Christmas in Vacationland - Kennebunkport, Maine

Day One

Arrive in Vacationland for the festive holiday season! Stop for a photo of Maine's southernmost lighthouse, the picturesque Nubble Lighthouse adorned with white lights for the holiday season. While the lighthouse looks close enough to touch, it's a stone's throw off the mainland. Enjoy the view and the salt air. Continue to Maine's pristine south coast region and check in to your riverfront hotel, the Nonantum Resort in picturesque Kennebunkport for your three night stay. Upon arrival a Maine Tour Elf will be at your Welcome Reception, who will have a Maine souvenir for each guest. Dinner this evening will be included at the Resort followed by live entertainment and smore's by the fire!

Day Two

This morning, enjoy breakfast at the resort before meeting your local balsam experts for a private holiday workshop at the hotel. Maine is known for its fresh, local Christmas tree farms. Today you'll learn from local farmers about the Balsam Fir wreath-making industry and make your own 20" fragrant wreath with a bow to take home. Next, make your way to Freeport, just north of Portland. Explore Freeport's Sparkle Celebration. You'll have free time to explore the village, home of the sporting goods king, L.L. Bean and numerous outlet shops and restaurants available for lunch on your own. L.L. Beans Northern Lights will get you in the Holiday Spirit. Enjoy Ice Skating in Discovery Park, a Life-Size Snow Globe, their Famous Model Train Village, "Holidays Around the World" and the Twinkle Light Tunnel. Keeping an eye out while shopping in your favorite Freeport stores as Sparkle the Stealth Elf will be out and about town. She will be finding jolly shoppers and reward them with gift cards from Freeport businesses! Let's not forget the "Talking Tree" that comes to life. Look for the ornament on the tree and ask a question. You'll be surprised what happens next. An early dinner will be included at a local restaurant before heading back to the Resort for the evening.

Day Three

This morning after breakfast we'll be heading to Portland for the day. Your day will begin by touring the Victoria Mansion, an impressive historic Italianate Villa, built in 1858. For more than 130 years, the Mansion has been a popular landmark visible from Portland Harbor. The elegant furnishings and unique decor help tell the success story of a Maine man who made fortune in the South, and returned for the summer to live in downtown Portland. See the mansion all decked out in holiday finery! Free time for shopping along cobblestone streets and an included lunch in Portland's Historic Waterfront District, the Old Port Exchange. Portland is a small city that mixes urban sophistication with home-town friendliness. The Old Port area has been restored to 19th century splendor, with cobbled streets and beautiful Victorian brick buildings. Old Port houses an eclectic mix of restaurants, microbreweries, art galleries, and specialty shops all with a view of Casco Bay. After lunch, you'll meet your local guide for a narrated tour of Maine's largest city-by-the-sea- Portland. You'll see views of Longfellow's boyhood home, sea captain houses and the elegant Victoria Mansion as you drive through historic neighborhoods overlooking the islands of Casco Bay in Portland Harbor. Your tour includes a stop at Portland Head Lighthouse. This historic Landmark is the most photographed lighthouse in America, set in Fort Williams Park. This evening you will have free time to explore Kennebunkport and grab dinner on your own before retiring for the evening at the Resort.

Day Four

Enjoy a full breakfast before checking out and meeting your local guide to take you on a narrated riding tour through the villages of Kennebunk and Kennebunkport. Drive past the sandy beaches and rocky coastline, past the George Bush estate at Walker's Point, hear the history of these shipbuilding towns and the legend of the Wedding Cake House. You'll also visit the seaside Franciscan Monastery with its beautiful landscaping, outdoor shrines and chapel. Before the guide departs, they will suggest numerous "must sees" as we've allowed time for some shopping and lunch on own in Dock Square. Once shopping bags and bellies are full we will say goodbye to Vacationland and make our way home with magical holiday memories of Maine.

B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner, W=Welcome Reception