To learn about tour details ranging from travel accommodations to pricing, please attend an informational meeting on February 6, 2010 from 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. in the Visitor Center.

Escorted by Jim Kern, Executive Director, “The Trust from Shore to Shore” begins with three nights in New York City where participants will attend a Broadway performance and visit three of Brucemore’s sister sites. Accommodations will be at the Omni Berkshire Place located in the heart of Manhattan. Transportation for all planned excursions in New York City and the historic Hudson River Valley will be by private motor coach.

Participants will be introduced to the National Trust for Historic Preservation by venturing into the historic Hudson River Valley to explore two grand exemplars of regal architecture and estate design, Kykuit and Lyndhurst. Built by John D. Rockefeller, Kykuit is an American palace displaying not only historic grounds and furnishings but also an internationally important modern art collection. Lyndhurst, previously owned by railroad tycoon Jay Gould, is America’s finest example of Gothic Revival architecture. In addition to the stunning mansion, Lyndhurst’s landscape design is a paragon of 19th century design.

The tour will also visit another Brucemore sister site,the Lower East Side Tenement Museum in New York City. Located in a historic building once used as tenement housing, this museum interprets the lives of immigrants with vivid narration and a commitment to authentic visitor experiences.

After three days in New York, “The Trust from Shore to Shore” will travel across the Atlantic on the luxury ocean liner, Cunard’s Queen Mary 2. For seven nights participants will experience ocean travel just as the Douglas family did when they lived at Brucemore. In addition, Jim Kern will be giving a lecture to tour members onboard.

Tour participants will be introduced to the British National Trust with visits to Petworth and Clandon Park en route from Southampton to London. An important estate, Petworth houses the Trust’s largest art collection including numerous works by Turner and intricate wood carvings by Grinling Gibbons. Clandon Park is a grand home featuring a two-story white marble hall and very fine gardens and a relocated Maori meeting house on the 700-acre estate.

Additionally, the tour will visit Ham House in Richmond-upon-Thames, a 17th century estate with important collections of textiles, furniture, and paintings. Ham House’s history is connected to the court politics of Britain’s Civil War and Restoration and is reputedly the most haunted house in Britain.

Once in London, participants will enjoy a West End production and accommodations at the Radisson Mountbatten Hotel in the charming Seven Dials neighborhood near Covent Garden.