Quebec City¹s Plains of Abraham, Cape Diamond, Place d¹Armes, Place Royal and other sites listed as included
• Taxes and gratuities for lodging, meals and attractions listed as included
• Customary gratuities for driver, tour manager and local guides are not included in tour cost
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Montréal & Quebec City
2 Days/1 Night
Montreal is often called Canada's most cosmopolitan city and Quebec City is the cradle of French civilization in North America, emanating classic European charm and historical richness.
Day 1 - Upon arrival in Montreal, visit Stewart Museum at the Fort, Ile Sainte-Helene. Journey through four-centuries of history in the exhibition galleries of Montreal's only fort. You¹ll see archival documents, early maps and globes, domestic utensils, decorative arts, antique arms, scientific instruments and navigational aids. There are collections for every taste and interest. Luncheon on either Ile Sainte-Helene or Old Montreal. After luncheon, meet a local guide and tour Montreal. See Old Montreal with its 17th-19th-century buildings, cobblestone streets and spectacular Notre Dame Basilica, the Port of Montreal, Chinatown, Olympic Park and more.   A scavenger hunt will be included in the tour. Late afternoon free time to explore the Underground. Discover a twenty-mile network of pedestrian passageways linking eight shopping centers and hundreds of restaurants, boutiques and specialty shops. An above ground stroll along Sainte-Catherine Street reveals Montreal¹s main shopping promenade. Dinner in Montreal at a French restaurant. Depart Montreal after dinner and travel to Quebec City. Check in your hotel, located in Old Quebec City.
Day 2 - Begin the day with a Breakfast Buffet at the Hotel. Meet your local guide and tour Quebec City.   See the Plains of Abraham, Cape Diamond, Joan of Arc Garden, Grande-Allee, the Parliament, Place d¹ Armes, Old Quebec, Chateau Frontenac, Place Royal and much more. A scavenger hunt will be included in the tour.    Luncheon on-your-own in Old Quebec. Visit the Citadel after luncheon. Located atop Cap Diamant, the Citadel constitutes the eastern flank of Quebec's historic fortifications. It is a fascinating 18th-century fort which still operates as an Army base. Then visit Artillery Park where you will be introduced to the life of English and French soldiers in the 17th and 18th-centuries through a costume workshop. Depart from Quebec City late afternoon and return to your school.
What's included
• Luxury motor coach transportation
• 1 Night Lodging in Quebec City
• 1 Luncheon
• 1 Dinner
• 1 Breakfast
• City Tours (including Scavenger Hunts) with Local Guide in Montreal & Quebec City
• Admission to Fort Stewart in Montreal
• Admission to Notre Dame Basilica in Montreal
• • Admission to the Citadel & Artillery Park in Quebec City
• All taxes and gratuities for hotel, meals and attractions listed as included
• Customary gratuities for driver, tour manager and local guides are not included in tour cost.
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Bonjour Montréal
3 Days/2 Nights
Montreal is often called Canada's most cosmopolitan city. The second-largest French speaking city in the world is home to inhabitants who represent no fewer than eighty different ethnic groups. Montreal is a city shaped by its past and proud of its bicultural heritage. Perhaps what visitors notice most about the city is the vitality and joie de vivre of Montreal's people as experienced in neighborhood markets, boutiques, restaurants, cafes and festivals. With over twenty-five museums, a multitude of historical sites including the Old Port and Old Montreal with cobblestone streets and remarkable 18th and 19th-century architecture and a wide variety of educational and fun-filled activities, Montreal is the ideal school tour destination.
Day 1 - Join your Notch Above Tour manager and travel to Montreal. Visit the Biodome where everything is alive. Fish, reptiles, birds and mammals live in four ecosystems found in South, Central and North America and the North and South Poles: Tropical Forest, Laurentian Forest, Polar World and St. Lawrence Marine. After your Biodome visit, ascend 556-feet on the funiculaire to the top of the Olympic Stadium Tower, the world's tallest inclined tower, with a 50-mile view of Montreal, the Laurentian Mountains and the Saint Lawrence Seaway. On a clear day you can see all the way to Vermont and the Adirondacks.
Travel to Mount Royal, the park and mountain in the midst of the city, is a nature lover's paradise with walking trails and scenic vistas. From the Chalet, you¹ll enjoy a great view of the city. Downtown you'll find the Underground City, a twenty-mile maze of pedestrian passageways linking eight shopping centers and hundreds of restaurants, boutiques and specialty shops. An above ground stroll along Sainte-Catherine Street reveals Montreal's main shopping promenade.
Dinner this evening at the Hard Rock Café, then time to challenge yourself and teammates to the ultimate sci-fi adventure game Laser Quest. Live action in a multi-level maze with fog and music.
Day 2 - Meet your guide and depart on a city sightseeing tour. Visit Old Montreal, one of North America's most remarkable architectural ensembles along cobblestone streets. Visit Notre Dame Basilica, a masterpiece of neo-Gothic architecture built between 1824 and 1829. Its interior is of beautifully sculpted wood and gold leaf and its stained-glass windows depict biblical scenes and three-and-a-half-centuries of Montreal history. Enjoy luncheon in Old Montreal in a charming restaurant in an 1880 building. Visit the Montreal Science Center featuring a variety of interactive exhibits, an Immersion Movie Game and IMAX Theater.
This afternoon you¹ll take an exhilarating and unforgettable ride on the wild side! Experience a Jet Boat Ride on the Lachine Rapids.
Tonight visit an authentic Cabane a Sucre (sugar shack) where an all-you-care-to-eat family-style old-time sugar feast is animated by French Canadian folk singers. Join in the song and dance!
Day 3 - Begin the day with a visit to Pointe-A-Calliere, Montreal's Museum of Archaeology and history where you will enjoy a tour through six-centuries of Montreal history. Then it's time to enjoy over thirty thrilling rides, see volcanoes and dinosaurs in a unique simulation theatre, visit the largest Nintendo Game Center in North America and discover a Medieval Village at LaRonde amusement park.
Depart for home after your visit.
Other Tour Options Include:
Visit the Cosmodome/Space Center
French or Spanish Montreal
Montreal & Quebec City
Montreal & Ottawa
Montreal, Quebec City & Ottawa
Music & The Arts in Montreal
What's included:
• Notch Above Tour manager
• Luxury motor coach transportation
• 2 nights lodging
• 3 Breakfasts
• 1 Luncheon
• 3 Dinners
• Morning City Tour of Montreal with Local Guide
• Admission to the Biodome in Montreal
• Montreal Olympic/Expos Stadium Tour
• Ride up the Inclined Tower to Observatory in Montreal
• Evening at Montreal Laser Dome
• Admission to Notre Dame Basilica
• Admission to the Montreal Science Center and IMAX Theater
• Jet Boat Ride on the Lachine Rapids
• Admission to the Montreal Museum of Archaeology & History
• Admission to LaRonde Amusement Park
• Taxes and gratuities for lodging, meals and attractions listed as included
• Customary gratuities for driver, tour manager and local guide are not included in tour cost
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Niagara Falls
3 Days/2 Nights

