All upcoming Study Tours

View iconic masterpieces and learn the stories behind their creation as lecturer Paul Glenshaw leads an engaging tour of three museums focused on several of the great works featured in his popular Art + History series for Smithsonian Associates. Start the tour at the National Gallery of Art followed by a brisk outdoor walk and lunch at a nearby restaurant. Enjoy the afternoon at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery and American Art Museum. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

View iconic masterpieces and learn the stories behind their creation as lecturer Paul Glenshaw leads an engaging tour of three museums focused on several of the great works featured in his popular Art + History series for Smithsonian Associates. Start the tour at the National Gallery of Art followed by a brisk outdoor walk and lunch at a nearby restaurant. Enjoy the afternoon at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery and American Art Museum. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Immerse yourself in Manhattan’s cultural splendors during a winter weekend getaway filled with a blend of the city’s finest music and art—plus a Saturday night on the town to enjoy as you’d like. The weekend includes a performance by the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center and tours of exhibitions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Art historian Ursula Rehn Wolfman leads the visit.

Visit the world of ancient Egypt during a day at the Walters Art Museum with Egyptologist Jacquelyn Williamson. A guided tour explores the museum’s collection of statuary, reliefs, stelae (commemorative stone slabs), funerary objects, jewelry, and objects from daily life that date from prehistoric to Roman Egypt. Williamson even gives a lesson on the basic hieroglyphic offering formula, which appears on memorial statuary and is designed to provide the dead with essential goods in the afterlife. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

How can you best care for the plants that enhance your daily life? Staff members of the Interiors team of Smithsonian Gardens are ready to take on the topic. The pros help sift through the overwhelming amount of available houseplant care information to determine what is right for you and your plants by covering everything from plant selection to design, ongoing care, and the newest varieties on the scene. The program also includes a horticulturist-lead tour of the Smithsonian Gardens exhibit “Human/Nature: Why People Are Drawn to Living Things.”

How can you best care for the plants that enhance your daily life? Staff members of the Interiors team of Smithsonian Gardens are ready to take on the topic. The pros help sift through the overwhelming amount of available houseplant care information to determine what is right for you and your plants by covering everything from plant selection to design, ongoing care, and the newest varieties on the scene. The program also includes a horticulturist-lead tour of the Smithsonian Gardens exhibit “Human/Nature: Why People Are Drawn to Living Things.”

There’s no better way to sweep away winter than with an overnight escape to the horticultural paradise that’s the annual Philadelphia Flower Show. And with a theme of “Gardens of Tomorrow,” the 2025 edition is sure to provide a world of imaginative designs and boundless inspiration. Horticulturist Chelsea Mahaffey leads the tour, which also includes a visit to nearby Winterthur.

From the desert gardens to the red rocks of Sedona, the northern mountains to the depths of the Grand Canyon, this 6-day spring adventure offers outdoor enthusiasts an itinerary filled with education and scenic beauty led by geologist and study tour leader Wayne Ranney.