Student Travel to Washington D.C.

■12 Guests
■Air and Ground Transportation

■Hotel; Meals
■Private Tour
■Professional Tour Guide

Available Year Round
Handicap Accessible 

Dive into United States history with a tour of our nation's capital! Washington D.C.is full of grand images and remarkable words, from The Capitol building and the Pentagon to Lincoln's Gettysburg Address inscribed on the Lincoln Memorial. Politics is this city's business: walk the corridors of government, hear big names dropped with nonchalance and marvel at the riches of its museums, from the Smithsonian Institute to the National Archives. Beyond politics, however, a creative, diverse community relaxes in shady parks and a bubbly, eclectic restaurant scene.

 

Travel day to Washington D.C. Spend time getting settled at hotel and exploring some of the destinations from Day 2 if time permits.

 

The story of the design and construction of the Capitol is a tumultuous one, full of strong personalities and brave compromises -- kind of like the history of the United States, actually. Startling truths abound, beginning with the fact that the most important U.S. building was designed in 1792 by a Scottish-trained physician from the British West Indies. William Thornton, the first architect of the Capitol, explained himself, "I lamented not having studied architecture and resolved to attempt that grand undertaking and study at the same time." Seventy years and three architects later, the Capitol completed its most notable feature, a 287-foot-high dome, made of two enormous cast-iron shells, one inside the other, with all the exterior trim, cornices, and columns painted to look like marble. Tilt your head all the way back to see the 19-foot-statue, Freedom, which was set in place atop the dome in December 1863, at the height of the Civil War -- the same year that Abraham Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation.

 

You don't have to be aware of the Supreme Court's schedule to know when a controversial case is up -- you'll observe the line of hopeful visitors stretching across the Court's front plaza. You'll spot media types, too. The southwest corner of the plaza is a favorite location for TV correspondents to deliver on-camera reports; with the right angle, the shot captures the newsperson and the crowds of people in endless queues, framed against the backdrop of the Court's stately columned edifice and elaborate pediment inscribed with the words EQUAL JUSTICE UNDER LAW.

 

As the world's largest library, the Library of Congress commands an inventory of nearly 142 million items. In an enduring effort to share its wealth, the Library reaches into its pockets, so to speak, to pull out wondrous objects from one of its particular collections, and then mounts an exhibition to show them off. One example: An ongoing exhibit titled "Creating the United States," displays an assortment of artifacts that inform our understanding of the birth of our democracy, from an "original Rough Draught" of Thomas Jefferson's much marked-up Declaration of Independence, to early-18th-century hand-colored etchings conveying political satire, to a 1797 manuscript in George Washington's hand, outlining a plan of government for Virginia. The Library of Congress: not just for bibliophiles.

 

Order a sandwich to go and proceed to the next destination, where an Elizabethan garden awaits us.

 

If our timing is right (before noon or after 1pm), we will have the garden to ourselves -- to sit on a bench; munch on a picnic lunch; and relax amid the English ivy, rosemary, and lavender, all plantings true to Shakespeare's day. Positioned throughout the garden are statues of characters from eight of the Bard's plays. Stop inside to see "what's on" in the paneled, Tudor-style Great Hall, and check the calendar for plays being staged in the re-created Elizabethan Theatre. Attend an evening production, if you can; they're always a treat.

 

At the foot of the Capitol grounds on the Independence Avenue side is this other garden -- well, several gardens and plant collections, in fact -- contained within a large greenhouse. Not much is asked of you here -- you don't have to be a gardener to appreciate the beauty of orchids or the wonder of the "Musa Praying Hands" (it's in the banana family). Be sure to climb all the way up the stairs in the tallest part of the conservatory and look out: You'll have views of the Capitol and the neighborhood that I'll bet even most locals haven't discovered.

 

The National Gallery's special exhibits are always amazing, so if there's one being staged, we go, no matter who the artist. For example, we head to the East Wing and go straight up to the tower to take a look at the latest show in a series that focuses on developments in art since the 1970s. The tower gets less traffic than other spots in the museum, mostly because not everyone's hip to it.

 

Sit on the terrace in view of the Capitol or head inside to enjoy Johnny's particular conviviality and "Seafood Specialties" as the restaurant puts it. Never sampled a soft-shell crab? This is the place to try it, if in season. Non-seafood items are also available.

 

This handsome structure is a major thoroughfare for commuters rushing for Metro and Amtrak trains.