Over 14 million people visit Niagara Falls each year. Experience the natural wonder of "the Falls", magnificent parks, exciting attractions, Canadian and US history and culture, shopping and great entertainment.
Day 1 - Join your Notch Above Tour manager and travel to Niagara Falls. Visit Old Fort Niagara. Experience 300 years of Niagara¹s history as you explore original French and British buildings and fortifications from the 1700¹s (oldest on the Great Lakes). Thrill to colorful living history demonstrations and exhibits. Enjoy an adventure in dining at the Rainforest Café. Enter through an 80-foot erupting volcano, visit the live shark exhibit, dine surrounded by banyan trees, animatronic gorillas and elephants. The Jungle Safari menu includes three entrees (big portions), a sundae for dessert and unlimited soft drinks. This evening you have a ticket for the IMAX Theatre Niagara Falls.   View the dramatic, breathtaking and historical feature film, Niagara: Miracles, Myths & Magic. Experience amazing discoveries, legendary myths, heroic acts and death defying stunts. See wonders of the Falls up close like never before. Time to visit the National Geographic Store at the IMAX Theatre. Check in your Niagara Falls hotel with indoor swimming pool.
Day 2 - Begin the day with Full American Breakfast at the hotel. Then board the famous Maid of the Mist for a 30-minute boat ride taking you in front of the American Falls and into the basin of the Horseshoe Falls. Souvenir rain ponchos are provided. Later this morning visit the world renown Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum. A self-guided tour takes you through hundreds of amazing oddities, curiosities and illusions. An experience you¹ll never forget! After luncheon on-your-own, ride to the top of the Skylon Tower. Ascend 775-feet in a glass-enclosed Yellow Bug elevator for indoor or outdoor viewing of the Falls. This is Niagara's highest vantage point. Return to the hotel for swimming before we head to the incredibly popular, Oh Canada Eh?! The award winning dinner show is a musical celebration of Canada that provides an unforgettable experience. Multi-talented singers perform Canadian songs in a rustic log cabin. Meet singing Mounties, lumberjacks, Anne-of-Green-Gables and other Canadian characters as you enjoy the songs and scenes of Canada. Dinner includes French Canadian Split Pea Soup, Bakery Fresh Bread, Garden Salad, Alberta "Grade Eh?!" Roast Beef, Fresh Atlantic Haddock, Roasted Ontario Chicken, Roasted Brunswick Potatoes, P.E.I. Garden Vegetable Medley, Maple Chocolate "Mania" Cake & Beverage. Return to the hotel after the show.
Day 3 - Enjoy a Full American Breakfast at the hotel. This morning you'll enjoy the attractions of Clifton Hill, to include Adventure Dome, Haunted House and Guiness Book of World Records Museum.   Early afternoon, it¹s time for the Whirlpool Jet Boat Tour. Everyone will receive a splash suit that insures comfort for what has been called "Niagara's most unforgettable attraction". Depart for home after the Jet Boat Ride.
What's included:
• Luxury motor coach transportation
• 2 nights lodging
• 2 Full American Breakfasts
• • 3 Dinners including Oh Canada Eh?! Dinner Show
• Admission to the IMAX Theatre, Ripley¹s Believe It or Not Museum
• Admission to Guiness Book of World Records Museum
• Admission to Adventure Dome, and Haunted House on Clifton Hill
• Whirlpool Jet Boat Rides
• Maid of the Mist Boat Ride
• Ride to the top of the Skylon Tower
• Taxes and gratuities for lodging, meals and attractions listed as included.
• Customary gratuities for driver, tour manager and local guide are not included in tour cost
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Pennsylvania Dutch, Gettysburg & Hershey
4 Day/ 3 Nights
"Wilkum" to Pennsylvania Dutch Country, home of the Amish and Mennonites. Add Gettysburg, scene of the greatest military battle ever fought on our continent, and Hershey, "The Sweetest Place on Earth".
Day 1 - Arrive in Lancaster, the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country. Meet our local guide to explore America's oldest Amish settlement where thousands still live a centuries-old "Plain" lifestyle. Visit the Amish Farm and House, an 1805 farmhouse furnished as an Old Order Amish home of today. Learn about the history, religion, customs and culture that lead to their simple and unique way of life. Dinner this evening is a family-style feast with platters of roast beef, fried chicken, baked Lancaster County sausage, chicken pot pie, real mashed potatoes, homemade breads, pies, apple dumplings and much, much more. Check in your Lancaster hotel and enjoy the indoor pool.

