We're putting a lot of new and fun destinations on our website thanks to the help of a lot of people excited about what their area has to offer. Places in the south, places surrounded by national parks and wildlife refuges, places rich with the settings for pivotal moments in American History, places…like Provincetown, Massachusetts.

I love this picture at right (provided by the Provincetown Convention and Visitors Bureau). Can you imagine being that close to a whale the size of which necessitates a tail fin as wide as you and the five people standing beside you? Well, in Provincetown, you don't have to imagine it any more. The Dolphin Fleet in Provincetown will even meet with your group beforehand for a lesson in how to make the most of your experience. They'll teach you what kind of wildlife to watch for and prepare you for how difficult it is to watch all of it at once! And besides the whales, birds, and other amazing wildlife, you'll get a beautiful view of the Cape Cod National Seashore with its historic lighthouses and abandoned settlements.

Art's Dune Tours is another way to explore this famous shore, which also includes the historic site known as First Landing, the very place where Pilgrim's first landed in the New World. Shortly afterwards, these same Pilgrims formed an alliance with those aboard the Mayflower. The resulting Mayflower Compact and its radically democratic precepts became the foundation for the U.S. Constitution.

All of this and more awaits on the Cape Cod National Seashore and in its very hospitable Provincetown, offering many ways to explore the area and experience Cape Cod student tours.

Did you ever hear that some famous celebrity jacket or historical artifact had been given to the Smithsonian? I knew it must be the country's most prestigious museum. But I had no idea how expansive it was. I didn't actually even know where it was. And maybe you don't either. Consider this a brief overview of perhaps the best museum in the world. Of course, Ben Stiller was in a movie recently that provides a pretty decent overview as well. If you prefer your info with a hijinx-heavy, story-driven plot, try Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. Otherwise, continue. Either way, I'll think you be convinced the Smithsonian is, alone, a brilliant reason for Washington D.C. student tours.

The Smithsonian is located in Washington D.C.

What better place for a collection of our nation's historical treasures than in its beautiful capital? The National Mall is a gorgeous expanse designed specifically to showcase monuments and memorials to our presidents, our founding fathers, and our prominent events. The Smithsonian is a group of museums that flank this beautiful expanse. A group, you say? Yep. The Smithsonian collection is so comprehensive it takes nineteen facilities to contain it. These facilities are amazing museums unto themselves, devoted to space exploration, art, history, popular culture, and more. Here's a breakdown of The Smithsonian highlights.

The Castle

Pictured here, the Castle is the visitor's center for the Smithsonian, the place to begin. You can view a 10-minute video here to help you get oriented to the Smithsonian's many facilities. You'll also find interactive touch screens for more information. Here, though, are some of the favorite Smithsonian museums. You could spend hours in any of them, but you could definitely include several of these in a trip to the Capital.

Air and Space

One of the most fascinating, you'll love this expansive, modern building displaying air and spacecraft from our history with the science of flight and exploration. It's a basic human condition, the need to discover, and you'll love how that desire is celebrated here and displayed in all its glory.

American History

This is where you'll find Dorothy's ruby slippers, Abe Lincoln's hat, Thomas Jefferson's desk, and the original star-spangled banner. Pop culture and the treasures of our history abound in this museum devoted to the irrepressible American spirit.

American Art

It's a beautiful thing to view history and the universe through the art of those who express it through creativity. Historical artifacts may give you an idea of what was, when it was, and what happened afterwards or before. The artwork of any given era, though, will tell you how it felt.

African Art

Few cultures express their history and their spirituality through so much of what they create. You'll find beautiful art work as well as unique functional pieces in this museum celebrating the African culture from the past and still thriving today.

Natural History

This green-domed museum celebrates the earth and amazing things about it you probably don't even know. A visit here is like a great adventure. Discover everything from butterflies to soil to curiously-colored gemstones and tons of amazing treasure from right here on planet earth.

National Zoo

Beyond the museums you'll find a unique Smithsonian facility in the National Zoo. Meet and discover animals from around the globe in this place devoted to research and the preservation of some of our neighbors in the animal kingdom.

This is just the beginning of the Smithsonian's facilities, a few of the highlights. There are several more as well. Remember to stop by the castle, and through one museum or several, you must make the Smithsonian a part of your D.C. tour.

