City Sightseeing Brussels Hop-on Hop-off

Our first stop on this wonderful day tour is the famous Ghost Town of Rhyolite, a long abandoned gold mining community and the set for many movies and documentaries. Next is the wonderful panorama from Hell's Gate then to Badwater at 282 feet below sea level. We also visit Zabriskie's Point and the Devil's Gold Course, Furnace Creek Museum, the Salt Lake, the Sand Dunes and Artists Pallet.

The Clipper City Daytime Sail offered by Manhattan by Sail is a fun-filled voyage around New York Harbor in a 158-foot-long schooner, whose massive sails hearken back to the bygone era of the 1800s. With a capacity of up to 150 people, the Clipper City provides plenty of room for passengers to take in the sights comfortably, whether mixing and mingling by the lively bar area or lounging on the raised quarter deck at the rear of the sailboat. The majestic Clipper City Daytime Sail departs from Pier 17 at the bustling South Street Seaport, whose location along the East River makes for great photo ops of the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan Bridge before the vessel even sets sail. The Clipper City's leisurely, 90-minute journey around New York Harbor offers plenty of photo-worthy sights, as the schooner slowly glides past the towering buildings that comprise the Lower Manhattan and New Jersey skylines, the former immigration station on Ellis Island, the greenery of Governor's Island and the iconic Statue of Liberty. Another fantastic moment to capture with your camera occurs when the crew hoists the Clipper City's massive sails, working with masts and rigging that rise 120 feet off the deck. This occasion also presents a wonderful opportunity to experience the thrill of sailing first-hand, as you can volunteer to help the crew with this exciting task. The crew themselves add to the festive spirit aboard the Clipper City, as they are happy to engage with the passengers and answer questions from sailing aficionados and novices alike. Another highlight for some adults will be the fully stocked bar, which features a steady stream of music and a variety of drinks for sale – including wine, beer, soda, juice and nautical-inspired cocktails like the Monkey's Fist. Passengers looking for a quieter ride can head to the raised quarter deck, where they can watch the captain steer the boat or simply soak in the beautiful sights around them. The Clipper City sails from late April until early October, twice a day at 2:15pm and 4:30pm.

