Some tours are smooth sailing. This one, a Sun Tours New England Quebec fall foliage tour, was more like a choose-your-own-adventure, and I loved every minute of it, well most of it.
Day 1: The Longest Travel Day Ever
My Albuquerque guests meet me at the airport at 6:00 a.m. Our Tucson folks had to be there by 5:20 (and they let me know about it). Then we hit a 4½-hour Dallas layover, and our flight out was delayed on top of that. (Here’s a tip: when the layover is that long, tell everyone to go eat a real meal.)
The cherry on top came in Boston. One of our guests had flown in separately, and her luggage ended up at a different terminal than where our bus could pick up. So at 11pm, I ended up grabbing a cab with her to go retrieve her bags while everyone else waited, ugh. We rolled into the hotel at midnight. Welcome to group touring life!
The Hike That Was “Easy” (It Was Not)
The first stop on the New England Quebec fall foliage tour was at the Flume Gorge in the Franconia Notch State Park in the middle of New Hampshire. This park features an interesting slot canyon (“The Flume” for the locals) discovered in 1808 by 93-year-old “Aunt” Jess Guernsey when she accidentally came upon it while fishing. Can you imagine your 93 year old aunt coming home and telling you they found such a thing? Neither could her family! It became a tourist attraction, eventually a state park with an interesting history.
All of the research indicated this hike was “pretty easy” with lots of boardwalk. Recommended time here was 1.5 hours, we allotted 2. When finished, we were not sure who rated it anything easy! I power-walked the whole way and still couldn’t finish in the time we’d allotted, and the group felt it too. It turned into a marathon with no time for the gift shop or the visitor center. In fact everything on this tour felt pinched for time. Perhaps I’ll learn, always add extra time, and never trust a brochure.
almost enough to make up for the climb!
Crossing Into Quebec
After a beautiful dinner stop on Lake Memphremagog in Vermont, we crossed the Canadian border without incident in about 10 minutes, with plenty of daylight left to explore, Sherbrooke, Quebec. Unfortunately one of my guests fell down the stairs of the bus. It was not a trivial matter, in fact we ended up calling an ambulance, and she ended up with 5 stiches in her head.
I told her she really didn’t have to test the Canadian healthcare system, since I had already covered that base for her when I was in Canada 3 years ago with my parents (read that story here..). But the best part of the story is that by 1am she was back at the hotel and she was able to join us for the rest of the trip… Getting stronger every day and not worth dwelling on again!
Quebec City
The next morning we headed for the Quebec City portion of the New England Quebec fall foliage tour. The first stop, the sugar shack (technically the Érablière le Chemin du Roy) was a highlight.
We got an authentic Quebec family-style meal, live music, spoon playing, and a maple syrup presentation that had everyone smiling. (I was the only one who put syrup on literally everything, as recommended. No regrets.) Turns out Quebec produces 75% of the maple syrup consumed in the world!
The second stop was in old town where we got a guided tour on the walled old town. Our guide gave us the history, the stories, and the “you have to see the inside of that building” energy (but no time to actually go inside). The guests said they’d happily spend a whole week there.
The next morning we stopped at Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, a gorgeous basilica with the leaves turning right behind it, where we had a tour. Followed by lunch at Montmorency Falls, where I ran the suspension bridge, gondola, and nature trail all in one half hour. Again felt a bit pinched for time. Peak fall color season was in full swing, and locals said the colors were brighter than they’d been in years.
Tim Hortons: A Love Story
Our scheduled Tim Hortons stop had permanently closed. Our driver suggested a McDonald’s, but I held out for another Tim’s down the road. “You must really love Tim Hortons,” she said. Look, when in Canada, right?
Montreal …
Traffic gave us a rough start getting to Montreal. We got to town about 2 hours late and therefor our planned lunch stop was cancelled and STILL we were 1 hour late. Ugh. I couldn’t have the guests go without lunch, so I allotted half an hour and took that out of the tour.
Finally the tour started at 2:10 and it was fabulous! Not enough time overall in Montreal, but the city tour was a hit. After that we crossed into Vermont. We drove the bus on the Formula 1 race track, we got a nice view the the city, the Biosphere, the Olympic Park.
That evening a few guests and I went out to a local restaurant, Cochon Dingue, “The Crazy Pig”. Great food, great company. A nice memorable last night in Canada, and a short walk from the hotel.
… Vermont
The next morning we headed out, across the border to Vermont to spend the afternoon in Burlington. First stop was a walking street in the center of town, Burlington’s Church Street Marketplace. It was a great stop where everyone found their own thing to do.
In the afternoon we hit the the Shelburne Museum, the most visited tourist site in Vermont., a passionate guide made the whole group want to stay longer, and so we did. Theme of the trip… need more time!
The Surprise MVP: The Von Trapp Estate
Plenty of guests told me they weren’t sure the Von Trapp estate would be that exciting. By the end, many called it the best stop of the whole tour. The history tour, and meeting a Von Trapp granddaughter, made it unforgettable. Lunch at the beer hall was loud, crowded, and a little chaotic, with no serving spoons for our family-style meal and a bill that kept changing. The food was so good and so plentiful that everyone took leftovers home for dinner.
The Takeaway – Lamenting the New England Quebec fall foliage tour
A tour doesn’t always go to plan, but the people make it. We had delays, a rough start, and a few bumps along the way, and this group handled all of it with patience and humor. At the end, one guest told me she learned a lot and had a great time. That’s what I’m here for.
I’d do this tour again in a heartbeat. Fall in New England and Quebec is worth every minute.
Have you ever taken a fall foliage tour? Tell me about it in the comments!