Day 2 - Buffet breakfast at the hotel, then join your local guide for a morning tour of Amish Country. Travel through scenic farmlands. Wander down Pepper Lane at Kitchen Kettle Village with 35 shops and restaurants featuring local crafts and foods. Mid-day departure to Gettysburg. Visit the Eisenhower National Historic Site, home and farm of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States, and his wife Mamie. See the farm grounds, home, cattle barns, exhibits, Eisenhower video and bookstore. This evening enjoy an all-you-care-to-eat buffet including carved beef and ham, spare ribs, baked chicken, shrimp Creole, a variety of fresh vegetables, casseroles, a salad buffet and selection of homemade pies and cakes. Tonight a costumed guide will lead you on a candlelight walking "Ghosts of Gettysburg" tour. Hear true stories and see sites of haunting and eerie sightings.   Return to your Gettysburg Hotel with an indoor pool.
Day 3 - Enjoy a deluxe continental breakfast at the hotel. Begin the day at the Visitor's Center of the Gettysburg National Military Park. See the Electric Map presentation and view the Gettysburg Museum of the Civil War. Then join a licensed guide for a tour of the Battlefield. The three-day battle in July, 1863 saw urgent fighting across the fields and gentle slopes outside this usually tranquil town.

Today the National Military Park stands supreme as one of the largest battlefield shrines in America with over 1,000 monuments and cannons along 40-miles of scenic avenues. Late afternoon visit to the Hall of Presidents where the history of our nation is revealed by meticulously reproduced in wax. The Smithsonian collection of First Ladies Inaugural Gowns is authentically reproduced in the Hall of First Ladies. Dinner this evening at a restaurant housed in the oldest building in Gettysburg (circa 1776), filled with period antiques and formerly a station on the Underground Railroad and a hospital for both the North and South. The restaurant offers delicious homemade food and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Tonight is time to play at a nearby Sports Complex with something for everyone - batting cages, go karts, miniature golf, virtual reality arcade, basketball and billiard room. Return to your Gettysburg Hotel.

