While at SIOP’s 42nd Annual Congress, why not enjoy the many sightseeing day tours and attractions that Boston has to offer?
Tour Schedule
For more information and to register for tours, click here
Full Day Tours:
Old Salem: Myth and Mystery
9:00AM TO 5:00PM
Your tour will begin with a visit to Salem — the home of the “witch hysteria” in the 1600s — where you will tour of the Salem Witch Museum. Salem is also famous for its participation in the China Trade and the stately mansions built by the sea captains of this era. The Peabody Essex Museum, the oldest continuously operating museum in the country, is also a stop on this tour. You will enjoy a private tour of the museum’s artifacts and Oriental treasures, many of which were brought back to Salem during the China Trade, and some of which are unique examples of their type, found nowhere else in the world today.
COST: $130 PER PERSON
Includes: Roundtrip transportation via executive motor coach, professional guide service, admissions, tours, complete luncheon and all taxes and gratuities
Lexington and Concord
9:00AM TO 4:00PM
Departing Boston, your guide will recap the events that led up to the first battles of the Revolutionary War. You will learn about Paul Revere’s ride to alert the advancing British troops and Lexington Green, site of the opening shot, better known as “the shot heard ‘round the world” of the American Revolution in 1775. Your guide will tell the story of the Minutemen and the battle that occurred with the British. The tour includes Lexington, Concord and lunch at the historic Colonial Inn.
COST: $97 per person
Includes: Roundtrip transportation via executive motor coach, professional guide service, admissions, three-course seated luncheon, gratuity and taxes
Two People, One Story; Pilgrims and Native Americans
9:00am to 5:00pm
Visit America’s home town, Plymouth, Massachusetts, where you will experience Plimoth Plantation, Mayflower II and Plymouth Rock. This motor coach ride, one hour southeast of Boston to Plimoth Plantation, shows a 1627 English Village where you can converse and observe the inhabitants, who remain in character at all times as if they were living in 1627. The next stop on the tour will be the Wampanoag Village where you will learn about the day-to-day life of the Native Americans and enjoy a thanksgiving feast.
COST: $131 per person
Includes: Roundtrip transportation via executive coach, professional guide service, admissions, tours, complete luncheon and all taxes
A Day at Sea: Whale Watching off the Coast of Cape Ann
10:00pm to 6:00pm
This tour takes you north to Rockport, the artist’s colony on picturesque Bearskin Neck. There you can browse the shops and galleries or stroll along the beautiful waterfront before heading to Gloucester, where you will board a vessel for a four-hour whale watch. On the way out to Stellwagen Bank, the whales feeding ground, a naturalist will explain the fascinating facts about the whale’s feeding and traveling habits. Box lunch will be served aboard the boat. Once back on shore, guests will return to Boston.
COST: $119 per person
Includes: Roundtrip transportation via executive coach, professional guide service, cruise, refreshments, complete lunch and all taxes
NOTE: This tour determinant on weather.
Tour of Newport, Rhode Island and Mansions
9:00am to 5:00pm
Newport, Rhode Island is located 70 miles south of Boston and is rich in both history and culture. This town, established in the colonial era, made a name for itself during America’s Gilded Age and has become the yachting capital of the world. Here you will have an opportunity to explore the town and experience the lifestyles of the rich and famous while touring the infamous mansions.
COST: $130 per person
Includes: Roundtrip transportation via executive coach, professional guide service, admissions, tours, luncheon and taxes
Half Day Tours:
Cambridge Tour with Charles River Cruise
9:00am to 1:00pm
Enjoy a cruise along the scenic Charles River with a narrated look at both Boston and Cambridge landmarks. You’ll have a scenic tour of Cambridge highlighting over 200 years of our nation’s history. You’ll stroll through Harvard Yard and travel down Brattle Street for a view of the pre-Revolutionary Federal homes.
COST: $68 per person
Includes: Roundtrip transportation via executive motor coach, professional guide service, cruise and taxes
Taste of Italy Tour
North End Market Tour and Tasting
1:00pm to 4:00pm
Come see, taste and conquer the North End! If you have a passion for food, wine and all things Italian, then you won’t want to miss this very unique tour experience. Enjoy the crooked alleys of the North End neighborhood in search of robust cheeses, breads, fruity olive oils, salumerie (imports), liquor marts and café! Enjoy a concentrated history of the North End, one of the country’s oldest neighborhoods, and details of its origins as a haven for immigration of a myriad of ethnic groups in the mid-1800s. This Italian neighborhood offers quaint narrow winding streets filled with shops and storefronts just like in Italy!
COST: $96 per person
Includes: Roundtrip transportation by executive coach, professional guide service, admission, dessert tastings and all taxes
Art and Architecture: Museum of Fine Arts and Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
1:00pm to 5:00pm
Bostonians have always supported the arts, and the Museum of Fine Arts is a grand example of this commitment. You will view the incomparable collections of paintings, sculpture, decorative arts, drawings and photographs, representing Eastern and Western cultures from ancient times to the present. To make these collections even more meaningful, our fine arts lecturer will interpret the masterpieces of art as they were perceived by various artists and cultures throughout the ages.
After the MFA, you will visit the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum, a four-story Italian Renaissance structure which surrounds an open courtyard filled with plants and flowers. Isabella Stewart Gardner, a Boston socialite opened the museum on the evening of January 1st, 1903, with a musical and visual arts celebration. It contains more than 2,500 painting, sculptures, tapestries, furniture, manuscripts, rare books and decorative arts. The galleries house works contains masterpieces of Botticelli, Reubens, Raphael and Rembrandt.
COST: $82 per person
Includes: Roundtrip transportation via executive coach, professional guide service, admissions, docent tour of the museums, all admissions and taxes
Beacon Hill Private Home Tour
9:00am to 12:30pm
Beacon Hill is one of Boston’s most prestigious neighborhoods, with many historic buildings and the private residences of some of the city’s more renowned citizens both past and present. The homes on the Hill were designed by the country’s most celebrated architects and built for governors, senators and presidents. The morning begins with a walking tour of the Hill, which will enhance your appreciation of the history of this landmark neighborhood. Your guide will also share anecdotes about the past and present residents. Special arrangements have been made to visit three private homes, whose owners will offer their own perspective of life on the Hill.
COST: $83 per person
Includes: Transportation, professional guide service, admission to homes (minimum charitable contribution) and all taxes
NOTE: This tour involves a considerable amount of walking on hills and cobblestones. Participants are advised to wear comfortable walking shoes.
Boston Duck Tours: The Ride of Your Life
10:00am to 12:00pm
This “duck” is an authentic renovated amphibious landing vehicle, retrofitted to take you on a special historical tour of Boston, with a very special splash right into the Charles River for a breathtaking water side view of Boston. Join fellow SIOP attendees on this special chartered duck and conDUCKtor for a 70 – 80 minute tour. See highlights of Boston’s Freedom Trail and other famous landmarks. Once on the Cambridge side, your duck becomes waterborne for the ride of your life.
COST: $47 per person
Includes: Private duck rental, professional guide service and taxes
All tours will depart from the Hynes Convention Center.
If you have any questions regarding the tours, please contact Jessica Buckle at Jessica.Buckle@bestboston.com or +1.617.563.3873.
For more information and to register for tours, click here
