Six Day DS Summer Tour

[Uncle Roger]

An organization mysteriousadventurestours.com is sponsoring a six day tour of New England DS sites next summer June 25th through June 30th, just in time for the program's 59th anniversary. It starts off in Bangor, Maine, which was frequently mentioned on the show. Visits are planned to various locations in Bucksport, which they claim was an inspiration for Collinsport. Can't say that I've ever heard that before. Or that the Jed Prouty Tavern inspired the Collinsport Inn. Then there's a visit to Camden, Maine, which is better known as the location for the movie version of Peyton Place than anything related to DS. From there, it's on to Newport and Seaview Terrace. After leaving Newport, it's on to Essex and a meal at The Griswold Inn. The trip finishes up with a visit to Tarrytown and Lyndhurst.
The cost? $2,499.00 per person. If you are at all interested in this trip, I strongly recommend that you check the organization's web page and see exactly what you get for your money. And exactly what is not included.

[patrickm]

I came across this tour last week and was tempted to post something but Unc beat me to it.

I happen to know the tour company owner Maria Schmidt. She and her husband Bob were previous owners of the Seven Sisters bed and breakfast in Ocala Florida where I attended 2 Dark Shadows events. One was a sort of Dark Shadows mystery dinner where the reading of Elizabeth's will was reenacted and attended by Kathy Cody. The 2nd was our Dark Shadows  club Halloween Party.  We booked 4 of the 5 rooms which were decorated in a different country motif and promoted as a haunted inn. Maria happens to be a huge Dark Shadows fan and decorated the inn for DS for us. They were wonderful hosts both times and we had a great time.

Their current tours ( with the DS tour exception) appear to be all in Europe - with a common haunted theme. I think she wanted to do Dark Shadows type tour because she herself is big fan. The trip is 6 days 5 nights. The cost I thought was kinda pricey but does include 5 nights hotels, van transport to each city. 5 breakfasts, a welcome lunch  and farewell dinner and fees to whatever venues are on the itinerary. It does not include airfair .. so you make your own arrangements for arrival and departure.

Other than knowing Maria previously, Im not involved in any way.. just following up on Uncs posting giving DS fans an option to follow up on if they have an interest in the tour.

[Bob_the_Bartender]

A Dark Shadows-inspired tour of New England, now that sounds very “fascinating” as Carolyn Stoddard-Hawkes once described a book on astrology to the “slightly” condescending Sebastian Shaw, who replied to her that “fascinating” was an adjective frequently used by dilettantes. Ouch! 😏😵

Now, in addition to an apparent dabbler like Carolyn, which other DS characters do you think might be interested in signing up for this upcoming tour? I could possibly see Quentin signing up with the folks at mysteriousadventurestours.com for this particular tour. What the heck! Quentin has always been interested in the arcane and the occult and besides, Quentin has PLENTY of free time on his hands, thanks to Count Petofi and the truly esteemed artwork of the world-renowned Charles Delaware Tate.

Of course, the sage and savant-like Professor T. Elliott Stokes would also likely be an individual who would sign-up for the tour, since the learned academic shared Quentin’s keen interest in all things supernatural and other-
worldly. By the way don’t you think that both Quentin and Professor Stokes would be faithful and nightly
listeners to coast-to-coastam on the radio, tuning in to hear the unfailingly cordial coast-to-coast host George
Noory, discussing ghosts, witches, ufos, poltergeists, NDEs, time travel, the anti-Christ, parallel dimensions, the
Kennedy assassination, the I-Ching, doppelgängers, vampires, spontaneous human combustion (a la Bathia Mapes), Big Foot, the Yeti, werewolves, the Chupacabra, Tarot cards and Astrology with Mr. Noory’s seemingly endless array of informative, knowledgeable and “fascinating” guests? 🤔👹🧛🧜‍♂️🐸🕷🦖🌔🔥🎅🏼🎃😼👽💀😈🤡

Then again, another tour participant might be Doctor Julia Hoffman, a respected medical doctor and researcher with a wide array of eclectic interests, not to mention as another person with PLENTY of free time on her hands, as evidenced by her well-deserved achievement for being named “The World’s Most Persistent House Guest,” a title previously held by the famous radio host/raconteur Sheridan Whiteside, who was memorialized in the classic film, “The Man Who Came To
Dinner.” 👩‍⚕️🥪🍕🍔🍟🍱🍦☕️🍿🍩🍷🥃 😠