Day 4 - Enjoy a deluxe continental breakfast at the hotel. Then travel to nearby Hershey and visit Hershey's Chocolate World Visitor's Center. Learn the fascinating secret of chocolate making from the harvesting of the cocoa beans through the exciting process of making Hershey's Chocolate. Founder's Hall is a tribute to Milton and Catherine Hershey, founders of the Milton Hershey School.   This afternoon, you may opt to visit Hershey Park, 110 acres of excitement in the "cleanest and greenest theme park in America". Experience sixty rides including nine thrilling roller coasters and six drenching water rides, live entertainment, mouth-watering food, exciting games, and intriguing shops stocked with unique gifts and collectibles. (Park open May September). Depart Pennsylvania and return home.
What's included:
• Luxury motor coach transportation
• 3 nights lodging
• 3 Breakfasts
• 3 Dinners
• Local guide and touring in Lancaster
• Admission to the Amish Farm and House
• Admission to the Eisenhower National Historic Site
• Ghosts of Gettysburg Evening Tour
• Admission to the Gettysburg National Park Visitor Center and Electric Map Presentation
• Tour with licensed guide of the Gettysburg National Military Park
• Admission to the Hall of Presidents
• An evening at a Gettysburg Sports Complex
• Visit to Hershey¹s Chocolate World
• Taxes and gratuities for lodging, meals and attractions listed as included.
• Customary gratuities for driver, tour manager and local guides are not included in tour cost.
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New York City: The Big Apple Tour
4 Days/3 Nights
The "Big Apple" is truly a city that has something for everyone. The events, sights and attractions of New York make it one of the great cities for visitors of all ages. It has been a beacon of freedom and opportunity for millions. Its diverse population and cultures enjoy an endless array of historical, cultural and recreational resources.

Day 1 - Travel to Manhattan with your Notch Above Tours guide on a luxury motor coach. Upon arrival visit the Museum of Natural History, one of the greatest natural history museums in the world, with hundreds of exhibits, including the famous dinosaur halls.   The Rose Center for Earth and Space creates a thrilling journey taking you from the outer reaches of the universe to the inner workings of the Earth. Dinner at a Bar BQ Restaurant with ribs & chicken, corn bread, cole slaw, dessert & beverage. This evening, you¹ll travel to the top of New York the observation deck of the Empire State Building. Experience an unmatched view of the City. Check in your hotel (Manhattan Theatre District or New Jersey)

Day 2 - Breakfast at your hotel, then meet your Local Guide for a Tour of New York City. Among other areas, you will normally see the Theatre District and Broadway, the Financial District with famed Wall Street and the New York Stock Exchange, Ground Zero, Greenwich Village and trendy SoHo, Little Italy, Chinatown, Fifth Avenue, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Central Park and Harlem. Routing may vary depending upon traffic and group interests. Luncheon (on-your-own) at the South Street Seaport. Choose from among the many fast-food restaurants or food stands. This afternoon, you¹ll visit the United Nations. The UN complex was designed in 1952 by an international committee of 12 architects. During a one-hour guided tour, you will view the domed 2,070 seat General Assembly Hall and the Security Council Chamber.    See spectacular art including a window designed by Chagall. Then enjoy free time to window shop along 5th Avenue (F.A.O. Schwarz, Steuben Glass, Trump Tower) Times Square, Rockefeller Square, or other mid-town sites. Dinner in Chinatown or Little Italy with time to explore those neighborhoods after dinner

Day 3 - Breakfast at your hotel.   This morning visit the Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island. The Statue on Liberty Island has been America¹s symbol of freedom since 1886. It has signaled to shiploads of travelers, both bedraggled and bejeweled, that they have reached the shores of a new land. Ellis Island after recent renovations is a recreated processing center as it looked in the first decade of the 20th-century. You¹ll feel kinship with the 12 million anxious immigrants who shuffled through the echoing halls of this red-brick way station between 1892 and 1954 on their way to a new life in a new land. Ferries shuttle you from Battery Park in Manhattan or Liberty Park in New Jersey to the Statue & Ellis Island.   Luncheon on-your-own at the snack shop on board the ferry or on Ellis Island. This afternoon you¹ll have time to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Met is a national treasure, one of the world's great museums, right up there with the Louvre. Some of its art is the best anywhere and the collection as a whole is simply outstanding. From ancient cuneiforms, rare Greek vases and statuary to Monet, Jasper, Johns and Ellsworth Kelly, its variety is "breathtaking."(NY Times Guide to NY City). There may be time for a walk through nearby Central Park. Dinner tonight at the Hard Rock Café. Check out the guitar-shaped bar and rock memorabilia that includes dozens of gold records. Tonight you will have an opportunity to see a Broadway Show.

