Trips

CHOOSE TO TRAVEL WITH THE JOHNSON CITY SENIOR CENTER

 

We use Hale Transportation as our travel partner given their friendly service and clean, comfortable buses. We've been using them for over five years.

Our trips are customized so they're unique and geared towards seniors.

Many of our trip ideas come from our trip patrons!

Easy, convenient, well-lit parking right at the Johnson City Senior Center.

Use of our building and clean restrooms while waiting before the bus departs.

We select nice, clean and comfortable hotels for our overnight trips.

Friendly and knowledgeable bus drivers.

Escorts from the Trip Committee to ensure everything goes smoothly.

We get great feedback from our trip patrons. Many return trip after trip and year after year.

Join us..... you'll be glad you did!


Click here for the digital version of our 2023 Trip Newsletter.

The paper version of the newsletter will take another week to arrive at the center (around 3/14/2023).

Itineraries are posted below for all the trips: 16 day trips and 3 overnight trips! More pictures will be added.

All trips are open to the public. Please read our Trip Policies for additional information.

If you're interested in any of our trips, mail a deposit ($50 for day trips; $100 for overnight trips) to the Johnson City Senior Center (30 Brocton Street, Johnson City, NY 13790).

If you have questions, please call us at 607-797-3145. Or stop by the Center to talk to one of our Trip Committee members. They're at the Center Mondays (Lucy Baker), Tuesdays (Dorothy Blasko) and Wednesdays (Debbie Isaak) from 10:00AM 12:00PM.


Merry-Go-Round Theater – Evita

Friday, June 2, 2023

Lucy Baker is escorting this day trip to see the 2:00PM performance of Evita. Set in Argentina between 1934-1952, this Tony-winning musical follows the young Eva Duarte’s rise to fame which takes her on a journey from a poor, illegitimate child to an ambitious actress and wife of President Juan Peron. By the time Eva was 30 years old, she was arguably one of the most powerful and iconic women in the world. Set to a legendary score by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, this incredible rock opera features hits such as, “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina,” “And the Money Kept Rolling In” and “High Flying, Adored.”

We’ll depart from the Center at 9:00AM. Our first stop is Skaneateles for shopping and lunch, then on to the Merry-Go-Round Theater in Auburn. After enjoying the show, we’ll have a fast food stop on the way home and be back to the Center around 8:00PM.

Price includes round-trip motor coach, theater ticket to Evita, $20 meal money towards lunch and driver gratuity.

Price per person: $176 Member       |       $186 Non-Member

Deposit of $50 pp required

Final payment due by: May 1, 2023


Lancaster Part 2 – The Unique

Wednesday, June 28, 2023

Join your escort, Dorothy Blasko, and return to Lancaster for a unique day of touring with our own Step-On Guide.

Depart from the Center at 6:30AM. We’ll travel and stop on different roads and see different sights than we did on our earlier journey. We’ll visit the Amish-owned Lil’ Country Store and have lunch at Casey Jones Restaurant (in their Railroad Dining Car). Lunch choices: ham & cheese sandwich, turkey & cheese sandwich or roast beef & cheese sandwich (select at sign up).

Next we’ll stop by Amish-owned Eli’s Roadside Stand and make a final stop for “Chalk Talk” – an old Amish Art at Elva’s Studio in Lititz, Pennsylvania. Elva tells her stories through chalk drawings with historic, patriotic, inspirational and holiday themes. Her story of growing up in the Amish community, going to a one-room school, and how she discovered faith and freedom, is inspiring.

We’ll arrive back at the Center around 10:00PM.

Price includes round-trip motor coach, lunch and driver gratuity.

Price per person: $215 Member       |       $225 Non-Member

Deposit of $50 pp required

Final payment due by: May 19, 2023


Hudson Valley, FDR, Hyde Park

Wednesday, July 12, 2023

Doreen Pritsos will be your escort today as you travel to the Hudson Valley and Hyde Park to visit the Vanderbilt Mansion, FDR’s boyhood home of Springwood and the FDR Presidential Library.

We’ll depart from the Center at 6:30AM and make a quick rest stop before arriving at Hyde Park. You will be taken to the Vanderbilt Mansion, a National Historic Site, for a scheduled tour.