 

Tourmobile and Old Town Trolley offer nighttime tours of the memorials and the Washington Monument. Some consider this the most dramatic way to view the historic sites. After a full day of sightseeing, it is certainly the easiest and most relaxing way to get around. Both operations offer narrated tours, with stops (for 20 min. or so) at the Lincoln, FDR, Vietnam Veterans, and Jefferson memorials. Hop aboard and enjoy the ride.

 

This mammoth museum debuted April 11, 2008, and the word is "Wow!" Its glass-fronted, seven-story, block-long-and-wide building grabs your attention, vying with nearby notables, like the Capitol just up the avenue. Is it truly "the world's most interactive museum," as it proclaims? Maybe so: Fourteen galleries, 15 theaters, two broadcast studios, and 130 interactive stations invite visitors to explore 5 centuries of news history. You can put yourself in the reporter's seat in an interactive newsroom, play the NewsMania game to test your knowledge of news events, or be "on the scene" at a dramatic moment in history, through an amazing 4-D theater experience that puts you virtually back in that moment. Awesome.

 

Before this building was even finished, in 1867, it had already served as a Civil War hospital and as the site of Abraham Lincoln's second inaugural ball. Upon completion, the building housed patent offices, whose clerks eventually issued patents to Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, and 500,000 other inventors. The Smithsonian took over the Patent Office Building and remodeled it before opening two-museums-in-one in 1968.

 

Fast-forward to 2006, after an even more intense renovation to the museums, which just happened to coincide with the remarkable renewal taking place in the museums' surrounding Penn Quarter neighborhood. The reopening of the National Portrait Gallery and the American Art Museum in July 2006 signified nothing less than a rebirth, and the city staged a celebration to herald this much-improved bastion of "American Originals." The museums and their vast displays do America proud, representing the nation's spirit and people at their best in every artistic genre, including presidential portraits, folk art, photographs, Latino art, African-American art, and paintings by the masters, from Gilbert Stuart to Georgia O'Keeffe to modernist Aaron Douglas.

 

In the same building as the Spy Museum and across the street from the Smithsonian museums, Zola plays upon a sleuth theme in its decor. The food's for real, though, and highly recommended.

 

Nothing attests to human ingenuity better than this vast display of the machines we've created to fly through air and space. And yet, one of this museum's enduring attractions is something that puts those human accomplishments in perspective: The Albert Einstein Planetarium. It coaxes you to wonder about the dimensions of the universe and where it leads.

 

This handsome building, with its Italian Renaissance architecture and arched courtyard, is devoted to Asian art, with one major exception: its Whistler holdings. Visit the spectacular Peacock Room, so called for the golden peacock feathers that Whistler painted upon the walls of the room, which was once part of a friend's London town house. The friend was most displeased, but today's gallerygoers are generally intrigued. Continue through other chambers of the gallery to admire ancient jade objects, early Buddhist sculpture, Islamic art, and a wealth of Asian works.

 

Across the Mall from the Freer lies this ponderous museum, newly reopened after a much-needed renovation. You won't have time to view everything on display in this fascinating tribute to American culture and history. But certain things you shouldn't miss: the magnificent, original Star-Spangled Banner, now on display in its own multistory, glass-paneled gallery; 10-foot-high, glass-paned artifact walls showcasing choice items from the museum's three-million-piece collection, from an 1815 tavern sign to Helen Keller's watch; and a favorite, Julia Child's kitchen, moved from the famous chef's home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to its permanent niche here.

 

This is yet another so-much-to-see, so-little-time venue, especially given the fact that this is the largest natural-history museum in the world. Do take a gander at the Hope Diamond and other gems and minerals, and don't miss the fossil collection and the dinosaur hall. But if your time is limited, visit the museum's two newest exhibits. The 23,000-square-foot Ocean Hall, the museum's largest permanent exhibit, aims to explain the essential connection between oceans and all life. Displays include a life-size replica of a North Atlantic whale and an 1,800-gallon-tank display of coral reef. Butterflies + Plants: Partners in Evolution is two exhibits in one. Partners in Evolution explores the relationship between plants and insects and animals, while the Butterfly Pavilion is aflutter with live and colorful butterflies, allowing visitors to walk in their midst, observing them straight on, not through glass.

 

Area residents are slow to catch on, but the National Archives has gradually been transforming itself into a multimedia complex, mounting major exhibitions, screening documentaries, and hosting talks by contemporary authors. Its finest feature, however, will always be its display of the original Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, and Bill of Rights.

 

You've been on your feet all day! Treat yourself to a lobster burger, cassoulet, or steak au poivre.