Day 4 - After breakfast at your hotel, get a behind-the-scenes look during an NBC Studios tour where many of your favorite TV programs are filmed each day. Walk across Rockefeller Center for a tour of Radio City Music Hall. The art deco splendor is New York City's version of a natural wonder. Completed in 1932, the Hall is home to the Rockettes and is a 6,000 seat show palace.   Free time in mid-town region and luncheon on-your-own before mid-afternoon departure from New York City.
What's included:
• Luxury motor coach transportation
• Notch Above Tour manager
• 3 nights lodging
• 3 Breakfasts
• 3 Dinners
• 4-hour tour of New York City with a licensed Local Guide
• Ferry fee for Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island visit
• Admission to the Empire State Building Observatory,
• Admission and tour of the United Nations
• Admission to the American Museum of Natural History including Space Show
• • Admission to the Metropolitan Museum of Art
• NBC Studio & Rockefeller Center tours
• 8 x 10 Color Photo of Group in New York City for each traveler
• All taxes and gratuities for meals and attractions listed as included in itinerary
• Cost does not include customary gratuities for coach driver & local guide
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Philadelphia, Washington, DC & Gettysburg
5 Days/4 Nights
Philadelphia is the birthplace of America's democracy. It is the perfect destination for an educational, entertaining and fun experience. Washington, DC offers beautiful parks, superior architecture, fabulous museums, magnificent monuments and a multitude of cultural and historical attractions. Gettysburg is home to the battlefield most visited, most written about and most intensely studied. The three-day battle which took place there in 1863 changed the course of history for our nation. Conclude the tour exploring 300-feet beneath the earth in a former Pennsylvania coal mine.

Photos by John Fischer
Day 1 - Travel to Philadelphia and visit Independence National Historical Park, "America¹s most historic square mile" featuring the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were created. The National Constitution Center honors and explains the Constitution using nearly 100 media displays. See the house where Betsy Ross created the American flag and walk down Elfreth's Ally, a cobblestone street with 30 houses from 1727.   (Depending upon arrival time in Philadelphia, some of this touring may extend into Day 2). Enjoy dinner tonight in one of Philadelphia¹s authentic Italian restaurants. Then experience a sound-and-light show like nothing else in the world with the Lights of Liberty Show in Independence National Historical Park. You'll be immersed in animated imagery and special effects that tell the story of the American Revolution as it happened, where it happened. Overnight in a Philadelphia Hotel.

Day 2 - Enjoy breakfast at your hotel then travel to Washington, DC. Meet your local guide and begin the day with a tour of the U.S. Capitol, seat of the legislative branch of the United States government. Stroll across the street to the U.S. Supreme Court, home of the judicial branch of the government. Within the walls of this white marble monument the third branch of government exercises its mandate to protect and interpret the spirit of the Constitution. When court is not in session, free lectures on the Supreme Court are given weekdays on the half-hour from 9:30 am 3:30pm. Just a block away is the Library of Congress, the world's largest library with more than 100 million items in three buildings. The original Library of Congress Building (now called the Thomas Jefferson Building) is perhaps Washington's most richly ornamented building. The rotunda of the National Archives contains the original Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights. At night, the display is lowered 20-feet into a bomb and fireproof vault. Visit Ford's Theater and the Peterson House. Restored as it was the night John Wilkes Booth shot Abraham Lincoln, Ford's is still an active theater. Visit the Museum exhibiting Lincoln Memorabilia, Booth's diary and one of his boots. Cross the street to the Peterson House where Lincoln died. We'll visit he Korean War Veterans' Memorial is a triangular field containing nineteen group troopers, clad in foul weather ponchos, fully equipped for battle as well as the Lincoln Memorial. Overlooking the Reflecting Pool, the Memorial was patterned on a classic Greek temple, Inside, inscriptions from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and Second Inaugural Address flank the 19-foot marble statue of our 16th President.   The Vietnam Veterans' Memorial is privately funded memorial that has drawn millions who come to touch the over 50,000 names, make pencil rubbings and leave flowers, letters, flags and other personal messages. The towering marble Washington Monument obelisk is surely one of the most recognizable sights in all of America.    Tonight you may opt for an evening activity that can include a dinner cruise and dance on the Potomac River (seasonal) or a Ghost Tour in Old Town Alexandria. Return to your hotel .
Day 3 - After breakfast at the hotel, meet your local guide and visit Arlington National Cemetery. This is the final resting place for President John F. Kennedy, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, space shuttle Challenger astronauts, Audie Murphy, prizefighter Joe Louis and thousands of soldiers from every major U.S. war. Arlington House, former home of Civil War General Robert E. Lee, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier are also located on these famous 612-acres. Proceed to Washington and stop at the White House for a photo opportunity. Luncheon on-your-own at the food court inside the Old Post Office Pavilion. Drive along Embassy Row en route to National Cathedral.   The sixth largest church in the world, this 14th-century style Gothic wonder is situated on 57-acres and took 83 years to build. Helen Keller and Woodrow Wilson, the only President buried within Washington, DC, are interred here. The Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima Statue), one of the largest bronze statues ever cast depicts the American Flag being raised on Mount Suribachi during World War II. It commemorates all marines who have died in battle since 1775. Dinner this evening at the Hard Rock Café.   Experience a Night Light Illumination Tour viewing spectacular monuments featured in lights. Highlights include the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial, divided into four outdoor galleries, one for each of FDR's terms with shade trees, waterfalls, a statuary and quiet alcoves; the Jefferson Memorial, a 19-foot statue of our third president standing beneath a rotunda inscribed with passages from the Declaration of Independence and other Jefferson works. Conclude your evening tour with a walk through of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for a spectacular view of the city from the Terrace. Return to your hotel to relax or enjoy the indoor pool.

