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The Eastern Seaboard

The Eastern Seaboard

This program takes you to some of our nation's most historic sites.  You will walk colonial streets, visit presidential homes, climb the marble steps of memorials, run across Civil War battlefields, see unique expressions of religious freedom, pause at the Liberty Bell and be awed by the lights of Broadway.

  • Program Highlights

    Most American Christian Tours Education Programs doing the Eastern Seabord Tour Include:

    • United States Capitol Building
    • Supreme Court
    • Library of Congress
    • Night Illumination Tour of the national monuments and memorials (Lincoln, Jefferson, FDR, MLK, World War II, Vietnam and Korean Wars)
    • Smithsonian Museums
    • Arlington National Cemetery
    • Museum of the Bible
    • Evening Colonial Tavern Dinner
    • Evening "Lanthorn" Tour or Special Evening Program at Colonial Willamsburg.
    • Guided Study Visit of Colonial Willamsburg
    • Jamestown Settlement
    • Yorktown Museum of the American Revolution
    • Yorktown Surrender Field
    • St. John's Church - Richmond
    • Monticello - Thomas Jefferson's estate
    • Gettysburg National Military Park     
    • Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center
    • Cyclorama
    • Guided Battlefield Tour
    • Amish Countryside Tour
    • Amish Farm Stop
    • The Amish Experience - theater
    • Amish family-style meal
    • Amish House Tour
    • Liberty Bell Pavilion
    • Independence Hall Tour
    • Congress Hall
    • The Constitution Center - "Freedom Rising."
    • Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
    • Time on Fifth Avenue and at Rockefeller Center
    • Observation Deck of the Empire State Building or the Top of the Rock
    • Broadway Play (additional expense)
    • 9/11 Memorial and Museum

                                                                         
    With extended time or an additional day the program may include:

    • The National Archives
    • Ford's Theatre and the Petersen House
    • George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate
    • Additional memorials (Air Force, Iwo Jima, Pentagon)

  • Climate

    This trip covers a distance of about 400 miles going south to north. 
    In the winter months travelers should be prepared for major temperature and climate changes.  The trip could start off warm and sunny in the Historic Triangle with highs in the 70's and then then experience cold bitter temperatures with highs in the 20's and snow in the New York City area and everthing in between.
     
    In the spring months, be prepared for comfortable temperatures but also be ready for periods of rain.  The spring can also get warm and humid.
    During the summer months the temperatures up and down the East Coast tend to be warm to hot with highs in the 80's and 90's.  There is usually a good chance of it also being humid.  Showers are always a possibility.
     
    Fall tends to be more comfortable with cooler temperatures.  It also is usally drier.

  • Geography

    The East Coast is a relatively low coast with northern portion shaped by glaciers with large offshore islands, The coastal plain broadens south of New York separated from the Piedmont region by what is known as the Atlantic Seaboard fall line of East Coast rivers.  Usually at this fall line are prominent sites of cities. The coastal areas from Long Island south are often made up of barrier islands that line the coastal areas.

  • Essentials

    • Visting candlelight buildings on a Colonial Williamsburg evening Lanthorn Tour with a costumed guide.
    • The "nickel view" of Monticello.
    • Gazing at the ceiling of the Rotunda 180 feet above you underneath the dome of the United State's Capitol.
    • Watching the Changing of the Guard Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery.
    • Standing on top of Little Round Top and imagining the fields below filled with soldiers, cannon, horses, and smoke.
    • Watching Amish buggys clip along the narrow roads of Lancaster County
    • Walking into the Assembly Room of Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence was approved and U.S. Constitution was written.
    • Seeing the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor.

  • Get Prepared

    WATCH

    • Williamsburg: The Story of a Patriot, 1957, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
    • Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, 1939, Columbia Pictures.
    • National Treasure, 2004, Touchstone Pictures.Gettysburg, 1993, Turner Pictures.
    • 1776, 1972, DVD or VHS Directed by: Peter H. Hunt Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
    • This is a historical musical comedy about the events of 1776.
    • Here is a link to a virtual reality panoramic photo from the top of the Empire State Building.

    ​​

    READ

    • Forbes, Esther.  Johnny Tremain,  Yearling, 1944, reissue edition (1987)
    • The Declaration of Independence and The United States Constitution.
    • The New Colossus - a poem by Emma Lazarus about the Statue of Liberty.


    LISTEN

    • Colonial fife and drum music. Patriotic marches;President's Inaugural Addresses;Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" Speech; Marian Anderson singing at the Lincoln Memorial."Gonna Fly Now" - Bill Conti/Carol Connors. The song, from the Rocky movie, became part of American Popular Culture after main character Rocky Balboa completed his daily training regimen while the song plays. New York, New York - Fred Ebb/John Kander, famous song about New York - normally found being sung by Frank Sinatra.

  • Senses

    EAT
    • If you have time, eat lunch at one of the Colonial Williamsburg Taverns. They are located along the Duke of Gloucester Street.  They tend to be busy in the spring, so it may be challenging to get in.
    • Being a capital city, Washington, D.C. is home to people from all over the world.  Be adventurous and try some ethnic food.
    • A Philly Cheesesteak sandwich.
    • Bagels with cream cheese
    • New York-style pizza
    • Hot dog, pretzels, or roasted nuts from a street vendor.
       
    DRINK
    • Colonial-style bottled root beer and apple cider (found in shops along Duke of Gloucester Street or at vendors in the Market Square) is a tasty drink.
    • Starbucks.  It seems like there is a Starbucks on almost every other corner in New York City.  
    • And, of course, water.  Keep hydrated!

  • In A Word:

    • Jamestown - Beginning.
    • Colonial Williamsburg - Proper.
    • Yorktown - Victory!
    • Monticello - Visionary.
    • Washington, D.C. - Monumental.
    • Gettyburg - Sacrifice.
    • Lancaster County - Simple.
    • Philadelphia - Independence.
    • New York City - Awake!

  • Surprises

    • Eighty-eight (88) of the buildings in Colonial Williamsburg are original to the Revolutionary (1770's) period! 
    • From June until September of 1781, the French and American troops marched from Newport, Rhode Island to Yorktown, Virginia where they forced the British troops to surrender.  The distance they marched was 680 miles!
    • The Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts 13 years after Jamestown was established. Between 1608 and 1624 approximately 6,000 people made Jamestown their home. Only 3,400 of them survived.
    • The home of Monticello has forty-three rooms.  The original design had fourteen rooms.
    • The Capitol dome remains the tallest building in Washington, D.C., due to a rule within the building codes. The only exception to this rule is the Washington Monument, but this structure is not considered a building.
    • Of the over 51,000 casualties in the three day Battle of Gettysburg, only one civilian in the town of Gettysburg was killed - 20 year old Jenny Wade.
    • The Amish call all non-Amish - "English"
    • The the statue of William Penn (Philadelphia's Founder) on the top of Philadelphia's City Hall is 37 feet tall.  It is the tallest statue to stand atop any building in the world.
    • In New York City, over 800 languages are spoken by a significant portion of the population - making it the most linguistically diverse city in the world.

  • Included Cities and Destinations

    Colonial Williamsburg / Jamestown / Yorktown / Richmond / Monticello / Washington, D.C. / Gettysburg / Lancaster County / Philadelphia / New York City

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