Rochester Lilac Festival Spring Tour
+ George Eastman House & ArtisanWorks Tours

Each May visitors from all over the world visit Rochester for the rare opportunity to experience the largest collection of lilacs in North America - over 500 varieties spread over 150 acres of botanical delights and magnificent gardens.

Check out the pansy bed with 10,000 plants in a floral carpet, over 700 varieties in the Rhodedendron & Azalea garden and 35 varieties of sweet smelling magnolias in the arboretum to just name a few highlights.

And of course this being a festival, you will enjoy an exotic spectacle of languages, customs, costumes, colors and an endless array of international foods & live musical entertainment on various stages throughout the festival grounds.

Also included in this trip is a guided tour at the George Eastman House (the founder of Kodak) and a visit to ArtisanWorks -- quite frankly a place that defies description that you just have to see for yourself!
2-Day Trip
May 16-17, 2020
$49 deposit per person to reserve your seat. Deposit is non-refundable. Full payment due by Apr 9, 2020

Price

All prices are per person, in Canadian dollars. All taxes and tips are included!
Double $389
Single $489
Triple $349
Quad $329
To book over the phone
please call (866) 208-2950
This tour travels to the USA. Passports required!

Inclusions

  • Round trip transportation to/from Toronto on deluxe highway bus with washroom and WiFi.
  • 1 night accommodation at the fabulous Woodcliff Hotel & Spa included.
  • 2 meals (1 breakfast and 1 lunch included).
  • Visit to the Rochester Lilac Festival. 
  • Guided city tour of Rochester with local tour guide included.
  • Admission and guided tour of the George Eastman House included.
  • Admission and self guided tour of ArtisanWorks included.
  • Optional evening visit to Eastview Mall, one of the nicest shopping malls in New York State.
  • Complimentary bottled water & snacks on bus.
  • Escorted tour with ShortTrips.ca tour director available during the tour.
  • All tips & taxes included.

Pickup Locations

Approximate Return Times

  • ​Grimsby 6:00 PM
  • Appleby Line 7:10 PM
  • Mississauga 7:45 PM
  • York Mills 8:20 PM
  • Vaughan 8:50 PM

Deposits, Payments, Cancellations & Refunds

  • Deposit of $49 per person required to reserve your seat. Deposit is non-refundable once paid.
  • Full payments due by Apr 9, 2020. Payment is non-refundable once paid. 
  • You can transfer your seat to anyone else you know up to the time of departure without penalty. 

Travelling With Children

  • Children 10+ are welcome on this tour, same price as adults. ​

Single Supplement

  • We do not charge single supplements or surcharges if you are willing to share your room with one other person. Are you travelling by yourself? We guarantee to find you a roommate of the same gender or we pay the surcharge!
  • ​If you prefer to have a private room by yourself, that is not a problem, please select the Single Occupancy option and pay the single supplement. 

Travel Documents

  • US Immigration requires that all travellers MUST have a passport (or Nexus or EDL cards).  If you do not have a Canadian or USA passport, please make sure that you have the appropriate permissions or documentation to travel to the USA. 
  • If you are denied entry to the US, sadly we will have to leave you at the border.
  • Sorry but no refunds if you are denied entry.

Emergency Medical Insurance

  • Emergency medical and trip cancellation insurance is strongly recommended. Getting ill in the USA can be very expensive. 
  • If you are not covered by a workplace or other policy, we recommend that you purchase insurance for this trip.
  • Both CAA and RBC Insurance sell such insurance online or you can call Marville Travel at (905) 891-0111 and one of the agents will be pleased to assist you. 

George Eastman House

The historic mansion and gardens at the George Eastman Museum provide a glimpse into the life of one of the greatest American innovators and entertainers in the first decades of the twentieth century. You will receive a guided tour after which you will have an opportunity to tour the extensive gardens on your own as well as view the current exhibits at the International Museum of Film & Photography which is housed in the same building.

ArtisanWorks

Think of a place that is a mix between an art gallery, a museum and what a cultured & sophisticated hoarder's garage might look like. Now imagine 500,000 pieces in that collection housed in a 40,000 sq.ft industrial building!

​There is no easy way to describe ArtisanWorks but it is truly unique and only in Rochester. Expect to see art, sculptures, pinball machines, kodak cameras, cars made entirely from wood, Marilyn Monroe and Frank Lloyd Wright memorabilia, chairs, bicycles, a dentist's clinic from the 1950's, a fire truck, a Coca Cola collection.. Well, you get the drift. Just about anything and everything is here. Some of it will take you back to your childhood and other pieces will just leave you baffled. And that is the point of this place.