Day 4 - After breakfast at the hotel, spend the morning at the Smithsonian museums. You may choose to visit any or all of the eleven of the museums and galleries which line the National Mall from 4th Street to 14th Street. You probably won't want to miss the National Air & Space Museum. Experience the history of flight at the world's most visited museum, from the Wright Brother's plane to the Apollo 11 command module.   View an incredible collection of aviation and space technology. The National Museum of American History's popular collection tops the list of must-sees for any visitor with a taste for true Americans. See the flag that inspired the Star Spangled Banner, First Ladies' inaugural gowns, quilts, cars, locomotives and much, much more .

The National Museum of Natural History is home to the Hope Diamond and dinosaur fossils. The world's largest African bush elephant and a live insect zoo are included among the amazing natural treasures on display. Mid-day departure from Washington and travel to Gettysburg. Meet a licensed guide and tour the site of the most decisive battle in the American Civil War. Start the tour with the Electric Map program which presents a graphic demonstration of the battle action through use of colored lights. Gettysburg National Military Park stands supreme as one of the largest battlefield shrines in America with over 1,000 monuments along 40 miles of scenic avenues. Dinner this Evening is an all-you-care-to-eat buffet . This evening a haunting experience as you learn about the Ghosts of Gettysburg during a candlelight walking tour.   Overnight in a Gettysburg hotel with an indoor swimming pool.
Day 5 - Enjoy breakfast at the hotel then depart Gettysburg for Scranton, Pennsylvania where you will go "down" in history. Explore 300-feet beneath the earth as a miner at the Lackawana Coal Mine leads you through the winding caverns of the former Continental Mine's #190 Slope. Learn about the life and hard coal in a city that at one time was the "Anthracite Capital of the World." Luncheon (on-your-own) before early afternoon departure for home.
What's included:
• Notch Above Tour manager
• Luxury motor coach transportation
• 4 nights lodging
• 4 dinners
• 4 breakfasts
• Sightseeing tours led by a licensed local guides in Philadelphia & Washington
• Sightseeing and admission fees listed as included in itinerary
• Lights of Liberty Show in Philadelphia
• Gettysburg Battlefield Tour with licensed guide & admission to the Electric Map program
• Lackawana Coal Mine tour
• Taxes and gratuities for hotel, meals and attractions listed as included
• Cost includes one complimentary package, using a single room
• Customary gratuities for driver and local guides are not included in tour cost.
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New York City: Spanish Culture & Life
4 Days/3 Nights
Visiting New York City provides opportunities to discover cultures from a multitude of Spanish-speaking countries including those from Europe, Central and South America and the Caribbean. Speaking Spanish and experiencing other cultures is easy to do in New York City.

Day 1 - Travel to New York with your Notch Above Tours guide on a luxury motor coach. Stop at Fort Tyron Park with beautiful views of the Hudson River and home to the Cloisters. Styled with architectural elements from monasteries in France and Spain, this world-renowned complex displays most of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's extensive collection of medieval art. The complex encompasses a 12th-century chapter house, five cloisters from medieval monasteries and a Romanesque chapel. Your Cloisters guide will tour in either English or Spanish. Continue to Manhattan and visit El Museo del Barrio, founded by a group of Puerto Rican educators, artists and activists in 1969 to serve the Puerto Rican community in nearby Spanish Harlem. The collection ranges from pre-Columbian artifacts to contemporary videos to a splendid installation of Puerto Rican religious figures called santos. Check in your hotel (Manhattan or New Jersey). This evening travel back to the 11th-century, the age of knights and kings. At Medieval Times you'll experience sorcery, chivalry, pageantry and excitement. Dine on a sumptuous four-course feast prepared by the Count's chefs. Forget modern conveniences! Tonight dine in the true spirit of the Middle Ages with your hands! Return to the hotel after the show.
Day 2 - Enjoy an ethnic breakfast, then meet your Local Guide for a Tour of New York City. The tour will travel throughout the City, but will focus on Spanish/Hispanic Life and Culture and Life. Among other areas, you will normally see the Theatre District and Broadway, the Financial District with famed Wall Street and the New York Stock Exchange, Ground Zero, Greenwich Village and trendy SoHo, Little Italy, Chinatown, Fifth Avenue, St. Patrick¹s Cathedral, Central Park, Spanish Harlem and Harlem. Routing may vary depending upon traffic and group interests. Conclude the morning tour near Rockefeller Plaza where you will see the murals of Spanish artist Jose Maria Sert in the lobby of the 70-story General Electric Building. Luncheon on-your-own then visit St. Patrick's Cathedral which is generally recognized as a center of Catholic life in America. See 70 stained glass windows crafted in France, England and Boston and 14 stations of the cross carved in Holland. Enjoy free time to window shop along 5th Avenue (F.A.O. Schwarz, Steuben Glass, Trump Tower) Times Square, Rockefeller Square, or other mid-town sites. Dinner this evening at a Spanish restaurant with entertainment.
Day 3 - After an ethnic breakfast, visit the Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island. The Statue on Liberty Island has been America¹s symbol of freedom since 1886. It has signaled to shiploads of travelers, both bedraggled and bejeweled, that they have reached the shores of a new land. Ellis Island after recent renovations is a recreated processing center as it looked in the first decade of the 20th-century. You¹ll feel kinship with the 12 million anxious immigrants who shuffled through the echoing halls of this red-brick way station between 1892 and 1954 on their way to a new life in a new land. Ferries shuttle you from Battery Park in Manhattan or Liberty Park in New Jersey to the Statue & Ellis Island. Luncheon (on-your-own) at the snack shop on board the ferry or on Ellis Island. This afternoon you¹ll have time to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The Met" is a national treasure, one of the world¹s great museums, right up there with the Louvre. Some of its art is the best anywhere and the collection as a whole is simply outstanding. From ancient cuneiforms, rare Greek vases and statuary to Monet, Jasper, Johns and Ellsworth Kelly, its "variety is breathtaking." (NY Times Guide to NY City). Be sure to view the works of Spanish masters. There may be time for a walk through nearby Central Park. Dinner at a Latin American restaurant. Tonight you will have an opportunity to see a Broadway Show.
Day 4 - Enjoy an ethnic breakfast, then visit the Museum of Natural History, one of the greatest natural history museums in the world, with hundreds of exhibits, including the famous dinosaur halls.

