Few American cities are as deeply entwined with the birth of the nation as Boston. From village greens where militias first mustered to crowded wharves and meetinghouses alive with revolutionary debate, trace the dramatic opening chapters of the American Revolution. Guided by historian Fred Zilian on this 4-day tour, explore the landscapes, landmarks, and ideas that transformed a cluster of colonial towns into the epicenter of a struggle for independence.

Rather than treating waste as an end point, cities and counties increasingly view it as a stream of materials that can be redirected, reused, and transformed. The communities around Washington, D.C., are no exception. Urban studies lecturer Bill Keene leads an exploration of three local facilities working to recover, reuse, and regenerate and the infrastructure that makes these efforts possible. Together, these sites illustrate a powerful local ecosystem of environmental stewardship.

The 2,650-acre campus of the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) in Edgewater, Maryland, encompasses forests, farmland, wetlands, and shoreline. Spend the day with SERC’s expert staff as you explore this environmental research hub and learn about its cutting-edge ecological studies. The day includes a walk along a waterfront trail and visits to the Woodlawn History Center and Global Change Research Wetland.

Founded in 1749, Alexandria, Virginia, was a major American port that was home to both the country’s largest slave-trading firm and a large free Black community. Local guide John Chapman leads a walking tour of the city’s OId Town neighborhood that takes in sites connected to this history, including a former office of slave traffickers, the site of a slave jail, and Shiloh Baptist Church, one of Alexandria’s original African American churches.

Founded in 1749, Alexandria, Virginia, was a major American port that was home to both the country’s largest slave-trading firm and a large free Black community. Local guide John Chapman leads a walking tour of the city’s OId Town neighborhood that takes in sites connected to this history, including a former office of slave traffickers, the site of a slave jail, and Shiloh Baptist Church, one of Alexandria’s original African American churches.