It is said that good things come in small packages. Measured in square miles, Rhode Island is the smallest of American states. Forty-seven miles north to south. Thirty-seven east to west. This makes it easy for us to organize a week-long tour out of a single hotel – The Graduate (formerly the Biltmore), a gorgeous 1922 grand hotel designed in the Beaux-Arts style by the same architects behind New York’s iconic Grand Central Station. Situated in historic, booming Providence, the city Roger Williams founded as an expression of individual conscience and religious liberty. The same city renowned for the best pizza in New England; Benefit Street, lined by a mile of stunningly preserved colonial-era homes; the unique Water Fire celebration that turns downtown rivers into a blazing spectacle; Brown University and the world-famous Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).

Providence compliments the opulence of Gilded Age Newport – where we’ll visit three sumptuous homes we’ve never set foot in before, including Doris Duke’s oceanside villa Rough Point. We’ll visit Truro Synagogue, where George Washington enshrined principles of religious pluralism synonymous with Rhode Island’s 17th century founders. Nearby, America’s industrial origins are vividly preserved in the Slater Mill complex in Pawtucket. Also on the itinerary: the birthplace of famed artist Gilbert Stuart (you see his work on every dollar bill); Dwight Eisenhower’s Summer White House; hurricane swept beaches and the Age of Sail recreated at magnificent Mystic Seaport.

Bristol on Narragansett Bay provides a stunning backdrop for Blithewold Manor and Gardens, the ultimate summer estate. It may be small, but Rhode Island is full of surprises. Its outsized part in the drama of America’s founding makes it the perfect place to commemorate our nation’s 250th birthday.

2026 is the nation’s semi-quincentennial…or, in its more pronounceable form, the 250th Anniversary of American Independence. For Presidents and Patriots, it’s a unique opportunity to visit a number of sites with Revolutionary associations, while exploring for ourselves the meaning of Independence, both then and since. This spring, we’ll be deep diving into one of the most independent – not to mention scenic and historic – states in the Union …

Talk about Independence. For thirteen years after the Revolution, Vermont was its own separate republic. Even now, it retains the flinty New England character that characterized the original Green Mountain Boys. Some call it quirky, a side of the state we will experience at the Dog Chapel, where you are invited to leave your own tribute to canines loved or lost. It’s also the home of the Morgan Horse, as unique to Vermont as Ethan Allen and Lake Champlain (we’ve planned a visit to Allen’s home, and an evening dinner cruise on the lake that shares a mystery with Loch Ness).

At the Shelburne Museum we’ll immerse ourselves in the history, art and culture that perfectly introduces the creative genius of a country 250 years in the making. Robert Todd Lincoln’s Hildene country estate recalls America’s greatest president and the surprising connection his family had with Manchester. We’ll tour the Vermont State House, centerpiece of America’s smallest capital city.

Just across the Connecticut River we’ll explore the home, studios and artistry of Augustus Saint Gaudens, perhaps America’s greatest sculptor. Vermont’s only castle is on the itinerary, as is the woodland cottage that Robert Frost called home for forty years. And two of the most impressive Revolutionary War sites in the northeast remind us of Vermont’s critical role in securing American nationhood.

Our primary hotel is the ideally situated Middlebury Inn, circa 1827. We’ll start and finish at the equally sumptuous Green Mountain Suites in Burlington. You can count on plenty of hearty Yankee fare served in atmospheric surroundings. Believe me, there’s a lot more to Vermont than covered bridges and maple syrup. There’s a Vermont we haven’t visited before. More independent than ever.