Sometimes, though I ask forgiveness for it now, I've written that a trip to the White House Visitors Center is "almost better than" the actual White House experience for Washington DC group travel tours. I will never say that again.

The White House Visitors Center is a beautiful addition to group and student tours. It's a wonderful complement to the White House photo opportunities, which should be the least of any White House experiences you include in your itinerary, or to the White House tour itself. But it's not a replacement. And I know this because I was there this spring. And I had no idea as I sat in the White House Visitor's Center I was a very short walk from gazing on the real thing and getting beautiful photographs of it. I now feel I went to Washington D.C. without experiencing the White House at all. And it's the only, but a very real, disappointment from my time there.

Here's a little more about the White House Visitor's Center to help you make the most of the experience and not go home disappointed.

1. Seriously, try for the real thing.

Although I can't tell you from experience, I've heard a mixed message about the White House tour. I've heard it's a little dull and rather anticlimactic, but that it still brings with it the thrill of actually having been there. Nothing can compare to that reality, and there's no replacement for it. A tour there requires a lot of advanced planning and several details from each guest for security purposes. A secured tour there could also get canceled at any time depending on the White House schedule. Still, groups that have any interest at all in this experience should at least try for it.

2. What you'll see

The White House Visitor's Center is big and spacious, perfect for large groups. There is a video-viewing area and several other booths showcasing various aspects of the White House and its history. The video is actually very interesting, but it's not short. You'll want to allow plenty of time in the center if you plan to catch the entire thirty minutes. Plus, you won't want to rush through the booths. There's a lot to discover about former First Families and the White House itself.

3. And don't forget your glimpse of the real thing.

The White House Visitor's Center won't disappoint if you understand what you're getting. And thus far, it's an exhibit that could be transferred to a museum anywhere else in the country. What I mean is, the exhibits themselves won't give you the feeling that you've been in or anywhere near the White House. It's simply not as good as the real thing. It is, however, an excellent complement to it. If you can't get the White House tour, at least follow up your Visitor's Center experience with a walk down 15th St and then left on Pennsylvania Avenue for the iconic (and closer-to-the-street) view of the White House portico. You've read about it, watched the video, explored its architecture and design, and now you'll feel that you've been there.

Photo by mastermaq on Flickr.

I don't often think of L.A. If I were to leave the midwest climate I live in and only sometimes dislike, I'd probably go the other direction, to New York City. I'd like the change of pace that comes with being able to walk (or hop subways) anywhere you want to go. L.A., on the other hand, is for drivers.

There are two things that make me think very fondly of Los Angeles. One, is the weather. During those few Missouri days I deeply dislike, such as humid summer and freezing winter, I dream of the 70-year-round breezes in L.A. The other time I think of it is during my favorite nights of television: Award nights.

Since the 2010 Emmys took place in Los Angeles last night and I'm still mulling over the gowns and the speeches and the fantastic opening number a la Glee, I thought it would be a good day to highlight Los Angeles student tours and the exciting Hollywood attractions included in them.

Los Angeles is a great destination for graduation trips and other student tours largely emphasizing leisure. (Though don't rule out this city for educational tours as well). The Los Angeles area is a veritable theme park haven, and students could happily build an entire trip out of just visiting these.

Still, almost every group wants to get at least a taste of Hollywood when they visit this iconic part of the country so central to movie-land. And there are many fun attractions to include in that purpose. One of the most frequented, of course, is the Hollywood Walk of Fame with its legendary stars and the handprints, footprints and other memorabilia from your favorite celebrities from many different Hollywood genres.

If imprinted autographs are something you crave, Grauman's Chinese Theater also obliges and is perhaps the most iconic Hollywood landmark of all. Sid Grauman is credited for inventing the grand movie premiere. In front of the Chinese Theater he built, stars have been leaving their impressions since the classic days of Shirley Temple, Jimmy Stewart, and Marilyn Monroe. You'll find many messages here to the famous Sid plus impressions of horse's hooves, cigars, rhinestones, and other mementos. You'll also enjoy some of the iconic messages like "I'll be back," from the California governor who popularized the phrase in his most famous role.

And speaking of theaters, your Hollywood tour is definitely not complete without visiting the Kodak Theater. A new facility with a classic design, the Kodak was built to resemble European opera houses and is the permanent home for the Annual Academy Awards. You may also know this Hollywood landmark as the setting each year for the finale of American Idol. You and your group can tour the Kodak and learn all kinds of things about this amazing facility that you'd never know otherwise. It also holds live performances throughout the year.

