Nations Classroom Blog

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:

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!