All upcoming Travel programs

Frank Lloyd Wright left an indelible signature on the American Midwest: a legacy of buildings that trace the arc of his career as one of the world’s most significant and innovative architects. This 5-day tour led by historian Bill Keene offers a one-of-kind opportunity for a close-up look at a wide range of Wright’s designs in Illinois and Wisconsin, as well as visits to seminal works by other architects of the early and mid-20th century. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1 credit)

Naturalist Matt Felperin leads a two-day adventure for nature lovers that explores the Delaware Bay and its environs, where the diverse life of a tidal marsh and the expanse of the bay come together. From observing horseshoe crabs breeding by moonlight to visits to the Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, the Dupont Nature Center, and local beaches, the tour offers insights into a habitat in which a wide range of migratory shorebirds play a key role.

Tucked away along coastal Maine, Hog Island is the home of a National Audubon Society camp that has been operation since 1936. Isolated from the outside world and filled with both pristine forest and coastal habitats, the surrounding Muscongus Bay teems with terns, bald eagles, common eiders, and seals. Naturalist Matt Felperin shares his experiences at the camp, displays striking wildlife photos, and reveals why Hog Island should be on your bucket list of nature-education programs.

Beginning in the early 19th century, the artists who came to be known as the Hudson River School of painting visited and lived in the Catskill Mountains, drawn to the region’s sublime vistas. Over the course of a three-day tour, share the perspectives of these artists as historian Paul Glenshaw explores the homes and studios of Thomas Cole, Jasper Cropsey, and Frederic Church. A private tour of the William Louis-Dreyfus Foundation collection, a visit to the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, and lunch at an innovative local farm highlight today’s Hudson Valley. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1 credit)

Travel back to 1638 in Wilmington, Delaware, with a daylong immersive exploration led by transportation expert Scott Hercik. In that year, Swedish and Finnish settlers arrived on the ships Kalmar Nyckel and Fogel Grip, landing on the Christina River at the site of present-day Wilmington and eventually creating the first permanent European settlement in the Delaware Valley. The day includes visits to the Copeland Maritime Center and Museum and Old Swedes Historic Site and an afternoon voyage on a replica of the Kalmar Nyckel.

What do a giant rocking chair, the world’s largest wind chime, and a field of spray-painted Cadillacs have in common? Nothing much, except that they're all examples of the thousands of unique, amusing, and sometimes-bizarre roadside attractions that travelers across America visit each year. Travel expert Bill Clevlen offers some of the stories behind many of these quirky tourist magnets and reveals why they’re worth a stop­—or at least a photo op.

Historian Clay Jenkinson is a John Steinbeck scholar who is retracing the author’s 1960 Travels with Charley tour of America to explore the mood and face of the country on the eve of its 250th birthday. Jenkinson examines Steinbeck's extraordinary account of his road trip ­and his own attempt to make sense of what the author called "this monster country" by viewing it with fresh eyes during a spring-though-fall driving odyssey.

Tour guide and author Christopher Skutela leads you off the beaten path in Krakow, revealing sites where tourists don’t tend to go. Explore historic neighborhoods, one of the hidden health resorts in Poland, and a former socialist utopia district. Then get a breath of fresh air at Kosciuszko Mound and Bielany Hermitage and Woods.

The art of Impressionist-era creators is in the spotlight during a 2-day visit to three of Philadelphia’s outstanding collections led by art historian Ursula Rehn Wolfman. The Philadelphia Museum of Art exhibition “Mary Cassatt at Work” is devoted to the works of the Pennsylvania-born Impressionist, who challenged the conventional expectations of Philadelphia’s elite. “Matisse & Renoir: New Encounters at the Barnes” places masterpieces from the same period near each other and traces the development of these two artists. Showcased in an elegant Beaux-Arts–style building, the Rodin Museum’s collection of nearly 150 bronze, marble, and plaster sculptures represents every phase of Auguste Rodin’s career. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1 credit)

Over the course of the more than three decades he lived or visited there, the Badlands transformed Theodore Roosevelt into the kind of vigorous outdoorsman that he’d idealized as a youth—and that shaped his public image as president. Perhaps more importantly, this corner of the West turned him into a passionate conservationist. Experience the Badlands landscapes—filled with dramatic vistas, vividly colored canyons, and wandering herds of wild bison—on a 5-day study tour led by naturalist Melanie Choukas-Bradley.