top of page
The East Coast

The East Coast

This trip covers the historic east coast.  From the recreated settlement at Plimoth Plantation, along Boston's Freedom Trail, taking in the sites of the Big Apple, seeing the Birthplace of Freedom in Philadelphia, and then exploring what our nation's capital city of Washington, D.C. has to offer.

  • Program Highlights

    Almost all American Christian Tours Education Programs doing the East Coast Tour Program will typically include:
    • United States Capitol Building
    • Supreme Court
    • Library of Congress
    • Night Illumination Tour of the national monuments and memorials (Lincoln, Jefferson, FDR, MLK, Jr., World War II, Vietnam and Korean War)
    • Smithsonian Museums
    • Ford's Theater and the Petersen House
    • Arlington National Cemetery
    • 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
    • Tour of Freedom Trail including a picture stop of Paul Revere's house, The Old North Church, and the USS Constitution.
    • Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall
    • Top of the Prudential Building
    • Tour at Harvard University
    • Lexington Green and Concord - The Old North Bridge, Orchard House, and Walden Pond.
    • A visit to Plimoth Plantation and the Mayflower II in Plymouth, Massachusetts
       
    Trips of moderate length will also typically include:
    • The National Archives
    • George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate
    • White House Photo Stop
       
    Trips of optimal length might also add the following:
    • Full visit of the Holocaust Museum or the International Spy Museum
    • White House Tour - (dependent on approval of request)
    • National Cathedral Tour
    • NBC Studio Tour
    • Madison Square Garden Tour
    • United Nations Tour
    • Visits to various NYC museums and galleries.
  • Climate

    This trip covers about 450 miles heading northeast along the coast.
    Fall and spring are mild and the most pleasant seasons along the mid-Atlantic to New England. in summer (June-August) temperatures can exceed 90 degrees Fahrenheit and in winter (December-March) can occasionally fall below 10 degrees Fahrenheit.  Alternating hot and cold spells are common. Expect frequent rain showers in the spring months of April and May, with occasional thunderstorms and spells of humidity in the summer. Windy snow showers and ice storms blow in during the winter months.

     

    The weather in Boston, like much of New England, can change rapidly. It is not uncommon for the city to experience temperature swings of 30°F or more over the course of several days. The city averages 42 inches of rain and also 42 inches of snow a year.

     

    The important thing for travlers is to be prepared, especially in winter and early spring for a wide variety of climate on this trip.  It could be warm and sunny starting off and then be bitterly cold and windy at the end or vice versa and everything in between.
  • 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

    • Standing 180 feet under the dome of the United State's Capitol in the Rotunda.
    • Watching the Changing of the Guard Ceremony in Arlington National Cemetery.
    • Seeing the Liberty Bell up-close and personal
    • Standing in the Assembly Room of Independence Hall - (From 1775 to 1783 this was the meeting place for the Second Continental Congress. It was in the Assembly Room of this building that George Washington was appointed commander in chief of the Continental Army in 1775 and the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776. In the same room the design of the American flag was agreed upon in 1777, the Articles of Confederation were adopted in 1781, and the U. S. Constitution was drafted in 1787.)
    • Getting up close to the Statue of Liberty.  At this time it is difficult to get into the Statue, but just seeing her close is a treat!
    • Standing in Times Square at nighttime.
    • Seeing a Broadway Show
    • Touring Boston's Freedom Trail.  This 2.5 mile trail from Beacon Hill to Bunker Hill is a red painted or red brick line that takes a person through Boston and along its very historic sites.  The Old North Church, Paul Revere's House, The USS Constitution, and the site of the Boston Massacre are favorites.
    • Seeing the Old North Church and hearing the story of Paul Revere.
  • Get Prepared

    WATCH

    • Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, 1939, Columbia Pictures.National Treasure, 2004, Touchstone 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.
    • Johnny Tremain, 1957, Walt Disney (VHS released 2003)Monumental: In Search of America's National Treasure, 2012, Kirk Cameron ​

    READ
    • Article 1, Section 8, Clause 17 of the United States Constitution.  This is where the Constitution establishes a district that will later be known as the District of Columbia - the capital of our nation.
    • The Declaration of Independence and The United States Constitution.
    • The New Colossus - a poem by Emma Lazarus about the Statue of Liberty.
    • The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere,  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1860 - a classic American poem.
    • Of Plymouth Plantation: 1620-1647 by William Bradford
       
    LISTEN
    • 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. The song finishes as Rocky completes his famous run up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and raises his arms in a victory pose. The song is also often played at sporting events.
    • New York, New York - Fred Ebb/John Kander,  famous song about New York - normally found being sung by Frank Sinatra.
    • Dropping  "R"s after "A"s, like the infamous "Pawhk the Cawh." (park the car)
      The "R"s also can get lost after other vowels as well, especially "ee" sounds, as in "He stee-id the cawh into the ditch." (he steered the car into the ditch)
      These missing "R"s do get used eventually, usually by adding them to places like onto the end of "uh" sounds. A good example of this would be, "I was driving in my cawh when I got a wicked idea-r.
      Also, one-syllable words with long "I" sounds, such as "fine," often turn into two-syllable words like, "I feel f-eye-in today so I think I'll go to the pawhk!"
  • Senses

    EAT
    • Being a capital city, Washington, D.C. is home to people from all over the world.  Be adventurous and try some ethnic food.
    • Also Washington is close to the Chesapeake Bay.  There is good seafood around Washington.  We recommend the clam chowder at the Fish Market in Alexandria.
    • A Philly Cheesesteak sandwich, a hoagie or a soft pretzel.
    • Bagels with cream cheese
    • New York-style pizza
    • Hot dog, pretzels, or roasted nuts from a street vendor.
    • Boston has wonderful seafood - try some clam chowder.  Or if seafood is not your thing, try the Yankee Pot Roast.  Don't forget some Boston creme pie.
       
    DRINK
    • If you can, find a water ice or Italian ice. Yum!
    • Hires Root Beer - created in Philadelphi in 1876
    • Starbucks.  It seems like there is a Starbucks on almost every other corner in New York City.  
    • Tea! - in Boston.
    • And, of course, water.  Keep hydrated!
     
  • In A Word:

    • Washington, D.C. - Monumental.
    • Philadelphia - Independence.
    • New York City - Awake!
    • Boston - Freedom!
    • Lexington/Concord - Revolution.
    • Plymouth - Thankful.
  • Surprises

    • 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.
    • Independence Hall seems so small compared to the large, tall buildings of the rest of downtown Philadelphia.
    • 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.
    • Manhattan comes from a Lenape word Manna-hata meaning "island of many hills."  Many of them have been flattened over time.
    • 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.
    • How the height of the Statue of Liberty - once the the tallest structure in New York City at 305 feet tall - compares with all of the tall buildings today (many over 1,000 feet tall).
    • The tea that was thrown over by the mob at the Boston tea party, could have made over 24 million cups of tea and was worth $1.7 million in today's standards.
    • In the Boston Massacre, 5 Bostonians were killed by British soldiers.
    • The first winter of Plymouth Colony was rough and many of the colonists died of disease and conditions.  The Mayflower sailed with 102 emigrants and of the 102, only 57 survived. Close to fifty percent of the original colonists died the first year.
  • Included Cities and Destinations

    • Washington, D.C.
    • Philadelphia
    • New York City
    • Boston
    • Plymouth
bottom of page