Photo by yeowatzup on Flickr.

For many student groups, a midwest destination makes a lot more sense financially than an east or west coast one. If you fall into this group, Chicago may be just the place for you.

Chicago student tours are some of the most exciting we offer. There are many ways to experience the best of Chicago, and you can fit all of them into a 3 or 4-day tour of this amazing city.

This is a picture of Grant Park, known affectionately as Chicago's front yard. It is therefore a great way to start your Chicago visit. You may recognize the name of the park as the location for President Barack Obama's acceptance speech the night of the 2009 presidential election. It was a beautiful historic part of Chicago before, but that night has also made it a historic part of the nation. Nearby, you'll find the more modern addition to the park district in Millennium Park. Some of Chicago's favorite sites and gathering places are located here, from the photographic display at Crown Fountain to the amazing reflection of Chicago's skyline in the unique sculpture known as The Bean.

Speaking of Chicago's skyline, some say it rivals that of any other city. Chicago has always been an architectural center. Many of its buildings set the standard for art-deco and other modern architectural styles throughout the rest of the nation and even the world. Frank Lloyd Wright made his home and studio here for many years and was one of the great influencers on this Chicago reputation. You can explore this aspect of Chicago's fame in several ways. The speedboat "Seadog" is a fun way to view the skyline from the water. The tour begins at Navy Pier and offers either a 30-minute version or a 75-minute one that travels on the Lake and the River and focuses on architecture.

Chicago has a couple favorite observatories as well. Willis Tower (formerly Sears) is still the highest observatory deck in the city. It offers interactive info and unique photo opportunities as part of its charm. The Hancock Observatory offers innovative soundscopes in order to compete. Using them, you can actually hear cheering fans when you view Wrigley Field and other corresponding sounds to the scenes you see. If you have a problem with heights or just prefer up close and personal, though, a simple walking tour of the Loop or the Magnificent Mile can introduce you to this amazing city as well. On the Magnificent Mile you'll see the Historic Water Tower, one of the only buildings to survive Chicago's Great Fire in the 1800s. On the Loop, you'll see the city's amazing recovery with some of the brilliant skyscrapers and buildings designed after the Fire.

Besides the joy of exploring the city streets, Chicago offers world-class museums and entertainment, tons of great activities at places like Navy Pier, great food, and many other reasons to consider it for your next student tour or grad trip. Take a closer look and see if Chicago isn't just the city for you!

Photo by David Paul Ohmer on Flickr.

We do a lot of educational tours around here. And here's a tip, you can make an educational tour out just about anywhere you travel. There's so much to learn, so much to discover, wherever we go. And poetic depth aside, almost ever destination has historical sites, museums, guided tours, or educational programs if that's what you're looking for in a trip.

Graduation trips, on the other hand, are a unique breed. Historical sites probably aren't the first thing you're considering for that itinerary. Some people what the scrapbook from their graduation trip to read a little like that much-deserved vacation getaway after twelve long years of very hard work: "Here's the view from my towel on the beach…here's another….and another….oh, and here's the book I brought…more ocean…more beach…." Others want to pack as much amusement in as possible in preparation for the years of hard work ahead. These guys backpack through Europe, take a tour of the country's best theme parks, sample only the nightlife in a given destination and sleep through the day.

If you want to have the option of either? Orlando may be just the destination for you.

You could start your trip at a nice Orlando hotel or resort and get a several-park pass to one of the entertainment powerhouses in the area (Disney or Universal). Both offer some of the best amusement parks in the world. Universal's attractions are known for being innovative - entertainment and thrills rolled into one. Their new attraction, Harry Potter's World opens this year too. And you know Disney has something for just about everyone. Both parks have a special night for graduates that would be an exciting addition to any senior class trip.

And this is just the beginning of Orlando's options. There are other parks nearby, wildlife experiences (like swimming with manatees), clubs for an exciting nightlife, and entire districts (one each by Disney and Universal, for instance) with shopping, restaurants, and entertainment to choose from. But what if you need time away from the noise and entertainment? Maybe you want a place to escape with your closest friends and just flat out chill. That, my friends, is what the beach is for. And Cocoa Beach is the perfect choice. It's got plenty of sand and more ocean than any one person could need - which are kind of the only two things all that necessary for beach time, right?

