Monday
Enjoy a leisurely drive to Sandy Cove, check in begins at 4 pm, but you are welcome to walk and enjoy
our grounds earlier. Dinner in the Water’s Edge Dining Room will be served at 5:30 pm. Nate is planning
a relaxing evening with an option of a movie on the big screen in Chesapeake Auditorium. Then head off
to get a good night’s rest! In case you didn’t know – we have memory foam mattress toppers on all the
beds! Sleep well!
Tuesday
Rise & Shine! It’s trip day! Enjoy a delicious buffet breakfast in the Water’s Edge Dining Room before
boarding the comfy coach bus. Our scenic trip will take us to Doylestown, PA where you will experience
the Mercer Mile! This will be a truly unique tour – there is nothing like it anywhere in the world!
The interpreted tour begins in Fonthill, the “house” Henry Mercer built out of concrete between
1908-1912. We will drive past the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works to experience lunch in the Mercer
Museum’s Elkins Gallery featuring 19th and 20th century paintings (including Edward Hicks’ “Peaceable
Kingdom” and “Washington Crossing the Delaware”). Lunch will be hosted by a knowledgeable museum
interpreter and includes a sandwich (ham, tuna, roast beef, turkey, veggie wrap), choice of macaroni
salad, potato salad or chips, cookie, and soda or bottled water. After lunch, an interpreter will provide
an orientation to the Mercer Museum, a collection of now almost 40,000 items used in everyday life
prior to the Industrial Revolution. The museum will be self-guided following the orientation, don’t forget
the museum shop! So come prepared to do some walking.
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Fonthill Castle
Built between 1908-1912, Fonthill was the home of Henry Chapman Mercer (1856-1930). Archaeologist,
anthropologist, ceramist, scholar and antiquarian, Mercer built Fonthill both as his home and as a
showplace for his collection of tiles and prints. Fonthill Castle has 44 rooms, 18 fireplaces and over 200
windows of varying size and shape. The interior walls, floors and ceilings are elaborately adorned with
Mercer’s handcrafted tiles. Tiles and prints from around the world also show the collecting interests
of this Bucks County native. The majority of Mercer’s furnishings and personal effects remain where he placed them, and a guided tour truly offers a window into Henry Mercer’s unique architectural and
artistic vision.
Mercer Museum
By 1897, handmade objects were being discarded in favor of new machine-made goods. Historian and
archaeologist Henry Mercer (1856-1930) recognized the need to collect and preserve the outmoded
material of daily life in America before it was swept away by the Industrial Revolution. Mercer gathered
almost 30,000 items ranging from hand tools to horse-drawn vehicles and assembled this encyclopedic
collection in a system of his own devising. To enhance the collection's educational value, and to share it
with the public, Mercer decided to design and build a museum to display the artifacts. In 1916, Mercer
erected a 6-story concrete castle. The towering central atrium of the Museum was used to hang the
largest objects such as a whale boat, stage coach and Conestoga wagon. On each level surrounding the
court, smaller exhibits were installed in a warren of alcoves, niches and rooms according to Mercer's
classifications. Over 60 early American trades are represented, including woodworking, metalworking,
agriculture, and advertising, plus furnishings and folk art. The end result of the building is a unique
interior that is both logical and provocative. It requires the visitor to view objects in a new way.
View Museum Guide and Floor Plan
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Then we’ll board the bus for the trip back to Sandy Cove – in time for another delicious dinner buffet!
After dinner, we’ll settle in Chesapeake Auditorium for a sneak peek of Wednesday’s program with Karen Knight, music specialist and vocal coach for Sight & Sound’s Theatres. She will treat us to a musical
selection, then do a quick costume change and present a mini drama based on her role as Mrs. Noah.
Wednesday
Rise & Shine! It’s Seasoned Citizen’s Day. After breakfast, we’ll be joined by a couple hundred seniors
driving in for the morning. Check out of your rooms and then grab a cup of coffee before the special
program begins at 9:45 am in the Chesapeake Auditorium. Beautiful music with Karen Knight and an
inspiring Chalk Talk message by Elva will fill the morning. Our time together will end with a buffet
luncheon, finishing up around 1:30 pm. Have a safe trip home! |
