Study Tours

Photographer Bruce White has spent much time in and around the White House, shooting it for books published by the White House Historical Association. As the author of At Home in the President’s Neighborhood, he’s the perfect guide for a walking tour of the area most closely connected with the residents of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Lafayette Park.

Photographer Bruce White has spent much time in and around the White House, shooting it for books published by the White House Historical Association. As the author of At Home in the President’s Neighborhood, he’s the perfect guide for a walking tour of the area most closely connected with the residents of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Lafayette Park.

Photographer Bruce White has spent much time in and around the White House, shooting it for books published by the White House Historical Association. As the author of At Home in the President’s Neighborhood, he’s the perfect guide for a walking tour of the area most closely connected with the residents of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Lafayette Park.

Savor the beautiful lower Hudson Valley—a treasure trove of historic houses and home to the school that produces top chefs—in a 3-day excursion led by Bill Keene, a lecturer in history, urban studies, and architecture. The tour includes visits to the Kykuit Rockefeller estate, the Culinary Institute of Ameirca (for a French lunch), the Springwood family estate where Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born, magnificent Vanderbilt Mansion, and more.

Celebrate the art of food on a special museum tour with a culinary focus, then discover some edible masterworks at one of Philadelphia’s urban treasures, the historic South 9th Street Italian Market.

Regional historian Hayden Mathews explores the rich heritage of this lovely Eastern Shore town, focusing on both land and sea. The day includes a cruise on a replica of an 18th century vessel, as well as an historic-district walking tour guided by Chestertown’s mayor.

Regional historian Hayden Mathews explores the rich heritage of this lovely Eastern Shore town, focusing on both land and sea. The day includes a cruise on a replica of an 18th century vessel, as well as an historic-district walking tour guided by Chestertown’s mayor.

Learn the benefits of quiet time spent in touch with nature as Melanie Choukas-Bradley, a certified nature and forest-therapy guide and author of The Joy of Forest Bathing, leads a series of 2-hour walks in the Smithsonian’s beautiful Enid A. Haupt Garden.

The Metropolitan Museum’s Cloisters houses some of the world’s most stunning medieval objects and architecture. Art historian Ursula Wolfman brings to life the era’s heart and soul as reflected in the masterpieces of this collection. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Join Bill Keene on a walking tour to discover the Mall’s history, design, and architecture, from its earliest vision to the latest developments. View and compare a wide range of architectural styles from the Gothic-revival Smithsonian Castle to the rich symbolism of the latest addition to the Mall, the new African American Museum. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Join Bill Keene on a walking tour to discover the Mall’s history, design, and architecture, from its earliest vision to the latest developments. View and compare a wide range of architectural styles from the Gothic-revival Smithsonian Castle to the rich symbolism of the latest addition to the Mall, the new African American Museum. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Spend the Columbus Day holiday with maritime historian, author, and archaeologist Donald Grady Shomette and regional historian Hayden Matthews investigating Baltimore's prominent role in the seafaring history of America and the ships, shipbuilders, mariners, explorations, and conflicts that helped build a nation.

Join Bill Keene on a walking tour to discover the Mall’s history, design, and architecture, from its earliest vision to the latest developments. View and compare a wide range of architectural styles from the Gothic-revival Smithsonian Castle to the rich symbolism of the latest addition to the Mall, the new African American Museum. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Explore the man-made wonders of the C&O Canal, as well as natural beauty of spring along the Potomac River, guided by writer and local historian Garrett Peck. Highlights include the Monocacy Aqueduct, the canal town of Williamsport, the Paw Paw Tunnel, and an overnight stay in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, site of America’s first spa.

Learn the benefits of quiet time spent in touch with nature as Melanie Choukas-Bradley, a certified nature and forest-therapy guide and author of The Joy of Forest Bathing, leads a series of 2-hour walks in the Smithsonian’s beautiful Enid A. Haupt Garden.

Learn the benefits of quiet time spent in touch with nature as Melanie Choukas-Bradley, a certified nature and forest-therapy guide and author of The Joy of Forest Bathing, leads a series of 2-hour walks in the Smithsonian’s beautiful Enid A. Haupt Garden.

Find out why Virginia’s caves never fail to dazzle visitors during a visit to realms of wonder eons in the making in the scenic Shenandoah Valley. With Gregg Clemmer as your guide, explore two of the region’s great caverns—Shenandoah Caverns and Luray Caverns—from their stone columns and draperies to jagged helictites and dog-toothed spars.

New Glass Now, a stunning new global survey that reveals the breadth and depth of contemporary glassmaking, is just one of the highlights of a glass-lover’s dream visit to the Corning Museum of Glass. The four-day trip offers participants a true behind-the-scenes experience and includes many curator-conducted sessions and tours.

Grab your hiking boots and camera and take in the autumn beauty—and the local history—during an excursion led by historian Garrett Peck.

Once a rural Virginia area full of farms and orchards, Arlington County’s proximity to the Union’s capital drew it into the conflicts of the Civil War. Join historian Dakota Springston to survey locations including the sites of Union forts, a Confederate outpost, Matthew Brady’s photographic studio, and a Reconstruction-era Freedmen’s Village.

With the impending centennial of the passage of the 19th Amendment, several Washington museums are spotlighting the decades-long struggle for women’s suffrage in special exhibitions. Join tour guide Kathleen Bashian to view them and explore how the movement’s leaders and activists—as well as ordinary women—achieved that goal.

Enjoy the beauty of an autumn morning on the 90-acre wooded oasis and national memorial in the middle of the tidal Potomac. Author and naturalist Melanie Choukas-Bradley leads a scenic walk around Roosevelt Island, focusing on its woodlands, wildlife, and history.

Check in to Edward Hopper’s hotels, motels, tourist homes, and boarding houses when you visit a special exhibition at Richmond’s Virginia Museum of Fine Arts that explores the role of hotels in the cultural landscape of the early to mid-20th century. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Enjoy the beauty of an autumn morning on the 90-acre wooded oasis and national memorial in the middle of the tidal Potomac. Author and naturalist Melanie Choukas-Bradley leads a scenic walk around Roosevelt Island, focusing on its woodlands, wildlife, and history.

Arts journalist Richard Selden leads a tour to Baltimore’s Walters Art Museum, where the exhibition Designing the New: Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the Glasgow Style celebrates the 150th anniversary of the birth of the revolutionary Scottish architect who defined a unique vision of art nouveau design. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

There’s no more iconic holiday performance in New York than Radio City Music Hall’s famed Christmas Spectacular. And there’s no better way to see the precision dancing of the Rockettes than from prime orchestra seats in the fabulous art deco theater where the show has been a tradition since 1933. A behind-the-scenes tour of the Music Hall adds to the experience.

Treat yourself to a holiday-season overnight getaway that offers the perfect way to experience the heart of Old Town Alexandria’s heritage and charm: colonial architecture, museums, fine dining, the waterfront, and of course, a little shopping.

The Neue Gallery, Morgan Library and Museum, and the Frick Collection offer a rich array of delights for visitors. Enjoy an escape to Manhattan that gives you plenty of time to take in these distinctive and stunning smaller museums—and a night on the town to enjoy as you like. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)