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June 13, 2009, Sunday - Explore Edith Wharton’s Life Through Her Home & Gardens at The Mount. Spend a day at The Mount, the remarkable estate of Edith Wharton, great American writer. Tour the mansion, gardens & grounds and learn about Wharton’s works and life. Includes a sightseeing stop at the Village of Stockbridge.
Travel with Laura Ponticello of Laura’s List to beautiful Lenox Massachusetts. Spend a day at The Mount, the remarkable home of the great American writer, Edith Wharton – the first woman to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize for a Novel, The Age of Innocence (1921). A prolific author who wrote 40 works in 40 years -- Wharton created some of her most important literary pieces at The Mount. Only 5 percent of National Historic Landmarks are dedicated to women -- The Mount is one of them. Like Jefferson’s Monticello, it is an autobiographical house, one that definitively embodies its creator’s spirit.
Itinerary: Enjoy the ride through the early summer countryside and arrive in Lenox by noon - just in time to enjoy a special box lunch in the beautiful Berkshire Mountains setting that inspired Edith Wharton.
A walk through the beautiful old forest leading to Edith’s home features beautiful plantings of ferns and wildflowers. Enjoy a guided tour of the grounds and gardens created by Edith, a highly regarded landscape architect, interior designer and taste-maker of her time. The delightful and historic gardens include grass terraces, a sunken walled garden, lime walk, rock garden, and formal French-inspired flower garden. Wharton wrote Italian Villas and Their Gardens in 1904 while living at The Mount and its influence on her landscape design is explored during the tour.
Then, we’ll tour The Mount, designed and built by Edith in 1902, based on the principles outlined in her influential book, The Decoration of Houses (1897). Edith Wharton wrote several of her novels, including the House of Mirth (1905) here. The tour will feature Edith’s life and work as well as the architecture, art and design of the estate.
On our way home, we’ll stop at Stockbridge, Massachusetts to explore this notable New England town. Take a stroll, visit some shops, dine in a café or enjoy a cold drink on the porch of the famous Red Lion Inn which features a notable collection of American antiques and Country Curtains. You may also wish to pick-up a picnic supper to enjoy on the way home.
$129 includes deluxe motor coach, morning yoga on the bus trip with Bonita Shear, lunch, admissions & tours, various activities, snacks, prizes and a movie. Leave from Allyn Arena, Skaneateles at 8am; return by 9 pm. Reservations requested by April 15, 2009. Limited seating to 36 - pick-up in Syracuse and points east are a possibility - give us a call!
For more info: Vistas Unlimited – Travel & Tours (315-372-5068 or 315-636-9511). Mail check payable to Vistas Unlimited to 12 E. Lake Street, Skaneateles, New York 13152.
10% of proceeds benefit Skaneateles AAUW with a mission to advance equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research.
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