Photos © D.Finnin/AMNH
The Rose Center for Earth and Space creates a thrilling journey taking you from the outer reaches of the universe to the inner workings of the Earth. Luncheon on-your-own at the Museum. Conclude your visit to the City with a stop at the Hispanic Society of America, filled with fabulous paintings by El Greco, Goya and Velazquez, as well as fine examples of decorative arts, sculpture and textiles. Afternoon departure for home.
What's included:
• Luxury motor coach transportation
• Notch Above Tour manager
• 3 nights lodging
• 3 Ethnic Breakfasts
• 3 Dinners
• Admission to the Cloisters
• Admission to El Museo del Barrio
• Admission to Medieval Times Dinner Show
• 4-hour tour of New York City with a licensed Local Guide
• Ferry fee for Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island visit
• Admission to the American Museum of Natural History including Space Show
• Visit to the Hispanic Society of America
• 8 x 10 Color Photo of Group in New York City for each traveler
• All taxes and gratuities for meals and attractions listed as included in itinerary
• Cost does not include customary gratuities for coach driver & local guide
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Washington, DC and Williamsburg
5 Days/4 Nights
Our nation's capital is the ideal destination for travelers of all ages. Beautiful parks, superior architecture, fabulous museums, magnificent monuments and a multitude of cultural and historical attractions await your visit. Perhaps nowhere else in America does the exciting story of our past come to life more vividly than at Colonial Williamsburg, the restored capital of colonial Virginia.
Day 1 - Travel to Washington. Depending upon your arrival time, you may opt to visit the National Geographic Society's Explorers Hall. Human evolution, global and space expeditions and ancient civilizations take center stage. Get up close and personal to the many interactive displays and videos. Feel what orbital flight 23,000 miles above Earth is like in the Earth Station One amphitheater. Experience a tornado and other geophysical phenomena in Geographica. Visit the store packed with nature books, photography collections, globes, maps and other treasures. Dinner at an all-you-care-to-eat buffet. Then overnight at your Virginia or Maryland hotel with an indoor swimming pool.
Day 2 - Meet your local guide and begin the day with a tour of the U.S. Capitol, seat of the legislative branch of the United States government. Stroll across the street to the U.S. Supreme Court, home of the judicial branch of the government. Within the walls of this white marble monument the third branch of government exercises its mandate to protect and interpret the spirit of the Constitution. When court is not in session, free lectures on the Supreme Court are given weekdays on the half-hour from 9:30 am 3:30pm. Just a block away is the Library of Congress, the world's largest library with more than 100 million items in three buildings. The original Library of Congress Building (now called the Thomas Jefferson Building) is perhaps Washington¹s most richly ornamented building. The rotunda of the National Archives contains the original Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights. At night, the display is lowered 20-feet into a bomb and fireproof vault. Enjoy luncheon at the food court of Union Station, the beautifully restored train station with shops, restaurants and a busy Amtrak and Metro station. Visit Ford's Theater and the Peterson House. Restored as it was the night John Wilkes Booth shot Abraham Lincoln, Ford's is still an active theater. Visit the Museum exhibiting Lincoln Memorabilia, Booth¹s diary and one of his boots. Cross the street to the Peterson House where Lincoln died. We'll visit he Korean War Veterans' Memorial is a triangular field containing nineteen group troopers, clad in foul weather ponchos, fully equipped for battle as well as the Lincoln Memorial. Overlooking the Reflecting Pool, the Memorial was patterned on a classic Greek temple, Inside, inscriptions from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and Second Inaugural Address flank the 19-foot marble statue of our 16th President.   The Vietnam Veterans' Memorial is privately funded memorial that has drawn millions who come to touch the over 50,000 names, make pencil rubbings and leave flowers, letters, flags and other personal messages. The towering marble Washington Monument obelisk is surely one of the most recognizable sights in all of America.    Tonight you may opt for an evening activity that can include a dinner cruise and dance on the Potomac River (seasonal) or a Ghost Tour in Old Town Alexandria. Return to your hotel.
Day 3 - After breakfast at the hotel, meet your local guide and visit Arlington National Cemetery. This is the final resting place for President John F. Kennedy, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, space shuttle Challenger astronauts, Audie Murphy, prizefighter Joe Louis and thousands of soldiers from every major U.S. war. Arlington House, former home of Civil War General Robert E. Lee, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier are also located on these famous 612-acres. Proceed to Washington and stop at the White House for a photo opportunity. Luncheon on-your-own at the food court inside the Old Post Office Pavilion. Drive along Embassy Row en route to National Cathedral.   The sixth largest church in the world, this 14th-century style Gothic wonder is situated on 57-acres and took 83 years to build. Helen Keller and Woodrow Wilson, the only President buried within Washington, DC, are interred here. The Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima Statue), one of the largest bronze statues ever cast depicts the American Flag being raised on Mount Suribachi during World War II. It commemorates all marines who have died in battle since 1775. Dinner this evening at the Hard Rock Café.   Experience a Night Light Illumination Tour viewing spectacular monuments featured in lights. Highlights include the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial, divided into four outdoor galleries, one for each of FDR's terms with shade trees, waterfalls, a statuary and quiet alcoves; the Jefferson Memorial, a 19-foot statue of our third president standing beneath a rotunda inscribed with passages from the Declaration of Independence and other Jefferson works. Conclude your evening tour with a walk through of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for a spectacular view of the city from the Terrace. Return to your hotel to relax or enjoy the indoor pool.