 

If you want to get an early start on the day, the National Zoological Park, an off-the-Mall Smithsonian complex, opens at 6am, year-round. Make your way to the Asia Trail, whose winding path presents close-up sights of sloth bears sucking up termites, giant pandas frolicking in a waterfall, fishing cats caught in the act, and the assorted activities of clouded leopards and Japanese salamanders. Those three giant pandas remain the zoo's top draws, but the baby gorilla, born January 10, 2009, is pretty cute, too.

 

Fifteen years after its debut, crowds continue to tour the U.S. Memorial Holocaust Museum, especially its heart-tearing main exhibit. Some people also come here to do research: Open to the public without appointment is a library on the fifth floor, where you can look up information on a name, a town, or any subject to do with the Holocaust. The museum, meanwhile, is expanding its mission to include special exhibits on related events -- firsthand accounts and photographs depicting the persecution and torture of the people of Darfur, Sudan, for instance.

 

This beautiful museum-mansion was expanded in 2006 to include a sculpture garden, a new cafe, an auditorium, a gallery devoted to the works of Mark Rothko, and a larger exhibit space for postwar contemporary art. Always keep an eye out for visitors' favorite pieces: Renoir's Luncheon of the Boating Party; numerous Bonnards; and, on display from time to time, a painting executed by founder Duncan Phillips's wife, Marjorie Phillips: Night Baseball.

 

Open daily from lunch, this cherished pizzeria expanded in 2009 to satisfy its steady stream of customers, who come for the pies that are several cuts above the average: cooked in an oak-burning oven and topped with your choice of 31 fresh ingredients, from pancetta to eggplant.

 

Stop in shops along Connecticut Avenue, and then follow side streets to discover boutiques, little art galleries, and quaint century-old town houses. If you look carefully, you'll start to notice that some of these buildings are actually embassies or historic homes. The most awesome embassies lie on Massachusetts Avenue, west of Dupont Circle. Flags and plaques clearly identify them. Turn onto S Street NW and look for no. 2340 to see where President Woodrow Wilson lived after he left the White House. Right next door is a cool little museum, the Textile Museum. Both the Woodrow Wilson House and the Textile Museum are worth touring if you have time. Embassies are rarely open to the public.

 

Head to the Kennedy Center for the 6pm nightly concert in the Grand Foyer (part of the center's Millennium Stage program). At concert's end, proceed through the glass doors to the terrace overlooking Rock Creek Parkway and the Potomac River, and enjoy the view.

 

Finish up the day with dinner and shopping in Georgetown, where stores and restaurants tend to stay open later than those in other parts of town.

 

Travel day home. Pack and prepare to leave; spend time exploring any missed destinations if time permits.

 

 

Get lost in the 18th century in Colonial Williamsburg, a living, breathing museum encompassing some 300 acres of a restored and re-created Revolutionary War-era city. Just 6 miles from Jamestown, Williamsburg was in its heyday the bustling capital of colonial Virginia. Its meticulous preservation and re-creation nearly 200 years later was funded by the Rockefellers; today this is one of the country's top family destinations. It is also home to the College of William and Mary, where the past and future regularly rub shoulders.

 

From the pop of the muskets to the heat of the blacksmith's iron to the scent of flowers in re-created 18th-century gardens, the Historic Area around Duke of Gloucester Street provides plenty of Colonial-style stimuli. Visit the first permanent English settlement in America at Jamestown and the museum of the American Revolution at the Yorktown Victory Center. Connect with your inner child on the roller-coasters at Busch Gardens Williamsburg or the waterslides at Water Country USA.

 

Don't miss an 18th-century play staged in and around the historic buildings. In warmer weather, get spooked out on an Original Ghosts of Williamsburg Tour. When you want a break from fifes, drums, and history, see a film or hear a concert at the Kimball Theatre. Its name suggests a pool hall, but The Corner Pocket is also a live blues joint with music that wraps around the weekend.

 

The Founding Fathers may have eaten at a place like King's Arms Tavern, dining on such local specialties as peanut soup, Virginia ham and Colonial game pie. The diner-like Five Forks Cafe serves a filling, inexpensive breakfast, Southern style: Think sausage and biscuits with gravy. Save room for Death By Chocolate at The Trellis, where you can sit outside and people watch while indulging in this beloved bittersweet dessert.

 

Take a piece of pottery home from one of the Market Square Stands. Specialty shops at Merchants Square sell Colonial clothing and famous blister-fried Virginia peanuts. If you've toured the gardens and fallen in love with an heirloom seed or plant, the Colonial Nursery is the place to find it. Bargain hunt for designers and name brands at Prime Outlets.