Another popular Hollywood experience is to take the studio tours. Some are more entertaining than others, and we can help you choose the right one for your group. Of course, the one most famous is Universal Studios, which long ago turned its popularity into an actual theme park, making it easily the most fan-friendly studio tour of them all.

There's still more Hollywood to see when you visit the Hollywood Museum. This is the place for Hollywood memorabilia. You'll find all kinds of costumes and important pieces from your favorite films. Enter Hannibal's prison cell from Silence of the Lambs, for instance, or explore more light-hearted fare with wardrobes from the Harry Potter films, Hannah Montana, and High School Musical. There's really no end to the exciting movie madness you'll discover here.

If you still haven't got enough celebrity-stalking after all that, consider a hop-on/hop-off bus tour of celebrity homes and famous Hollywood sights. Though Los Angeles has a lot to offer in climate, beaches, theme parks, and museums, there's also plenty to choose from if you want your L.A. tour to just be all about Hollywood.

Photo by Te55 on Flickr.

I think my favorite part of traveling is the food. I look forward to eating out pretty much every meal, not having to cook, and savoring dishes I haven't thought of before.

This is a picture of my favorite restaurant experience on our recent New York City tour, and it brings to mind something I want to remember for future travel.

Commercial's Not Always the Way to Go

Places like Hard Rock Cafe and Planet Hollywood are always popular for student travel tours. We recommend them, and we use them a lot. Hard Rock is loud and energized, similar to the world of rock&roll that it celebrates. Its memorabilia is like a pop culture museum that comes with the price of a meal, and its menu is all-American and all your favorites. Planet Hollywood is a little more spacious but similarly a museum and a meal in one. This one celebrates film, and you're sure to sit beneath memorabilia from classics you love. You can even put your hand in the handprints of your favorite celebrities. Both are a fun experience.

And besides these, you can always stick with the chains we all know so well, like your favorite fast food or breakfast faves like Dennys. We promise we won't judge. Still, we might have a better idea. And, more importantly (if you're planning a trip on your own), the locals probably do.

Think Atmosphere and Hospitality

Playwright Irish Pub III was one of my favorite meals. And I can't say for certain if the food was actually prepared with more care or if it had more flavor. I think it was more that I was in an environment more conducive to actually noticing the food. I felt like I was sitting in a family environment, enjoying the best that household had to offer. It helped that we met the owner and spent a pleasant few minutes with him on the patio, hearing his story, the differences between our country and his home in Ireland. Though quite obviously a New York City favorite, and offering more than one location in the city, Playwright felt local. It didn't have a hint of those things that make critics cry "tourist trap."

We had a similar experience at Stage Door Delicatessen in the financial district. No experience, eating or otherwise, felt more truly New York than our lunch there. Again, we felt we received our sandwiches and sides over-the-counter from the owners themselves. It was such a family atmosphere, yet it was the most streamlined, and group-friendly, family restaurant I'd ever seen. They moved us through that line fast. It's an excellent choice for group travel tours, partly because of that, and partly because it's alive with the atmosphere visitors expect from their New York City tour.

So the next time you head to one of the major cities to which we customize educational tours, take a chance and ask us if we've heard of anything new, anything local, any dining experience that will turn into one of your favorite, most authentic experiences in the city. We promise to do our best, because we know how it feels when restaurant magic hits.

Did you know Washington D.C. is not just the National Mall?

That was all I had pictured - a long stretch of grass-covered rectangles, broken only by equally right-angled reflecting pools and a couple monuments and memorials. I knew the Smithsonian facilities flanked the space as well. But I failed to picture the city beyond this iconic section of it.

Then, the first day we ventured in the nation's capital, our guide took us to the streets just beyond the National Mall. We found ourselves zipping through beautiful architecture, beneath arched halls and columned walkways as our guide led us through shortcuts and the back or side doors (often the optimal choice for groups) to the Smithsonian facilities. This was a Washington D.C. I hadn't planned for, and it was a beautiful surprise.

It was during this fun discovery that we walked by this side of the National Archives Building (pictured), and our guide said, "And, of course, that's where Benjamin Gates ran out of the National Archives with a gift shop version of the Declaration of Independence, which was actually the real thing, in the movie National Treasure." Well, I don't know if I've mentioned my love of movies enough times for you to know where I'm going with this, but nothing could stop me from snapping this picture after that.

I am fascinated and drawn to movie locations. And the thing I love about them for the types of travel we provide (like Washington D.C. educational tours) is that students can find in them an immediate connection. Now, the history they're searching out, the national landmarks they're visiting, will actually appear familiar. And suddenly, since they can relate to it, they're more fully engaged with all the fascinating things to learn there.