Day 4 - Enjoy breakfast at your hotel then depart for historic Williamsburg. Located on 173-acres, Colonial Williamsburg is an outdoor living museum with over 500 public buildings, homes, stores and taverns; craftsmen practicing 30 historic trades and domestic crafts; historical interpreters and character actors; and gardens and greens. It is not just a museum of restored buildings and artifacts. It is a living community where merchants sell their wares, craftspeople ply their trades and brave patriots whisper their plans for revolution. You may opt to also visit Jamestown Settlement. Discover the world of America's first permanent English colonists and their Powhatan Indian neighbors. You'll find a blend of indoor gallery exhibits and outdoor living history in a beautiful wooded setting bringing the early 1600s to life. Spend the afternoon and evening at Busch Gardens Theme Park in Williamsburg. From world-class roller coasters and a variety of thrilling rides and attractions to spectacular award-winning shows, quaint shops and authentic European restaurants, it's easy to see why this was voted one of the world's "favorite theme parks.²" Return to your Washington area hotel after a day in Williamsburg.
Day 5 - After breakfast at the hotel, spend the morning at the Smithsonian museums. You may choose to visit any or all of the eleven of the museums and galleries which line the National Mall from 4th Street to 14th Street. You probably won't want to miss the National Air & Space Museum. Experience the history of flight at the world's most visited museum, from the Wright Brother's plane to the Apollo 11 command module.   View an incredible collection of aviation and space technology. The National Museum of American History's popular collection tops the list of must-sees for any visitor with a taste for true Americans. See the flag that inspired the Star Spangled Banner, First Ladies' inaugural gowns, quilts, cars, locomotives and much, much more . The National Museum of Natural History is home to the Hope Diamond and dinosaur fossils. The world's largest African bush elephant and a live insect zoo are included among the amazing natural treasures on display.   Afternoon departure for home.
What's included:
• Notch Above Tour manager
• Luxury motor coach transportation
• 4 nights lodging
• 4 dinners
• 4 breakfasts
• Sightseeing tours led by a licensed local guide
• Sightseeing and admission fees listed as included in itinerary
• Admission to Bush Gardens, Williamsburg, VA
• Admission to Colonial Williamsburg
• Taxes and gratuities for hotel, meals and attractions listed as included
• Cost includes one complimentary package, using a single room
• Customary gratuities for driver and local guides are not included in tour cost.

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