TOURS & CRUISES

MAINE

Get a peek at art and gardens

Picture the canvases of Winslow Homer, the Wyeths and Frederic Edwin Church, then see the landscapes that inspired them on a weeklong art and garden tour of Maine with the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.

The July 19 trip, which will focus on the state’s rich art heritage and its rugged coastal scenery, will coincide with the biennial Open Garden Day tour in the Bar Harbor area.

Sponsored by the Garden Club of Mount Desert, the event includes a tour of seven private summer-home gardens erected by wealthy turn-of-the-last-century vacationers.

“It’s one of the East’s most important and exclusive garden shows,” said Theresa Payne, special projects coordinator of the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. “These colorful gardens, designed by leading landscape architects, present Maine’s rich horticultural tradition at its best.”

The itinerary includes visits to museums and the home and studio of Winslow Homer in Prout’s Neck, the studio of artist Frederic Kellogg in Thomaston and Olson House in Cushing, setting for Andrew Wyeth’s “Christina’s World” artwork. One afternoon will be spent at Acadia National Park.

Cost: $2,665 per person, double occupancy (single surcharge $780) including six nights’ accommodations, most meals, admissions, taxes, most gratuities and baggage handling. Air transportation from LAX to Portland, Maine, is not included. A museum donation of $100 is required.

Contact: Santa Barbara Museum of Art, (805) 884-6436, www.sbmuseart.org.

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CUBA

Learn history of Havana

and Trinidad

Roam the sultry streets of Havana, a city trapped in a 1950s time warp, on a weeklong educational exchange sponsored by Long Beach City College Foundation.

The June 11 trip will focus on Cuban contemporary art, architecture and historic places. The itinerary includes five nights in Havana, where participants will tour historic Old Havana, and two nights in Trinidad, one of the oldest cities in the Western Hemisphere.

There also will be visits to colonial Cienfuegos and Valle de los Ingenios (Valley of the Sugar Mills), site of Cuba’s first sugar plantations.

Art historian Mary Drobny, who will lead the tour, advises participants that they will need to be able to walk moderate distances and “be flexible and willing to accept the unexpected. Changes and delays in schedule must be taken in stride.”

Cost: $2,899 per person, double occupancy (single surcharge $300), including round-trip air transportation from LAX to Havana, accommodations, most meals, island transportation, visa fees and registration fees.

Contact: Virginia Baxter, Long Beach City College Foundation executive director, (562) 938-4134.

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EUROPE

11-day cruise through wine, food heaven

Eat, drink and cruise to the wine capitals of Europe on an 11-day voyage from Monte Carlo, Monaco, to Dover, England.

The June 7 sailing aboard the all-suite Radisson Voyager will visit Spain, Portugal and France. Included will be vineyard tours, tastings and workshops on wine and food pairings. Participants will sample the wines of Domaines Barons de Rothschild and Etablissements Jean-Pierre Moueix.

A similar cruise with the same port stops is available Sept. 7.

Cost: $5,895 per person, double occupancy (single surcharge $1,474), including round-trip international airfare and cruise. Port taxes are $295 per person.

Contact: Caren Erickson at Maxima Travel-Unique Vacations, (800) 333-9420 or (909) 776-2950, www.maximatravel.net.

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FRANCE

Study in Anaheim, then in Paris

Make the French connection this fall on a study-abroad program sponsored by Fullerton and Cypress colleges.

The program, open to students of all ages, begins Aug. 23 with classes in Anaheim, then moves to Paris from Sept. 12 through Dec. 10. Among the classes are French language, Western civilization and international business. Course credits are transferable.

Cost: $6,650 per person, double occupancy (single surcharge $1,500), including accommodations, two meals daily, transfers and a weekend excursion to Normandy. International airfare is not included.

Contact: Robert Yamaguchi, Fullerton College professor of business, (714) 992-7060.

The Times is not responsible for changes in prices, dates or itineraries. Send information to Tours & Cruises, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012 or write via e-mail to travel@latimes.com.