I was, of course, equally moved by the inside of the National Archives building. Again, I remembered scenes from National Treasure. When I gazed at the original Declaration of Independence, I had a little trouble separating my own awe from that of Benjamin Gates from the film. The rotunda where this and other original documents are held is the most amazing part of this building, though not the only one. The National Archives has several exhibits perfect for student tours. Many are interactive and highly relevant, and all of them enlighten students on the importance (and difficulty) in chronicling our history through its important documents. For instance, imagine the dilemma now that so much is transacted online. Students will be especially drawn to this fascinating aspect of the Archives' current role.

If you want to make a National Treasure theme of your entire Washington D.C. tour, you'll really love visiting the tunnels at Mt. Vernon, which of course featured in the second National Treasure movie. Again, this is just a great way to keep your students engaged. If you can draw them in with something from pop culture they're familiar with, they're more likely to keep listening when you inspire them with amazing moments from history.

Some members of our group entered the National Holocaust Museum with trepidation. "I probably won't stay long," they said. We'd all seen the movies, watched at least parts of a documentary or two. And the horror of the holocaust felt like something we needed to know about but that we didn't want to see in any greater detail than we already had.

I had written about it, of course. I had described over and over the reasons to include an experience like this in Washington D.C. educational tours for students of every age. I knew that the goal of these museums was not just to expound on the history as a list of facts and tragic events from the past, but to enlighten us all on the process of hate and prejudice so we could watch for it in our own generation and fight it before it escalated to tragedy like this again.

I'd written it, and I knew it. But I didn't imagine how it would feel.

The National Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. is one of the most beautiful experiences you can add to any itinerary. Even those of us planning just to glimpse, we stayed and stayed and stayed.

Begin with Daniel's Story - that's our suggestion for student tours, and it's what we did. This beautiful exhibit takes visitors through the home, school, neighborhood, and heartbreaking history of a Jewish boy who lived during the Nazi regime and survived a concentration camp. You'll learn things you didn't realize about the experience leading up to the camp. You'll cry, as you've expected, as you watch the separation of families, the suffering, the tragic end of some.

But Daniel's Story tells is all through his eyes. It's told gently, as suited for children as the story could ever be told. It's a visceral experience. Children can turn the pages of Daniel's own journal - beautiful replicas of it. They can open his desk drawers, lift the window at the store his family owned. They watch as his world went from a cheerful childhood just like theirs to something frightening and uncertain.

Parents and educators will love Daniel's Story as well, a wonderful introduction to this museum that brings the history alive and introduces its guests again and again not just to the overall picture but to the lives, the actual men, women, and children who endured one of the worst eras in world history. Allow plenty of time for this tour. There are many exhibits here, all moving. Videos, literature, photographs, and artifacts all work together to tell the story in three distinct parts. You'll even find an outlet for your emotions with a chance for action after your tour.

There's so much to learn here and so much to do as we work together to fight similar injustice in our own generation.

Photo by _rockinfree on Flickr.

You may not even know about one of the prettiest memorials in Washington D.C.  It's not on the National Mall. It doesn't commemorate one amazing person, and it doesn't memorialize a war. Although that last part could be argued.

The 9/11 Memorial at the Pentagon is a beautiful and vivid tribute to those who died on the plane or because of the plane that crashed there on that horrific day. Like all of Washington D.C.'s monuments and memorials, this one was carefully and deliberately designed. You'll find it one of the most unique and haunting of the D.C. memorials and a must for Washington DC group travel tours.

You should be able to make out the basic concept in this photo by J Baker. The objects in the photograph are benches shaped to evoke the wing of a plane. The name of a passenger or other victim is inscribed beneath the bench in a shallow pool, which is illuminated at night. By reading the name, you can know quite a bit about the person it memorializes. The benches are arranged according to age, with the youngest victim first and the oldest last. If when reading the name, you face the Pentagon, that is where the memorialized person died. If when reading the name, you face the sky, that person died on the plane.

Like so many of D.C.'s memorials, this one is beautifully detailed and certainly something to visit during the day, but it is also breathtaking when illuminated at night. After viewing it, I was again inspired to look up books or internet sites devoted to the stories of the 9/11 victims. By arranging this memorial by age, the designers help bring us into the story of these lives. They no longer seem like just an endless sea of names. They were people, sometimes entire families, with so much behind them and so much ahead. It was a tragedy that their lives ended that day, and it's a beautiful thing that their names at least are etched permanently in a memorial in their honor.