Shearwater is a classic Newport-style schooner yacht, only recently recognized as a national landmark in 2009.  The vessel was built by Rice Brother Corporation in East Boothbay, Maine, back in a time when yachting was a rare combination of elegance and adventure; Rice Bros. were well known for building luxury pleasure yachts and produced some 4,000 hulls over a period of 64 years. The keel was laid down on January 4, 1929 and a news clip from the Boothbay Register reflects alongside a photograph "Tyler Hodgon at the old Tide Mill is getting out timbers for the schooner to be built at Rice’s. Vessel to be built of native white oak." Traditionally built from hand-hewn native white oak, she was the last boat to be constructed at that yard - likely due to the ensuing Great Depression brought on by the Stock Market Crash that occurred later that autumn.  East Boothbay was a small coastal town with shipbuilding being its only industry. About 40 workmen were employed for the construction of SHEARWATER. Her designer Theodore Donald Wells was born in Hudson Falls, N Y on October 22, 1875. He was a naval architect and marine engineer, a member of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers and also the Institute of Naval Architects London. His education included post-graduate work at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. He began his career as a member of the firm Herreshoff and Wells, N. Y. City in 1902. Working with Herreshoff no doubt had an influence on his designs, which bear similarities to many of the famous Herreshoff designed yachts of that time. From 1903 to 1907 he worked for Wintringham and Wells and then began practicing his profession under his own name. Mr. Wells joined the Navy Department in March 1917 and became Superintending Constructor of the Baltimore District U. S. N. Notable yachts designed and constructed under his supervision are "Viking" a 272 foot steel motor yacht built for George F. Baker in 1929 by Newport News and "Karina" a three masted schooner built for Robert E. Tod in 1932 by Staten Island Shipbuilding. Mr. Tod was a well-known offshore yachtsman as was his former yacht ‘Thistle", which competed in the Emperors Cup ocean race. SHEARWATER was launched on May 4, 1929 and photographs in the Boothbay Register reflect her graceful and elegant lines. Her first Captain, Leon Esterbrook of Edgarton, MA, arrived to take charge of the fitting out. Her owner Charles E Dunlap was a member of the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club, Oyster Bay, NY and this became SHEARWATER’s first homeport after her completion in late September 1929. It was there in Oyster Bay that she first started to thrill those who sailed in luxury aboard her and those who were privileged to crew her on race day. Since her launching and documentation in Lloyd’s Register of American Yachts in 1929, she has had a colorful history and has been carefully maintained and restored to standards that few contemporary vessels are able to match and is truly a piece of American Maritime History. On November 7, 1942 SHEARWATER was requisitioned by the War Shipping Administration and became a member of The United States Coast Guard’s Coastal Picket Patrol during World War Two. She was painted gray and bore the numbers CG67004. Based at Little Creek, Virginia she patrolled the waters east of the Chesapeake Bay entrance and south towards Cape Hatteras. Her skipper during that period reflected on how they used their free time while out on submarine patrol to race against other yachts and in his own words "sailed in tandem with the schooner Lord Jim, racing in and out of port, up and down the east coast and winning." She was designed and built as a gaff rigged schooner but during this period was changed to a Marconi rig. She carries over 2,550 square feet while under full sail. A true veteran world cruiser, she first transited the Panama Canal in July 1946 and in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s completed a two and a half-year global circumnavigation. In December 1971 Mrs. John B. Thayer of Rosemont, wife of a former trustee and treasurer, donated SHEARWATER to the University of Pennsylvania’s Institute of Environmental Medicine. She was used by the university as a laboratory for research on physiological responses to the stresses of living and working underwater. Captained by James Shearson, she was fitted with compressors, generators, monitoring instruments and a small decompression chamber. She has participated in many Ancient Mariner and Classic yacht races in U S waters as well as racing in the Bay of Islands in New Zealand while on her circumnavigation in the early 1980’s. It is rumored she was once dismasted in the famous Newport to Bermuda race. She was last raced by the current owners in San Diego in May 1995 in the American Schooner Cup and finished second overall. She entered the yacht charter industry in 1966 whilst on the West Coast sailing to the Channel Islands and was again used to generate income to keep her shipshape while owned by the University of Pennsylvania. During the chartering industry’s infancy in the Caribbean, SHEARWATER was known as the " Queen of the Fleet". Today she continues this tradition offering the most unique sailing experience and has passed rigid Coast Guard inspections and can carry up to 49 passengers. We welcome you to join us for an excellent opportunity to experience the ambiance of a vintage sailing vessel while delighting in the splendors of The Manhattan sky-line, the Statue of Liberty or the beauty of the oceans beyond.

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex (KSCVC) is a must see destination in Central Florida.  Less than an hour east of Orlando, KSCVC provides a mixture of the past and the future, with rich historical references in each of the exhibits, coupled with a clear vision into the future, bolstered by the amazing learning from both the International Space Station and the Hubble telescope photos.  Admission to KSCVC includes all of the exhibits, attractions, the IMAX theatre tickets and a very comprehensive bus tour to the Apollo/Saturn V Center.  Admission also includes entrance to the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, which for history and science buffs is where you will want to start your day! There is a new exhibit called Science on a Sphere. The U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame has a wide range of hand-on exhibits for kids and is also the home of the Astronaut Training Experience (known as ATX).