We’ll have lunch at Coppola’s Italian American Ristorante (lunch choices upon arrival). Following lunch, there’ll be a guided tour of Springwood – FDR’s birthplace, long-time home and burial place. At the end of your tour, depart for the FDR Presidential Library to end your day.

Return to the Center around 8:30PM, after making a brief rest stop enroute.

Prices include round-trip motor coach, admissions, lunch and driver gratuity.

This trip involves a lot of walking.

Price per person: $232 Member       |       $242 Non-Member

Deposit of $50 pp is required

Final payment due by: June 7, 2023



Lehigh Valley Train

Tuesday, July 25, 2023

Join your escort and train enthusiast, Dorothy Blasko, as you travel to Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania and board the Lehigh Valley Gorge Train for a 70-minute round-trip narrated tour. The train follows the Lehigh River through the Lehigh Gorge State Park.

Depart from the Center at 7:00AM. Our first stop is Bingham’s for breakfast. Then we’re on to Jim Thorpe to board the train. Afterwards, there’ll be time to eat lunch (on your own) and shop.

We’ll start for home, stopping in Steamtown for free time and the Houdini Museum. The rest of the afternoon is a surprise tour. Don’t worry, Dorothy will tell you before you get there and you know it’ll be exciting.

Return to the Center around 6:30PM.

Pricing includes round-trip motor coach, train ride, attractions and driver gratuity.

Price per person: $156 Member       |       $166 Non-Member

Deposit of $50 pp is required

Final payment due by: June 15, 2023


Jamestown & Lucille Ball Museum

Wednesday, August 9, 2023

Doreen Pritsos is your escort today to Jamestown – hometown to our favorite redhead, Lucille Ball.

Depart the Center at 6:30AM. First, we’ll visit the Lucille Ball–Desi Arnaz Museum with a guided tour. See exact re-creations of the I Love Lucy sets, costumes, props and awards.

After a buffet lunch in the Tropicana Room of the museum area, we will reboard the bus and enjoy a driving tour of Lucy’s birthplace, childhood home and final resting place.

Before heading for home, enjoy a guided tour of the National Comedy Center

Return back to the Center around 8:30PM.

Prices includes round-trip transportation, admission to the Museum, lunch, driving tour of Jamestown and driver gratuity.

This trip involves a lot of walking.

Price per person: $212 Member       |       $222 Non-Member

Deposit of $50 pp required

Final payment due by: July 5, 2023


Seneca Lake Luncheon Cruise – An Afternoon in Margaritaville

Wednesday, August 23, 2023

Join your escort, Lucy Baker, as we travel to Watkins Glen, NY for an afternoon on Captain Bill’s Seneca Lake Cruise.

Depart from the Center at 9:00AM. After a short rest stop, we will arrive in Watkins Glen and board the ship in time for lunch. Lunch choices include: roast beef with gravy, cheese & broccoli stuffed chicken breast, scallop & crab stuffed filet of sole or cheese lasagna (select at sign up).

Spend the afternoon listening and singing along to Jimmy Buffet’s famous songs: “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” “Brown Eyed Girl” and Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes” to mention a few. Feel free to wear your favorite colorful shirts and sandals.

Return to the Center around 4:30PM.

Prices include round-trip motor coach, cruise, lunch and driver gratuity.

Price per person: $159 Member       |       $169 Non-Member

Deposit of $50 pp required

Final payment due by: July 12, 2023


Ithaca Wine Tasting & More!

Wednesday, September 6, 2023

Lucy Baker will be your escort today for this unusual, fun day. Remember those Progressive Dinners from the 80s? Here’s our version.

Depart the Center at 8:00AM. Our first stop is the Lively Run Goat Dairy in Interlaken, one of the longest operating commercial dairies in the country and the pioneers of goat cheese in the marketplace.

First on the menu: cheese and crackers. Learn about the farm and how they process their cheeses. Our gift – a mini cheesecake.

Second on the menu: Knapp Winery in Romulus for lunch and wine tasting.

We’ll stop briefly for views of Taughannock Falls at an overlook.

Last on the menu: Purity Ice Cream in Ithaca, known as the “Ice Cream of the Finger Lakes.” What better way to end a day than an ice cream sundae? We’ll return to the Center around 6:00PM.

