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Tours
Smithsonian is a mask-friendly environment. Masks are strongly recommended to be worn on buses at all times and may also be required at various indoor sites.
Study Tours are designed for people who want more than just a getaway, Smithsonian Associates expert-led tours offer one-of-a-kind travel experiences.
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn 1 credit
Bus Tour An Artful Weekend in New York
The Whitney, the Met, and the Neue Galerie
Enjoy an art-filled weekend escape to Manhattan that gives you plenty of time to take in several of the most intriguing exhibits on view in three cultural powerhouses—and a night on the town to enjoy as you like. Art historian Ursula Rehn Wolfman leads the visit, which highlights early 20th-century artists and their works. A special Whitney Museum Metropolitan Museum of Art feature of the excursion is a private visit to the renowned Neue Galerie New York—before opening hours—to view the Ronald S. Lauder Collection, which presents selections from the collection of the museum’s co-founder and president. The Whitney Museum of American Art’s major exhibition, At the Dawn of a New Age: Early Twentieth-Century American Modernism, showcases art produced between 1900 and 1930 by American modernists. The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Cubism and the Trompe l’Oeil Tradition exhibition offers a radically new view of Cubism by demonstrating its engagement with the age-old tradition of trompe l’oeil painting. While the Neue Galerie focuses on Austrian and German art and culture of the early 20th century, the Ronald S. Lauder Collection includes around 500 selections of Greek and Roman antiquities, medieval art, arms and armor, Neue Galerie and Italian gold-ground and Old Master paintings, many on view to the public for the first time. Participants stay at the Art Deco-era Hotel Edison in the heart of the Theater District—a perfect location for visiting the TKTS booth for discount tickets to a show on Saturday evening. Sat., Jan. 21, 8 a.m. to Sun., Jan. 22, 10:30 p.m.; by bus; CODE 1CN-TMG; Members $605; Nonmembers $805; single-room supplement $100
Bus Tour The Philadelphia Flower Show 2023
The Garden Electric
The spark of joy that comes while giving or receiving flowers inspires the theme of this year’s Philadelphia Flower Show, The Garden Electric. Started in 1829 by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, the show is the nation’s largest and the world’s longest-running horticultural event.
In addition to showcasing acres of garden displays, the show introduces plant varieties and garden and design concepts and features competitions, gardening presentations, and demonstrations. Led by Sara Do-Zhu, horticulturist at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, step into this world of natural beauty in a day spent at the show. Mon., March 6, 9 a.m.–8:30 p.m.; by bus; detailed tour information on website; CODE 1CD-006; Members $180; Nonmembers $230
Artist’s rendering of the Bloom Bar
A New Year of Delightful Destinations
Smithsonian Associates Overnight Tours for 2023
Our study tours are designed for people who want more than just a getaway: They offer one-of-a-kind experiences combined with opportunities to gain new insights into the topics that fascinate you. Whether you’re a fan of history, art, music, nature, or architecture—or simply love exploring new places— these expert-led excursions offer a year’s worth of tempting travels. Several of our most popular tours return to the schedule, offering you another chance to join us on these adventures—before they sell out again!
An Artful Weekend in New York Sat., Jan. 21–Sun., Jan. 22 (on sale now; see p. 57) Enjoy an escape to Manhattan that includes the Whitney Museum, Neue Galerie, Metropolitan Museum of Art—and a night on the town for yourself. Leader: Ursula Rehn Wolfman All Eyes on Pittsburgh Sun., Mar. 26–Tues., Mar. 28 (on sale now; see p. 60) An art-filled three days— highlighted by the 58th Carnegie International exhibition—shows off how the city of smokestacks and steel has been reborn as a cultural capital. Leader: Richard Selden
By Popular Demand The Best of Brooklyn Sun., Apr. 16–Mon., Apr. 17 (on sale Feb. 1) Brooklyn offers plenty of delights for lovers of art, music, nature, and food. An arts journalist and former Brooklynite introduces you to several of its top attractions. Leader: Richard Selden Frank Lloyd Wright: Masterworks in the Midwest Sun., May 21–Thurs., May 25 (on sale now; see p. 61) This tour for architecture lovers includes Chicago-area visits to Unity Temple and the Robie House, a gem in Wright’s signature Prairie style, and the Wisconsin sites of his estate, Taliesin, and the Jacobs House, the first of the innovative Usonian residences. Leader: Bill Keene
A Mountain Rail Extravaganza Fri., June 2–Sun., June 4 (on sale March 1) Stunning spring vistas, vintage locomotives, and West Virginia history are on the itinerary for a weekend spent riding the Cass Scenic Railroad and other mountain routes. Leader: Joe Nevin
A Berkshires Summer Sampler Sun., July 30–Thurs., Aug. 3 The scenic and historic Berkshire hills of western Massachusetts are alive with music, art, and theatre. A 5-day tour offers a splendid sampling of cultural attractions in the region. Leader: Richard Selden
DAVID SCHLEGEL
The Neustadt Collection and Queens Museum August 2023
Opulence is the focal point for a weekend in New York with visits to the Queens Museum and the Neustadt—the premier collection of works and archives of Tiffany glass. Leaders: Elizabeth Lay, Lindsy Parrott Theodore Roosevelt’s North Dakota Sat., Sept. 16–Wed., Sept. 20
Fly west and experience the wild beauty of the Dakota Territory that shaped young Theodore Roosevelt’s course as a conservationist and naturalist. Leader: Melanie Choukas-Bradley Fall in the Shenandoah Oct. 2023
Celebrate the beauty of Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park as you hike its trails and take in the panoramas from Skyland, your historic lodge nestled along Skyline Drive. Leader: Keith Tomlinson
The Corning Museum of Glass Wed., Nov. 1–Sat., Nov. 4
This glass-lover’s dream tour offers a true insider’s experience at the renowned museum, including many curator-conducted sessions. Leader: Bill Keene Discover Queens Sun., Nov. 12–Mon., Nov. 13 Our series of explorations of New York City’s outer boroughs continues with a visit to the largest of all. Leader: Richard Selden
Note: All tour dates and content are subject to change.