​1 Day Tour - Hop-on Hop-off Hop  on  board a  Big  Bus  Sightseeing  Tour of the ‘City by the Bay’and experience  the  best  views  of  its  distinctive landmarks, and delve into its fascinating history. You can explore San Francisco’s famous landmarks; from the Golden Gate Bridge to Fisherman’s wharf. This really is the best way to discover all that San Francisco has to offer. Our unique city  tour  stops  at  20  key  points  of  interest  all  around  spectacular  San  Francisco.   Experience  the  diverse  culture, beautiful parks, stunning architecture and picturesque views atop an open air bus. Hop on or Hop off at your leisure to create your own customized journey around the city. Night Tour (NOT A HOP-ON HOP-OFF) The one hour Panoramic Night Tour of San Francisco begins in Fisherman’s Wharf and explores the most scenic neighborhoods; as the sunsets and the city begins to sparkle. See the ornate City Hall and the San Francisco Symphony Hall. The tour then climbs up the historic Nob Hill for a stunning close up view of the magnificent Grace Cathedral. The tour makes its way across the grand Bay Bridge for picturesque views of the city skyline from Treasure Island, site of the 1939’s World Fair. Heading back into the city, the tour will continue along the Embarcadero to view the glittering lights on the Port of San Francisco. Duration:  1 hr Operated: DAILY 18:30 & 19:00 (April to October)  19:30    No Tours Dec 24th & Dec 31st                       OR ​SAUSALITO TROLLEY LOOP Visit the picturesque waterfront community of Sausalito, a short distance from the Golden Gate Bridge, on the Big Bus Trolley. Discover distinctive boutiques, wide selection of restaurants and cafes, and unique art galleries. Relax in the park, or explore the narrow streets in the hills of this quaint Mediterranean town. Duration: 30 minutes   Operates: 9:00am –5:00pm   Frequency: 20-30 minutes / Departs stop from Stop 12   WALKING TOURS   Chinatown  Walking  Tour:  (Tour begins at Stop #6 - operates daily @ 10:00 & 14:00) Walk  through  the  world  famous  historic  neighborhood.  See  the magnificent Chinatown gates, the busy marketplace and the vibrant mix of historical and modern day culture.         Northbeach Walking Tour:  (Tour begins at Stop #3 - operates daily @ 16:00) This tour will take you on a journey through the eclectic Little  Italy district.  From Washington Square Park to  the incredible St. Peter & Paul Church, the tour will leave you  with a taste of the bohemian lifestyle that inspired so many of the artistically gifted San Franciscans of previous generations.   Barbary Coast  Walking  Tour: (Tour begins at Stop #4 - operates daily @ 12:00) Tour  takes  you  through  a  nine  block  radius  of  what  was  once  the  haunt  of  the low and vile.  Hear about San Francisco’s small beginnings, its boom-town  growth  because  of  the  California Gold  Rush  and  the  end  of  The  Barbary  Coast  due  to  the  Red  Light  Abatement  Act.  The  walk  will  take  you through the present Financial District and Jackson Square Historic District.   Fisherman’s Wharf Walking Tour:  (Tour begins at Stop #1 - operates daily @ 14:00) The Fisherman’s Wharf walking tour takes you all the main attractions of the  Wharf  area,  including  Ghirardelli  Square,  the  Cannery  and  Pier  39.  See  and  learn  about  the  famous  food and  restaurants  and  the  historic  ships  at Aquatic  Park.  This  walk  will  familiarize  you  with  role  the  wharf  has played  in  the  history  of  the  city—from the Gold rush, through the labor struggles of the 1930’s and the psychedelic explorations of the 1960’s.

Explore the magic, beauty and wonder of San Francisco Bay at Aquarium of the Bay.  Your visit will take you through three main exhibit areas that display the amazing riches that lie beneath the surface of the San Francisco Bay and surrounding waters.  Aquarium of the Bay partners with The Bay Institute to protect, restore and inspire the conservation of San Francisco Bay and its watershed, from the Sierra to the sea. Their passion and their work are locally-focused, but have a broad impact that touches upon every major challenge facing our global environment. They focus on water, beginning at the heart—the very depths—of San Francisco Bay.  The facility boasts 300 feet of crystal clear acrylic tunnels holding 700,000 gallons of carefully maintained bay water that sustains approximately 20,000 animals, from octopuses to eight-foot native, sevengill sharks.  Visitors are also treated to mesmerising walls of jellies and a chance to touch bat rays, skates and “splash zone" animals. Red and White Fleet Golden Gate Bay Cruise Departing in the heart of Historic Fisherman’s Wharf, at Pier 43 ½, sail past the San Francisco skyline and view the lively neighborhood of North Beach, the famous swimming clubs of Aquatic Park, the historic vessels at Hyde Street Pier, the San Francisco Maritime National Park, and numerous other exciting sights. As you head west towards the Golden Gate Bridge, cruise along Fort Mason and the Marina District which was devastated in the 1989 earthquake. Next, enjoy views of Crissy Field and the lush hillsides of the Presidio—both former army installations—that are now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Don’t miss incredible photo opportunities when sailing directly under the massive 4,200-foot span of the 746-foot tall San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge. As you steam back into the Bay, travel past the wildlife reserves of the Marin Headlands and the legendary town of Sausalito, once home to the 1960s’ flower generation. With Angel Island State Park to your left, slowly cruise around the infamous Island of Alcatraz. On your way back to Fisherman’s Wharf, see the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, and Coit Tower in the distance. After a full hour of exciting sights on Red and White Fleet’s Golden Gate Bridge boat tours, the barking sea lions at Pier 39 welcome you back to Pier 43 ½. Here, you can visit two National Historic Landmarks, the WWII submarine USS Pampanito and merchant vessel USS Jeremiah O'Brien.