Step back in time to the Gilded Age when the Rhode Island waterfront was aglow with the lights of the elegant mansions of Newport, Rhode Island.

This holiday tour takes you inside three estates that are beautiful year-round but come to life in a special way every Christmas season.

Enjoy a driving tour in Newport, sip tea at Blithewold Mansion and stay in the Newport Marriott on the waterfront.

• Round-trip motorcoach transportation

• Two-night stay at the Newport Marriott

• 4 Meals (2 breakfasts, 2 dinners)

• Breakers Mansion & Sparking Lights tour

• Newport driving tour with "Carolyn Astor"

• Tour of Marble House Mansion

• Newport Winery Tour & Tasting

• Tour & Tea at Blithewold Mansion

• All hotel sales taxes & occupancy fees

• All sales taxes & gratuities for included meals

PICKUPS
8 a.m. – Wyoming Valley Mall
8:45 a.m. - Scranton Terminal

• Lunch stop en route to Rhode Island (on your own)

• Self-guided tour of the Breakers Mansion

• Sparking Lights (outdoor display) at the Breakers

• Dinner at a local restaurant (included) - TBD

• Check in to Newport Marriott

• Breakfast at the hotel (included)

• Driving tour of 10-Mile Ocean Drive (Newport Mansions) with a guide portraying Mrs. Astor

• Tour of the Marble House Mansion

• Lunch on your own at a Newport area site to be determined (Bowen's Wharf, Bannister's Wharf, Thames Street or the Brick Marketplace)

• Newport Vineyards Winery Tour & Tasting

• Dinner at a Newport restaurant (included) - TBA

• Breakfast at the hotel (included)

• Tour & Tea at Blithewold Mansion (serves as light lunch)

• Depart for home

DROPOFFS (estimated)

8:30 p.m. - Scranton Terminal

9:15 p.m. - Wyoming Valley Mall

Please review our policies before making your reservation.

CANCELLATIONS

• All sales are final.

• Refunds will not be issued for tours -- no exceptions.

• Therefore, we recommend travel insurance which is now being offered through our partner, Trip Mate. You may use this link to get a quote or to purchase the insurance.

• The deposit made at the time of booking is non-refundable.

• If it becomes necessary for Martz Travel to cancel a tour, the full price will be refunded. You have the option of receiving a refund in the form of a gift certificate that may be redeemed for a future Martz Tour.

PARKING

• Wyoming Valley Mall, Wilkes-Barre Township: Parking is free. Pickup is in the area of the Ken Pollock Service Center, site of the former Sears service center.

• Scranton Bus Terminal, 30 Lackawanna Ave., Scranton: The $9 daily parking fee is being waived. Your parking pass will be included in your passenger packet before you board the bus. Please place the pass in your windshield. Parking passes will not be available in advance at the terminal. When you arrive at the bus terminal, do not enter from Lackawanna Avenue; this entryway is for buses only. Turn onto Cliff Avenue from Lackawanna Avenue, then make a left into the bus terminal parking lot.

ACCESSIBILITY

If you require special assistance getting on or off the bus, or if you are bringing a wheelchair or scooter, please make note of it in the Comments section when making your reservation.

WALKABILITY

There is limited walking on this tour except for the amount of walking you will do inside each mansion.

The Sparkling Lights at the Breakers display involves a half-mile stroll along the mansion's pathway.

HOTEL INFO

You will stay at the Newport Marriott both nights. The newly renovated hotel on the waterfront has an indoor pool, fitness center and spa and onsite restaurant and bar.

You may request a room with two beds and we will pass it on to the hotels but since they are limited, we cannot guarantee that you will be assigned a room with two beds. Requests made after the rooming list has been submitted to the hotel (usually 4-6 weeks before the departure date) cannot be accommodated.

VENUE INFO

Breakers Mansion, considered the grandest of the Newport summer cottages, is a symbol of the Vanderbilt family's social and financial prominence during the Gilded Age. The estate is adorned with more than 40,000 lights every holiday season, covering three acres of the mansion's 12-acre property.

Marble House, built in 1892 at an estimated $11 million, was the most lavish home in America at the time. It became the home of Alva Vanderbilt, wife of William Vanderbilt who was one of two brothers. The other sibling, Cornelius, owned the Breakers.

Lift your glass at Newport Vineyards where you'll sip four wines as a wine educator talks about the vineyard's history, winemaking and the onsite brewery, Taproot Brewing Co.

We'll finish our mansion tour on the third day with a tour and tea at Blithewold, a 33-acre summer estate with grand views of the Narragansett Bay. It was the home of two generations of the Van Wickle family and is one of the nation's most fully developed and authentic examples of the Country Place Era.

MEALS

Six meals are included: You will receive $20 vouchers for breakfast at the hotel on Days 2, 3 and 4.
Dinner will be included on Days 1, 2 & 3 at local restaurants to be announced.

If you are asked to make a meal selection, orders placed after the deadline (usually two weeks to one month before the departure) may not be received.

BUS SEATING

While we try our best to accommodate all requests, we cannot guarantee you will be assigned the seat of your choice. If you have a  preference, please make note of it in the Comments section when booking your trip. We are committed to meeting the specific health and mobility needs of our passengers.