TOURING - vacation packages - Brief Article - Product Announcement

Travel America, Sept, 2001

Colonial Christmas

* Collette Vacations packages "Williamsburg Christmas," a five-day trip departing December 3 and 8 from Washington, D.C. The highlight is a day at Virginia's Colonial Williamsburg to tour buildings decked out in 18th century holiday trappings and enjoy a colonial tavern dinner. Also visited are the Brandywine Valley of Delaware and Pennsylvania, Christmas flower displays at Longwood Gardens, and Kenmore, the Fredericksburg, Virginia, home of George Washington's sister Betty. Twin rate is $599. Contact: Collette Vacations (TravelAmerica Magazine), 162 Middle St., Pawtucket, RI 02860; (877) 584-7364; www. collettevacations.com.

North to Alaska

* Alaska Tour & Travel offers six- to 10-day custom packages that include such popular destinations as Prince William Sound, Anchorage, Fairbanks, Seward, and Kenai Fjords, Denali, and Wrangell St. Elias national parks. Contact: Alaska Tour & Travel (TravelAmerica Magazine), P.O. Box 22-1011, Anchorage, AK 99522; (800) 208-0200; www.2alaska.net.

West Virginia

* Fall colors in the New River Gorge are showcased on all-day train trips (October 13, 14, 20 and 21) sponsored by the C. P. Huntington Railroad Historical Society. The roundtrip from Huntington ($109 with continental breakfast) includes a short stop in Thurmond and a street fair in Hinton. Contact: C. P. Huntington Railroad Historical Society (TravelAmerica Magazine), 1429 Chestnut St., Kenova, WV 25530; (304) 453-1641; www.newriver train.com.

Southern California

* Collette Vacations markets "California New Year's Getaway," a six-day tour that includes seats at the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena and close-up viewing of the floats at Victory Park. Also featured are the San Diego Zoo and a New Year's Eve party in San Diego. Twin rate is $1,099. Contact: Collette Vacations (TravelAmerica Magazine), 162 Middle St., Pawtucket, RI 02860; (877) 584-7364; www.colletteva cations.com.

Autumn Leaves

* Globus offers "Autumn Glory," an eight-day journey from Boston. Highlights include the scenic Mohawk Trail in western Massachusetts; Stowe, Vermont; Lake Placid, New York; Conway Scenic Railroad in New Hampshire; and Kennebunkport, Maine. Twin rate is from $1,419. Contact: Globus (TravelAmerica Magazine), 5301 S. Federal Circle, Littleton, CO 80123-2980; (877) 325-0656; www.globusandcosmos. com.

New Mexico

* Maupintour spotlights "Santa Fe & Taos," an eight-day trip from Albuquerque. Visits are made to Carlsbad Caverns, White Sands National Monument, the cliff dwellings at Bandelier National Monument, Taos Pueblo, and Georgia O'Keefe Museum in Santa Fe. Twin rate is from $1,490. Contact: Maupintour (TravelAmerica Magazine), 1421 Research Park Drive, Lawrence, KS 66049-3858; (800) 255-4266; www. maupintour.com

Lewis & Clark

* Rocky Mountain Discovery Tours offers an 18-day journey next July from St. Louis to Oregon's coast, following the trail of Lewis & Clark. Accompanied by a historian, the 11-state tour ($3,600) includes two-hour boat trips on the Missouri and Columbia rivers. Those with less time to spare may join in Omaha, Bismarck, Great Falls, Helena, or Missoula. Six- and eight-day June tours focus on Montana and Idaho. Contact: Rocky Mountain Discovery Tours (TravelAmerica Magazine), 248A N. Higgins Ave., Missoula, MT 59802-4435; (888) 400-0048; www.rmdt.com.

Atlantic Adventure

* American Cruise Lines offers an eight-day. "Historic Antebellum South Cruise" aboard the new 49-passenger American Eagle. Ports of call between Jacksonville and Charleston include St. Simons Island and Savannah, Georgia; and Hilton Head Island and Beaufort, South Carolina. Historians, naturalists, and other guest lecturers shed light on the places visited. Staterooms, some with private verandas, have large opening picture windows. Rates start at $2,520. Contact: American Cruise Lines (TravelAmerica Magazine), One Marine Park, Haddam, CT 06438; (800) 814-6880; www.american cruiselines.com.

Traditional holiday music takes guests back to the 1700s at Colonial Williamsburg.

Budget Treks

A variety of regional and cross-country tours for travelers between 18 and 35 is offered by Contiki (TravelAmerica Magazine), 2300 E. Katella Ave., Anaheim, CA 92086; (800) CONTIKI; www.contiki. com.

Wildlife Guide

A new pocketsize guide, "Maine's Watchable Wildlife," identifies three "Moose Loops" and the best areas for spotting puffins, seals, whales, loons, bald eagles, bears, osprey, and other animals in state parks and on other public lands. For a free copy, call 866-837-0363.

Fall is prime time in New England

Columbia River

The sternwheeler Queen of the West offers a cruise/rail package that combines a seven- or four-night cruise from Portland, Oregon, with a Pacific Coast train journey aboard Amtrak 's Coast Starlight. Shore excursions spotlight places like Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, and Lewis and Clark's Fort Clatsop. Contact: American West Steamboat Company (TravelAmerica Magazine), 601 Union St., Suite 4343, Seattle, WA 98101; (800) 434-1232; www.columbiariver cruise.com.