Price includes round-trip motor coach, all “meals” and driver gratuity.

Price per person: $162 Member       |       $172 Non-Member

Deposit of $50 pp is required

Final payment due by: August 9, 2023


Penn's Peak – Tribute to Rod Stewart

Tuesday, October 3, 2023

Join your escort, Doreen Pritsos, as you travel to Penn’s Peak in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania for a luncheon show featuring a tribute to Rod Stewart.

This amazing Rod Stewart tribute show would not be complete without the enthusiastic and energetic performance of front man Rick Larrimore. He has refined that raspy Rod vocal style. Rick Larrimore naturally credits his vocals to Rod Stewart, but it’s his uncanny interpretation of Rod Stewart that has mesmerized and even fooled audiences!

Depart from the Center at 9:00AM. Upon arrival at Penn’s Peak, you will have time to visit the Gift Shop, before a family-style lunch of their popular Penn’s Peak Pot Roast is served. Then sit back and enjoy the featured entertainment. Sing along with “Maggie May”, “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” and “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?” A dinner rest stop is planned for Bingham’s Restaurant (on your own) before returning to the Center around 7:00PM.

Prices include round-trip motor coach, lunch, show and driver gratuity.

Price per person: $137 Member       |       $147 Non-Member

Deposit of $50 pp is required

Final payment due by: August 14, 2023


Letchworth State Park

Wednesday, October 11, 2023

Join your escort, Lucy Baker, as we travel to Castile, NY.

Depart from the Center at 7:30AM. After a short rest stop, we will arrive in Castile, visit the William Pryor Letchworth Museum and then have lunch at the Glen Iris Inn. Lunch choices include: Pryor pork or Chef’s meatloaf (select at sign up).

Explore the gift shop or the falls before we meet our park ranger for a guided driving tour of the park starting at the Mt. Morris Entrance. Multiple scenic stops may be made along the way. You will learn the history of the park and what the ranger’s wide-ranging duties are – patrolling campgrounds, beaches and marinas and maintaining safety throughout the park.

At the end of the tour, we’ll depart from the Mt. Morris entrance.

Return to the Center around 7:00PM after a rest stop enroute.

Prices include round-trip motor coach, lunch and driver gratuity.

This trip involves a lot of walking.

Price per person: $135 Member       |       $145 Non-Member

Deposit of $50 pp required

Final payment due by: September 6, 2023


Villa Roma – Tribute to Our Troops Luncheon Show

Monday, October 30, 2023

Join your escort, Debbie Isaak, for a fun, patriotic day.

Depart from the Center at 8:30AM. After a short drive, we will arrive at Villa Roma in Callicoon, NY. There’ll be a welcome reception when we arrive, with time to shop in the boutiques. Before lunch is served, find time to explore the grounds of this beautiful resort. Lunch choices include: roast loin of pork, chicken francaise or fillet of cod (select at sign up).

Following lunch, the afternoon entertainment is “A Tribute to the Troops” starring Joey Arminio and Family & Doc Holiday.

After the show, we’ll reboard our bus and head for home, returning to the Center around 5:30PM.

Prices include round-trip motor coach, lunch and driver gratuity.

Price per person: $140 Member       |       $150 Non-Member

Deposit of $50 pp required

Final payment due by: September 1, 2023


Hunterdon Hills Holiday Show & Luncheon

Wednesday, November 15, 2023

Doreen Pritsos will be your escort today as you travel to Clinton, NJ for an afternoon performance of   “A Playhouse Christmas.” This play is filled with hilarious and heart-warming original stories designed to be the perfect complement to the holiday season.

Depart from the Center at 8:30AM and after a brief rest stop, we will arrive at the Hunterdon Hills Playhouse. Lunch will be served (choice made upon arrival) along with the fabulous dessert room….. you don’t want to miss it! Be sure to leave time to shop the Boutique too.

Return to the Center around 6:00PM after a rest stop enroute.

Prices include round-trip motor coach, lunch and driver gratuity.

Price per person: $186 Member       |       $196 Non-Member

Deposit of $50 pp is required

Final payment due by: October 8, 2023


Norman Rockwell Christmas in Stockbridge, Mass.

