Nations Classroom Blog

Exciting news for anyone traveling to Washington, D.C. this fall!  After three years of extensive renovations, the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. has reopened to the public for the first time since 2016.  

In the most recent issue of Teach and Travel Magazine, Student & Youth Travel Association member tour operators selected five U.S. cities as the "Top Emerging Destinations" for student travel in 2019 - and one of our favorite NationsClassroom tour destinations made the list.  

The Washington Monument was ready to launch Tuesday night - or at least it appeared to be!  In honor of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, the east face of the famous D.C. monument will be illuminated every night this week with the 363-foot image of the Saturn V rocket, complete with a 40-foot-wide re-creation of the famous Kennedy Space Center countdown clock at the monument's base.

A class trip to Washington, D.C. is a great starting point for an educational experience of a lifetime. Going beyond the city to add another stop to your itinerary can offer new opportunities without adding much travel time.

Deepen your curricular connections, add science and technology experiences, or simply have a day of fun in these great cities.

A new exhibit is set to open at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. this week, and it's seriously funny.  No, really.  #SeriouslyFunny is trending on Twitter in anticipation of the Seriously Funny: From The Desk of "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" exhibit opening on June 21st.  

By now you may have heard that the building where the Newseum is housed (at 555 Pennsylvania Avenue) is being sold to John Hopkins University.  But what does that mean for school groups traveling to the Newseum in 2019?  We've got your answers.

Does your school have a student newspaper?  Would you like your school newspaper featured on the most famous street in the U.S.?  The Newseum in Washington, D.C. is showcasing student newspapers on their Front Pages app and as well as on their digital display on Pennsylvania Avenue - and yours could be next!

Are you heading to D.C. this year?  This week one of the most popular D.C. museums just made an exciting announcement.

Many of the monuments and memorials along the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and Smithsonian museums that were closed or partially-closed during the partial government shutdown are set to reopen tomorrow, January 29th.  These attractions were closed after the federal government shutdown began December 22, now the longest shutdown in U.S. history.

Here’s an overview of the previously-closed D.C. attractions that will reopen to the public on Tuesday, January 29th: