Nations Classroom Blog

Curious what it's like to be a teacher trip leader while on a class trip with NationsClassroom?  Middle School teacher John Wheeler first started taking students to Washington, D.C. in 1993 - and has never looked back.  In today's blog post, John shares his experiences traveling with students and NationsClassroom tour guides:

What can you expect when traveling to Washington, D.C. during a federal government shutdown?  Rest assured, your itinerary should remain relatively unchanged. In today’s blog, we have the answers to which attractions in D.C. remain open and which attractions are temporarily closed.

The New Year has brought new changes to the D.C. parking scene, which is good news for our tour groups traveling via motorcoaches.  Did you know that according to the National Park Service, 1,200 motorcoaches arrive each day in D.C. during peak travel season.  Luckily for our student tour groups, traveling D.C. by motorcoach just got easier.

Located inside a mixed-use commercial building complex two blocks away from the vicinity of the National Mall and adjacent Smithsonian museums, the L’Enfant Plaza Food Court makes for an excellent and suitable lunchtime destination for NationsClassroom school groups.

US News & World Report has come out with their “17 Best Things to do in Washington, D.C.” list - can you guess which Washington, D.C. attractions made their top five?

Not surprisingly, their top five attractions are some of our most popular student group attractions when putting together travel itineraries with teachers.  In fact, for each of the top five attractions below, we’ve linked to our blog post providing you personal reviews with the licensed tour guides we work with at NationsClassroom.  For each blog post, our guides provide their tips and advice for taking school groups these popular D.C. spots.

One of the trickiest parts of planning a group trip is finding dining options large enough to accomodate your group, flexible enough to be able to pop in without reservations, and with enough variety to appease even your pickiest eaters.  Sound about right?  In this article Christian Mirasol, a licensed Washington, D.C. tour guide, reviews the Ronald Reagan Building Food Court - which might just be the answer to your dining problems!

Taking a trip to Washington, D.C.?  There’s a new observation deck in town, and in our opinion, it’s worth the trip!  From atop the CEB Tower in Rossyln, VA (just across the Potomac River from D.C.) , spectators will have a unique view of Arlington National Cemetery, Reagan National Airport, along with the U.S. Capitol, monuments on the National Mall and more.  Read on for our Tour Manager Erika’s review of the observation deck.

Have you ever wanted to have a sleepover next to the U.S. Constitution?  Or have a nighttime scavenger hunt around the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence?  This is now possible, thanks to a program hosted by the National Archives in Washington, D.C.

After several days exploring the sights and sounds of Washington, D.C., walking an average of 20,000 steps a day, taking hundreds of selfies, and creating memorable experiences with friends and teachers, school trip leaders often incorporate a pleasure-filled activity to reward themselves for a successful trip to the Nation’s Capital.  Enter Smokey Glen Farm.

On this day in 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention, after four months of deliberations, signed the Constitution of the United States of America. 

But did you know that 71% of Americans cannot identify the Constitution as the supreme law of the land (2012 Xavier University Study) and that 32% of Americans can identify all three branches of government outlined in the Constitution (2018 Annenberg Constitution Day Civics Survey).

Looking for a lesson plan to help students grasp the magnitude of this day 231 years ago?