At the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers lies Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, a small town whose dramatic setting became the stage for one of the most consequential events in the struggle over slavery. Historian Christopher Hamner leads a day-long exploration of the site of John Brown’s 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry, an attempt by the radical abolitionist to spark a nationwide slave uprising. Though the raid lasted little more than 36 hours, its repercussions reverberated across the nation and helped propel the United States toward civil war.

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.

Against the backdrop of the Great Depression, the New Deal ignited an unprecedented use of government resources to address crucial public services as a way to kick-start the American economy. But President Franklin Roosevelt said that in a hundred years, his New Deal would be remembered more for its arts than its job relief. Discover landmarks, art—including dramatic bas reliefs and monumental sculptures—and other projects from the New Deal period with author David Taylor during a walking tour in Washington, D.C.

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.