Travel with us to Boston, Massachusetts for the 2012 Boston Pops 4th of July Concert. For the past 39 years the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular has evolved into one of the nation’s premier  Independence Day celebration. Now you have the opportunity to experience it for yourself. Our patriotic trip begins with our flight from MCI to Boston. Our destination is Cambridge, Massachusetts, just across the river from Boston, for a three-night stay at the beautiful Royal Sonesta. Enjoy a Boston Harbor Cruise where you will enjoy lunch, and onboard entertainment. Continue with a visit to the USS “Constitution Old Ironsides”, the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world. On July 3rd in the afternoon you will go to the Esplanade for the Boston Pops Rehearsal Concert. After settling in you will enjoy a Summer Barbecue Dinner. (Chairs are provided) After dinner you can sit, relax, talk and wait for the music to begin! (The concert on the 3rd of July is a full dress rehearsal of the 4th of July concert and is only available to a limited audience. There are only about 30,000 people in attendance on this night versus upwards of 750,000 on the night of the 4th.) Enjoy a Historic Boston Tour including the Freedom Trail, a visit to the Old North Church, and a stop in Boston’s North End, the city's Italian district, lined with wonderful restaurants and cafes. Visit the JFK Library and Museum which captures the powerful story of the Kennedy years, giving visitors an uplifting, experience of president Kennedy’s life, leadership and legacy. On the evening of the July 4th our hotel, located right on the Charles River offers one of the BEST spots to hear the POPS and watch the fireworks. Drive to Stockbridge, nestled in a beautiful valley in western Massachusetts. Stockbridge is the quaint, “picture postcard” town where Norman Rockwell lived and worked. Visit the Norman Rockwell Museum. See many of the illustrator’s works in the original oil paintings. Spend the night in Stockbridge and in the morning take a tour of the city. See the famous Red Lion Inn, the First Church, the village cemetery, and other points of interest. Next, it’s on to the Berkshire Cottage Tour. On this driving tour you will hear stories about the characters and explore the era of the “Gilded Age”. These estates, also called cottages, were the homes of Andrew Carnegie, the Vanderbilt’s and many others who formed the American Aristocracy. Visit Naumkeag, a twenty six room Norman style mansion. The house is set on Prospect Hill overlooking the Berkshire hills and valleys. From the back veranda you can view the “neighborhood” of the Choates; several of the other mansions from the Cottages Era. This is one of the best places to enjoy scenic green rolling hills of New England. Later return to Boston for your flight home. Don’t miss your chance to be a part of this very special celebration get-away!