And when it comes to sand and surf, Cocoa Beach has some of the best. It's one of the best surfing locations on Florida's east coast. Its beach is equipped for volleyball and with a pier for shopping, food and drinks. It definitely has everything you'll need for days of beach-time relaxation, which might be just the thing you want on your graduation trip.

Photo by GollyGforce on Flickr.

Part of Jamestown

Jamestown in Virginia is part of the Historic Triangle. Never heard of it? Three treasures from American history are situated in the area, making up this figurative triangle. The first is Jamestown divided into Historic Jamestowne (with statues, recreations of a church and Glass House, and the excavation of the original settlement) and the Jamestown Settlement (with recreations of the ships that brought the English settlers to the area and recreations of both the James Fort and a Powhatan Indian Village). The other two points of the triangle are Yorktown (scene for the final battle in the American Revolution) and Colonial Williamsburg (a working community straight from colonial America).

February is theme month in Jamestown - and probably in many more historic attractions around the country - as the month is dedicated to black history. Jamestown offers this amazing black history experience in its community.

From Africa to Virginia

This experience takes place at the Jamestown Settlement with its recreated ships, Indian village, and fort.There are several discovery centers here. The first known Africans in Virginia came from the kingdom of Ndongo in Angola. Jamestown gallery exhibits and a special gallery brochure through February will feature the experience of these Africans in 17th century Virginia. Daily tours are offered of the recreated centers - the ships, the Jamestown fort, and the Powhatan Indian Village - every hour until closing (which varies). During the last part of the month, February 13-28, visitors can compare the technology used in 17th century Virginia with the skills of Africans in Angola. Skills featured include fishing, hunting, construction, and metalworking.

This special exhibit in Jamestown also tells the story of the Africans to arrive at the Jamestown settlement after they were captured from a Portuguese ship on its way from Angola to Mexico. Visitors to the recreated ships will experience the tale through role play. It's a fascinating look at black history at a prominent American landmark and a unique addition to Williamsburg educational tours.

Photo by Ken Lund on Flickr.

Boston's Skyline

It's Black History Month, and one of our favorite cities features many attractions perfect for black history.

The city is Boston, pictured here. There's a lot to love about Boston ad many reasons for Boston educational tours. Visiting its historic sites puts you in the middle of the American Revolution and the first brave steps of our country as an independent nation. It's cliche, but seriously, history comes alive here. Sometimes literally - as you can view reenactments of several historical events and of legendary people, like the Boston Massacre and Paul Revere.

Many of Boston's historic sites dating to the American Revolution are organized in a red-brick route known as the Freedom Trail. It's on this self or expert-guided tour that you'll visit Boston Common, Old North Church (where Paul Revere's message was declared by that famous lantern light), the Boston Massacre Site, and all of the attractions listed at the bottom of this post.

Boston has a wonderful African-American heritage as well. The first blacks in the city were slaves, but by 1700 a free black community had emerged in the north end. By the census in 1790, not one slave was reported.

Though it wasn't easy, the black population in Boston set to work building their community, carving a place for their children and their children's children. The Black Heritage Trail celebrates those efforts, memorializing the African Meeting House, a school, and prominent residences. The historic tour describes each of them and the fascinating history of the black community in eighteenth century Boston. The tour continues inside at the African Meeting House and Abiel Smith School.

These are two Boston tours perfect for educational tours, but the city has so much more to offer as well. The Freedom and Black Heritage Trails are only the beginning.

Attractions: Boston Freedom Trail

• Boston Common
• Massachusetts State House
• Park Street Church
• Granary Burying Ground
• King's Chapel and Burying Ground
• First Public School Site and Ben Franklin Statue
• Former Site of the Old Corner Bookstore
• Old South Meeting House
• Old State House
• Boston Massacre Site
• Faneuil Hall
• Paul Revere House
• Old North Church
• Copp's Hill Burying Ground
• USS Constitution and Charlestown Navy Yard
• Bunker Hill Monument

Photo by ReneS on Flickr.