GRAND EAST COAST 40-DAY RV Caravan


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WANTED:  Curious, fun-loving RVers looking for adventure! Now’s your chance for an epic 40-day RV trek on Fantasy RV Tours’ Grand East Coast Caravan! Travel from the cool, rugged coastline of Maine to the sunny, sweeping shores of Florida. This is a multi-cultural mix of charm-filled seaports, four major metro adventures and a total immersion into the roots of our American culture. It’s not about how fast we go or how many sights we tick off our bucket list. It’s about the RV journey itself: the joys of unexpected discoveries, the unfolding of  experiences on the road and sharing them all with new friends as we travel in the comfort and convenience of our RVS.

There’s only one way to start this adventure, and that’s at the quaint seaside retreat of Kennebunkport, Maine, once known as the Summer White House for President George H.W. Bush, the 41st President of the United States.  We tour the historic gardens and homes of Strawbery Banke, a very unique outdoor living-history museum. We explore the majestic Nubble Lighthouse perched proudly atop Maine’s rocky coastline.

PLYMOUTH ROCKLiterally a hop, skip, jump and a 130-mile drive south, our adventure lands us in Boston. Here you leave the driving to us! We embark on four adventurous days of guided tours and sightseeing to reveal the history of the New World. It’s all in the spirit of Paul Revere, local-boy-turned-famous patriot! Our visit takes us to Old North Church, Boston’s oldest-surviving church building, and also to Paul Revere’s humble house.  Consider it our patriotic duty and mission to follow the red brick path of the Freedom Trail through Central Boston to a number of historic sites. Visit the USS Constitution. Eat, shop and drink your way through Quincy Market, aka Faneuil Hall, and take a walking tour of Harvard Square. The spirit of Thanksgiving arrives early with a visit to Plymouth Rock, the Mayflower and Plymouth Rock State Park. Enjoy a traditional Colonial lunch and a presentation by a Plymouth Plantation historian.  Not to be missed, the Pilgrim Hall Museum tells the riveting founding story of America through artifacts, paintings and expert interpretation.

MYSTIC SEAPORT MUSEUMPause for a well-deserved ‘breath of fresh air’ between Boston and New York as we arrive in Mystic, Connecticut, home of the Mystic Seaport Museum, a true living-history museum featuring 17 acres of exhibits.  Tonight we enjoy a chance to catch up and share stories over a locally sourced dinner.

The brief urban respite ends as we arrive at Jersey City, directly across the mighty Hudson River from New York.  This perfect location affords us all fast and easy access to NYC’s many attractions – without the noise, traffic, and crowds of the city.  Sightseeing starts fast and furious over the next four days with a spectacular harbor night cruise.  From there, we explore mad Manhattan from top to bottom.  On the Upper Westside, we visit the Lincoln Center (home to New York’s performing arts), Central Park, Museum Mile, Grand Central Terminal, 42nd Street Deco architecture and the Chrysler and UN buildings. We stroll down famous 5th Avenue; visit Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Trump Tower and Times Square.  We dine at one of New York’s most famous sports bars, finishing with a top-billed Broadway show.

Sightseeing continues in Lower Manhattan with a visit to the Statue of Liberty, the incredibly moving 911 Memorial, Trinity Church, Little Italy (for dinner!), St. Paul’s Chapel (the oldest surviving church building in Manhattan), Wall Street and Greenwich Village, the city’s Bohemian arts enclave – known simply as ‘the Village’ by locals. Of course, Fantasy takes you to the Top of the Rock for its legendary sweeping view of Central Park and Manhattan’s skyscrapers.  Our unusual approach to exploring New York is to devote an entire day of independent discovery of the city by boat, train, bus and subway. We provide round-trip water taxi tickets to and from the RV park, along with an opportunity to customize your own city tour!

LANCASTER AMISH COUNTRYAlthough we really love the bustle of New York by now, it’s time to move on to the relative calm and peace of the next five days spent in the rolling hills and rich farmlands of Amish country.  Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is a tranquility base for our Amish encounter.  An Amish Experience tour, lunch and Amish culture film is on the itinerary, along with a visit to Old Homestead (a third-generation working farm), and the Fisher one-room school.

‘It’s all about the milk chocolate!’ on the Hershey Factory tour, nestled in the fertile dairy lands surrounding Hershey, a boutique village common in this part of rural Pennsylvania. This delightful sensory experience bursts with wonderful smells, sweet samplings and plenty of shopping.

