Washington DC

DAY 1 Flight to Washington DC (optional charter bus from your location can be arranged); Charter bus transport to Williamsburg, Virginia. Dinner and hotel locally.

Visit Jamestown Settlement where the history and lives of the first permanent English settlers and the Powhatan nation come to life. Enjoy a hands-on, inquiry based guided tour. Afternoon guided visit to Colonial Williamsburg, including hands-on experiences, dinner, and evening entertainment.

The morning will be spent exploring Colonial Williamsburg with an educator enjoying hands-on, experiential learning. Watch re-enactments of historical events and tradesmen working at their crafts, exactly as they did in the colonial era. Afternoon free time to explore buildings, trade shops, homes, Governor’s Palace, museums, and time to watch the shows, parades, mock battles, and other demonstrations. After dinner, enjoy another evening program. History comes to life at Colonial Williamsburg!

Charter bus to Monticello. Learn about the life of Thomas Jefferson, as well as slave life, gardening, and architecture. Discover Monticello while on a guided tour of the mansion. From there, travel to Washington DC for dinner followed by an Illuminated Monuments tour, an especially magical and moving experience. Private guides will lead the group through many of the important monuments around the Mall area, including the WWII Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, and FDR Monument as time allows.

Private Charter bus to Gettysburg National Battlefield. This is an especially fun day for students! Start off with a guided battlefield tour. After getting a feel for the war, and the battlefield, students will participate in a Battlefield Footsteps program where each student is assigned an identity of one of the soldiers in Pickett’s Charge. Get into formation and follow drill commands while walking in the footsteps of the soldiers. Make the charge up and over the hill and discover your fate at the end of the re-enactment. After the charge, the group will go to the Visitor’s Center and experience the Cyclorama. If time allows, travelers can explore the museum or the gift shop, before the return trip to Washington D.C. where the group will enjoy dinner. Free evening in with a game night, time to do laundry, or rest up.

Explore Arlington National Cemetery with a private guide. Four students will be selected for a formal laying of a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We’ll also watch the Changing of the Guard and visit a few of the graves of important historical figures. In the afternoon, the group will visit George Washington’s Mount Vernon, followed by a night-time walking tour of historic Old Town Alexandria.

Pillars of Government: Tours of The US Capitol Building, The Library of Congress, Steps of the US Supreme Court, National Archives to see the Charters of Freedom, a walk by the White House (pending tour application). Late afternoon will be spent at the Smithsonian American History Museum.

Morning tour of the National Holocaust Museum (recommended for ages 11+) followed by free time to explore Smithsonian museums of your choice. We’ll end the trip with a Potomoc River Dinner Cruise, with views of the lit up monuments and city of DC. It’s a memorable and spectacular end to a great week!

Departure Day- flights or bus home (depending).