Tuesday, December 12, 2023

Lucy Baker will be your escort as you travel to Stockbridge, Massachusetts for an old-fashioned Christmas.

Celebrate the holidays by stepping into a classic Norman Rockwell painting, come to life. Celebrate Christmas, as the Village goes back to the 1950s with attractions and activities, including a variety of over fifty antique cars.

Depart from the Center at 6:30AM, and after a brief rest stop, we’ll arrive in Stockbridge. First stop is the Norman Rockwell Museum for a self-guided tour. Reboard the bus and travel to the Red Lion Inn for our included lunch. Lunch choices are: braised short rib,

Red-Lion turkey dinner or grilled salmon (select at sign up).

Return to the Center around 7:00PM, after a fast-food stop enroute.

Prices include round-trip motor coach, lunch and driver gratuity.

This trip involves a lot of walking.

Price per person: $197 Member       |       $207 Non-Member

Deposit of $50 pp is required

Final payment due by: October 10, 2023


Maine – From the Mountains to the Sea Shore

Sunday, June 11 Thursday, June 15, 2023

Join Lucy Baker for this five-day trip to Maine, visiting different parts of Maine than our 2021 trip.

Day 1 – June 11: Depart from the Center at 7:00AM and travel to Bethel, Maine. We’ll have a rest stop with lunch (with meal money) at the Vermont Country Store. An afternoon rest stop will be made before arriving at the Sunday River Resort for the next two nights. Freshen up before our included dinner, followed by a campfire with S’MORES! Remember those from when you were a kid?

Day 2 – June 12: After breakfast at the resort, we’ll begin a day of touring. We’ll try our hands at a Mineral and Gemstone Sluicing Program. Lunch will be at a local favorite restaurant (with meal money). After lunch, tour the new, interactive Maine Mineral and Gem Museum before heading back to the hotel. Dinner is included tonight before we travel to Grafton State Park for a guided two-hour Moosewatching tour. Return to the hotel for the night.

Day 3 – June 13: After our included breakfast, we’ll begin the day with a visit to the Maine Balsam Fir Products Company. Continuing our journey, we travel to Livermore to the Washburn Living History Museum. There will be a guided tour of the estate, with lunch included. While there, participate in the “Laugh and Learn” and “Busy Cradle” Programs.

Next we’ll head for the coast of Maine and visit the Maine Wildlife Center. We arrive in Ogunquit, and our stay, for the next two nights, is at the Meadowmere Resort. Freshen up for dinner, and then enjoy a Maine Lobsterbake with sing–along entertainment.

Day 4 – June 14: Breakfast this morning is included at a nearby restaurant and then we travel along the coast to an aquaculture outing at an Oyster Farm. Lunch is included in Wiscasset at the Maine Tasting Village. We’ll return to the resort mid-afternoon, giving us time to shop or walk the Marginal Way. Dinner is included at a local popular restaurant tonight, followed by a free evening.

Day 5 – June 15: Breakfast this morning is included at a nearby restaurant before we leave to visit the Maine Classic Car Museum. We’ll have lunch at the Historic Salem Cross Inn before continuing on our way home. We’ll make a fast food stop enroute and return to the Center around 7:30PM.

Price includes round-trip motor coach, accommodations for 4 nights, 4 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 4 dinners, attractions, guide and driver gratuity.

This trip involves a lot of walking.

Price:

Single:             $1,944 per person Member   |   $1,954 per person Non-Member

Double:           $1,586 per person Member   |   $1,596 per person Non-Member

Triple:              $1,485 per person Member   |   $1,495 per person Non-Member

Quad:               $1,429 per person Member   |   $1,439 per person Non-Member

Deposit of $100 pp is required

Final payment due by: May 3, 2023



Niagara Falls

Wednesday, September 20 Thursday, September 21, 2023

Join your escort, Dorothy Blasko, for an overnight stay at Niagara Falls where you’ll discover (or re-discover) one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the world.

Day 1 – September 20: Depart from the Center at 7:00AM and travel to Lockport, NY where we’ll enjoy lunch alongside the canal. Following lunch, enjoy an Erie Canal Cruise. Upon arrival in Niagara Falls, you will be taken to the Maid of the Mist for an up close view of the falls. Don’t worry, rain ponchos are provided, although you’ll still get wet….. that’s half the fun!