A short 78-mile drive plunges us into Philadelphia. A guided bus tour takes us to several historic landmarks.  We visit the Betsy Ross House, beloved birthplace of the American flag in the 18th century.  Independence Square is an important stop, including Independence Hall, where the United States Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were adopted. The inspiring Liberty Bell resides here too.

WDC - MARYLAND - LINCOLN MEMORIALOur ‘monumental experience’ in Washington, DC, begins in College Park, Maryland. Five days here fly by in a flash!  A guided city tour includes the Capitol and Library of Congress, Arlington National Cemetery, the Women’s War Memorial and the Marine Corps War Memorial commemorating the victory of Iwo Jima. Stately Annapolis, Maryland, is a stop for a tour of the United States Naval Academy to see where future officers live and train. We visit Fort McHenry, whose defense during the Battle of Baltimore inspired Francis Scott Key to write ‘The Star Spangled Banner.’ You’re able to customize your tour of the Smithsonian with round-trip bus transportation to the museum complex, all provided by Fantasy.  An additional free day on the itinerary allows you to explore Washington, DC, on your own, using the efficient and easy transportation available from the RV park.

COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURGHistory literally comes to life in Colonial Williamsburg, where actors in period costume depict daily Colonial life.  Enjoy a hearty lunch at a well-known tavern where the servers dress and speak in 18th-century fashion.

Onward to the lovely coastline of the Carolinas!  First stop is Cape Hatteras, filled with many interesting things to do.  We begin here with a guided tour of the barrier islands that separate the mainland from the Atlantic Ocean, aka the Outer Banks.  We visit the Wright Brothers Memorial in Kitty Hawk, specifically chosen by the Wright Brothers for their aeronautical experimentation because it met their requirements for an isolated site with steady winds, high sand dunes (to cushion falls!) and limited obstructions.  Visiting some of the historic lighthouses dotting the coastline completes our exploration of this captivating vacation destination.

We answer the siren call of South Carolina’s 60-mile stretch of subtropical beaches upon arrival in the luxurious resort area of Myrtle Beach.  Our beach party gets started with a grand seafood and country buffet dinner, and it just keeps growing with live musical entertainment at the Alabama Theatre.

Bidding farewell to Myrtle, we head south to the charming cobblestone streets, horse-drawn carriages and pastel antebellum homes of Charleston. Southern hospitality starts now!  We begin with a USS Yorktown Maritime Museum and Patriots Point tour.  The USS Yorktown was the tenth aircraft carrier to serve in the United States Navy. We take a comprehensive tour of Boone Hall Plantation, one of the country’s oldest living, working and producing plantations.  Boone Hall Plantation is also the only plantation in the country to offer a live “Gullah Presentation,” a performance depicting the unique culture adapted by African slaves.

SavannahSavannah, the favorite Southern belle of all coastal Georgia cities, is a visual feast full of large parks dripping with Spanish moss and magnolias, beckoning visitors for a closer look.  A strategic port city in the American Revolution and during the American Civil War, Savannah remains so today.  Oozing with Southern charm, a guided trolley tour takes us through historic homes and squares. No visit to Savannah would be complete without a lunch stop at Paula Deene’s restaurant for some Southern-style specialties!

Reluctantly, we’ve reached the welcoming white and warm sandy shores of St. Augustine, Florida, the oldest city in the United States – more than 450 years old in fact!  As the locals joke, ‘So Much to Sea Here!’ A non-scripted Red Train Tour around the city’s cobblestone streets takes us to all the city’s highlights, including the St. Augustine Lighthouse.  Of special note is a stop at the 15-acre Fountain of Youth archaeological park for its restorative natural spring waters.  No guarantees, but it’s certainly worth a try! By now you know we eat often and well on a Fantasy tour. Here we enjoy a uniquely delicious farewell Cuban lunch and the traditional goodbye continental breakfast.ST AUGUSTINE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH

In 40 days we drive just under 2,000 miles from north to south, cool to warm, traveling in a Fantasy dream sequence on this Grand East Coast dream route. We have taken our sweet time to absorb and savor the culture, history and seasonal flavors of each destination. History, heritage, and hospitality have greeted us at every stop. Most importantly, we’ve shared our experiences with the new friends we’ve traveled with all along the way.