Travel insurance is advised for overnight and multi-day tours. Travel insurance provides additional coverage against unforeseen incidents that require last-minute cancellations. If you wish to purchase travel insurance, you can do so on your own. Smithsonian Associates does not do this for you. Overnight tours are non-refundable.
Smithsonian is a mask-friendly environment. Masks are strongly recommended to be worn on buses at all times and may also be required at various indoor sites.
National Building Museum
Bus Tour Montgomery Meigs in Washington
Beyond the Civil War
Montgomery Meigs is best known as the quartermaster general of the Union Army during the Civil War. Less known, however, is that he also was an engineer, architect, inventor, patron of the arts, and a Smithsonian regent. As such, Meigs left an indelible impression on the face of the capital city, from the dome of the U.S. Capitol to the Smithsonian Arts and Industries building, and more. Explore his legacy during a full day of history and architecture in Washington, D.C., led by history, urban studies, and architecture lecturer Bill Keene. The tour visits the Arts and Industries Building, the National Building Museum, Battleground National Cemetery, and the Commissary Sergeant’s Quarters at Fort Myer, as well as views other buildings and works by Meigs. Fri., March 24, 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.; by bus; CODE 1CD-007; Members $160; Nonmembers $210
Battleground National Cemetery
Bus Tour All Eyes on Pittsburgh
The centerpiece of this art-filled three-day visit to Pittsburgh—a city of smokestacks and steel reborn as a cultural capital—is the 58th Carnegie International exhibition, held every three to five years at the Carnegie Museum of Art. The latest edition displays the work of more than 30 artists, both rising stars and celebrated figures.
In addition, the tour led by arts journalist Richard Selden visits alternative-art venue the Mattress Factory, the museum devoted to Pittsburghborn pop-art king Andy Warhol, and the former estate of industrial baron and art collector Henry Clay Frick, an associate of Andrew Carnegie. The itinerary includes a walking The Duquesne Incline overlooking downtown Pittsburghand tasting tour of Pittsburgh’s revived market center, the Strip District; a ride on the 1877 Duquesne Incline cable car to view a panorama of downtown; and lunch at the National Aviary. View of Julian Abraham “Togar” installation from Sun., March 26, 8 a.m.–Tues., March 28, 10 p.m.; by bus; detailed tour Rijksakademie Open Studios, Amsterdam, 2021 at the 58th Carnegie International information on website; CODE 1CN-PIT; Members $1,045; Nonmembers $1,375
Smithsonian is a mask-friendly environment. Masks are strongly recommended to be worn on buses at all times and may also be required at various indoor sites.
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn 1 credit 5-Day Tour Frank Lloyd Wright: Masterworks in the Midwest
Frank Lloyd Wright left an indelible signature on the American Midwest: a legacy of buildings that trace the arc of his career as one of the world’s most significant and innovative architects. A 5-day tour led by historian Bill Keene offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity for a close-up look at a wide range of Wright’s designs in Illinois and Wisconsin, as well as visits to seminal works by other architects of the early and mid-20th century.
Highlights of the tour are visits to four of the eight Wright masterworks on the UNESCO World Heritage List: Unity Temple, his first religious structure; the Frederick C. Robie House, a gem in Wright’s signature Prairie style; Taliesin, Wright’s home, studio, school, and estate in Wisconsin; and the Herbert and Katherine Jacobs House, his first work of Usonian domestic architecture.
In addition to site visits, an architectural boat tour of Chicago places Wright’s designs in the context of the history-making works by the myriad architects who defined its urban identity. And even the tour’s hotel in Wisconsin has a Wright connection–literally. The Hilton Madison Monona Terrace is linked by skywalk to the waterfront civic center designed by Wright in 1938, a project that took 59 years to become a reality. Program begins Sun., May 21, 6 p.m., with dinner in Chicago, and ends Thurs., May 25 with an afternoon transfer to the Chicago Airport; detailed tour information on website; CODE 1NN-MID; Members $2,295; Nonmembers $2,695; single-room supplement $450 IMPORTANT NOTE: Flights are not included; participants make independent flight arrangements to Chicago. Once the tour has reached its minimum registration, participants will be notified and encouraged to purchase airline tickets. This will occur no later than 60 days prior to the start of the program. Additional information will be sent via email. Participants are advised to purchase trip insurance from a provider of their choice.
Travel insurance is advised for overnight and multi-day tours. Travel insurance provides additional coverage against unforeseen incidents that require last-minute cancellations. If you wish to purchase travel insurance, you can do so on your own. Smithsonian Associates does not do this for you. Overnight tours are nonrefundable.
Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio, Oak Park
ELISA.ROLLE
Taliesin and Hillside School, Spring Green
Highlights of this unique visit designed for architecture lovers
Illinois • Unity Temple (Oak Park) • The Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio (Oak Park) • Frederick C. Robie House (Chicago) • The Edith Farnsworth House (Plano; designed by
Mies van der Rohe) • Backstage visit at the Auditorium Theater (Chicago; designed by Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler) • Architectural boat tour of Chicago
Wisconsin • SC Johnson Administration Building and Research Tower (Racine) • Herbert and Katherine Jacobs House (Madison) • Taliesin and Hillside School (Spring Green)