Following our boat ride, we’ll check into our hotel, the Seneca Niagara Casino for the night. The evening is free to explore, play the slots or have dinner ($20 meal money per person provided).

You’ll also receive $35 per person Free Play and $15 per person Food Credit for the Casino.

Day 2 – September 21: You’ll receive a voucher for breakfast at the Casino. We’ll depart the Casino at 9:00AM for a guided tour of the Niagara Falls area with a Step-On Guide.

Following the tour, we’ll stop at the Anchor Bar, home to the original chicken wing, for “A Taste of Buffalo” buffet lunch. After lunch, our last stop is a tour at Platters Chocolates and tasting of their famous chocolate candy.

Arrive back at the Center around 8:00PM with a fast food stop enroute.

Price includes round-trip motor coach, lunch in Lockport, $35 Free Play and dinner money for the Casino, buffet breakfast at the hotel, lunch at the Anchor Inn, and driver and Step-On Guide gratuities.

Price:

Single:             $572 per person Member   |   $582 per person Non-Member

Double:           $481 per person Member   |   $491 per person Non-Member

Triple:              $479 per person Member   |   $489 per person Non-Member

Deposit of $100 pp is required

Final payment due by: July 7, 2023


Christmas in the Smokies

Monday, December 4 Saturday, December 9, 2023

Join Lucy Baker for another Christmas to remember. So many travel buddies from last year’s trip to Nashville requested coming back to the area; specifically the Smoky Mountains and we couldn’t resist.

Day 1 – December 4: Depart from the Center at 7:00AM. We’ll travel to Roanoke, Virginia to stay at the Country Inn & Suites, the same place we stayed last year. There will be a rest top mid-morning, lunch stop (with meal money) and another rest stop before arriving at the hotel. Dinner’s on your own at the nearby mall before returning to the hotel for the night.

Day 2 – December 5: After a continental breakfast at the hotel, we’ll travel to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee arriving at the Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant for our included lunch. After lunch, we’ll visit Ole Smoky Moonshine in the island area and have free time. Our accommodations for the next three nights will be the Black Fox Lodge in Pigeon Forge. Dinner is included at the Bullfish Restaurant. Following dinner, enjoy the Country Tonight Show, returning to the hotel after the show.

Day 3 – December 6: After our included breakfast, we’ll travel to the Charlie Bob Smith Morning Variety Show. Free time for lunch (on your own) and then shopping in the Old Mill Craft area. Returning to the hotel to freshen up, we will then venture to Dollywood mid-afternoon for the Christmas Festival where there are over six million lights to see, along with shows and crafts. Dinner is at your discretion in the park (with a $20 meal voucher). Enjoy your free time to explore, shop and create everlasting memories of this Christmas. We’ll return to the hotel mid-evening.

Day 4 – December 7: After our included breakfast, our travels will take us to Ashville, North Carolina to visit the beautiful Biltmore Estate. We’ll enjoy an included lunch in the Stable Café, followed by a guided tour of the Biltmore House. Before we head back to our hotel, we’ll drive through the estate. Tonight’s dinner and entertainment is Dolly Parton’s Stampede Christmas Show.

Day 5 – December 8: After our included breakfast, we’ll visit the Titanic Museum and then enjoy an included lunch at the Five Oaks Kitchen. Depending on traffic conditions, dinner will be enroute or at the mall area (on your own) returning to Roanoke, Virginia and the Country Inn & Suites.

Day 6 – December 9: After our continental breakfast at our hotel, our destination will be home. We will stop mid-morning for a rest stop, stop for lunch (with meal money) and another afternoon stop. We’ll return to the Center around 5:00PM.

Price includes round-trip motor coach, accommodations for 5 nights, 4 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 3 dinners, attractions and driver gratuity.

This trip involves a lot of walking.

Price:   Single:             $1,951 per person Member   |   $1,961 per person Non-Member

             Double:             $1,548 per person Member   |   $1,558 per person Non-Member

             Triple:             $1,425 per person Member   |   $1,435 per person Non-Member

             Quad:               $1,362 per person Member   |   $1,372 per person Non-Member

Deposit of $100 pp is required

Final payment due by: October 20, 2023