On the other hand, which DS characters would NOT be likely individuals to sign-up for this truly unique tour of New England? Well, just off the top of my head, I’d have to say that both Judith Collins-Trask and Sarah Johnson, two of Collinsport’s most notorious skinflints/penny-pinchers, would take just one look at that $2,499.00 cost of a single ticket and, as they say in the great state of Kansas, proclaim, “Sh!t on that!!!” 😮😱
🤑🤑🤑😝😡👿🤡

[Gerard]

Once upon a time, back in the glory days of the annual DS festivals which alternated between east/west coast (with some attempts at middle America because why should they always be the ones who would have to travel long distances every year, while coasters got to take a year off), the wonderful shebang with all the attendees and all the cast, would be held in hotels with conference space.  I was fortunate to attend part of 2003's, my one and only.  And, as I recall, there were a few cruises, but they didn't draw the immense crowds of the land-based ones.

But wouldn't it have been neat if they did a "combined land-sea" festival?  By that I mean I'm surprised when the festival was held in its biannual location of Los Angeles, it never made use of the permanently docked museum/hotel/convention/venue historical ocean liner, the Queen Mary.  All necessary facilities for such a festival were right there, in one convenient location.  And then there was the most appropriate reason for utilizing the ship:  she is renowned for being supposedly haunted, from the forward cargo compartment, to the engine room, to the hospital, to the morgue (of course), to various former First Class staterooms now used as hotel rooms, and - most famously - the First Class swimming pool.  The "haunting" is one of her largest draws, with official tours, especially in the creepy hours of a dark night.  What a wonderful place to have had that big, much-anticipated, annual festival.  Of course, now it's moot, as the past festivals are apparently just that - past.  Well, maybe one of the "small" ones that still pop up here and there every once in awhile will take it into consideration.  I'm sure TLATKLS would enjoy participating, having the chance to stay aboard the legendary liner.  After all, when she departed to Europe after leaving DS to be with her husband, she did so on another grand dame of the seas, the France, which, for a number of brief years, was the Queen Mary's main competition for the few remaining travelers who choose the sea over air when crossing the Atlantic.

Gerard (Who crossed the Atlantic three times by ocean liner rather than air liner, including on the Queen Mary's granddaughter, the magnificent Queen Mary 2)

[Midnite]

By that I mean I'm surprised when the festival was held in its biannual location of Los Angeles, it never made use of the permanently docked museum/hotel/convention/venue historical ocean liner, the Queen Mary. ... I'm sure TLATKLS would enjoy participating, having the chance to stay aboard the legendary liner.

My senior prom was on the Queen Mary.  I'll spare you a photo from that, heh, but I will post 2 thumbnails of KLS on the QM in 1982 from a fan site for "Tales of the Gold Monkey".  Most of her "God Save the Queen" episode was filmed on board.



from http://www.goldmonkey.com/epguide.html

With thanks to Kosmo for sharing that KLS has a connection to the ship. 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Kate Jackson also filmed on the Queen Mary when she did the Made-for-TV movie Death Cruise back in 1974. When I get a chance I'll pull out my copy out and share some screen captures that showcase the ship...

[PennyDreadful]

I met Maria, the lady running this tour, at the DS Remembrance Weekend last year. She was handing out postcards to advertise the tour, and I gave details about it on the podcast back in July: https://youtu.be/JRkXXqXu6Yk?t=135

It's pricey, but fun that someone is attempting a full-on DS tour that includes Maine.

[Philippe Cordier]

I would be interested in finding out more about these locations in Maine that have not previously been known as having inspired locations on DS!

It's great that someone is helping keeping DS alive with this tour. I have a cousin who is retired and spends much of her time traveling and on tours all over the world* and who remembers DS, so I will forward the link to her.

* sadly, not my situation!

Midnite, I read your post quickly and at first thought the pictures of KLS on the Queen Mary were your prom pictures!

I know this is much too late, but for those DS fans in southern California, please know that you were in the thoughts and prayers of many, many people during the terrible L.A. fires, an unbelievable nightmare.

I had an aunt (deceased) who lived in Simi Valley and my mother said how grateful she is that my aunt didn't have to live through this.

[Midnite]

Yes, it's good to see Maine locations included in a planned DS event.

Philippe, your kind words were not too late and are much appreciated!

[Uncle Roger]

There have been some interesting developments with this tour. According to what people who attended the Tarrytown event, Jim Pierson has been in touch with the tour's organizers about licensing issues. He sent them several emails and received no response. Future developments might get sticky.