We just sent out an email to each ACTS EPL with a mid-season message/update. Please read through it at your earliest convenience! We so appreciate all of you and your hard work. Blessings as we plow through the second half of the Spring 2023 season!

East Coast Schedules are posted through the first week of April. There will be more. Thank you for your patience. Please let Jay know asap thumbs up or not for what is currently posted. Thank you!

The following is the most recent updates from the Library of Congress and the Supreme Court. If you do not have a reservation or this planned in your itinerary it becomes very challenging to just drop in on these venues with a group. For your information: Library of Congress – tunnel to Capitol Visitor Center remains Closed - No current plans to reopen. Supreme Court – Info current 1/31 – Lectures are now back but very limited and the schedule is only released 30 days out. The time frames listed rarely work in our schedules and with not knowing until 30 days out it becomes very hard to plan for. The Court will hear all scheduled oral arguments for the Term in the Courtroom. Seating for the oral argument sessions will be provided to the public, members of the Supreme Court Bar, and press. The three-minute line is temporarily suspended. The Supreme Court Building will otherwise be closed to the public on days when the Court is in session. On days when the Court is not in session, the building will be open to the public from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., excluding weekends and federal holidays. Courtroom lectures are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Visitors may view ground floor exhibits and portions of the first floor on a self-guided basis. The cafeteria and gift shop are open to the public. Courtroom Lectures Trained volunteer docents lead these 25-minute programs, which take place entirely within the Courtroom. Courtroom Lectures are designed to introduce visitors of all ages to the judicial functions of the Supreme Court, the history of the building, and the architecture of the Courtroom. On days when the Court is not in session, lectures are available Monday through Friday (federal holidays excepted) on a first-come, first-served basis and are free of charge. Lectures are generally scheduled at 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 1:30 p.m. Lectures are subject to cancellation due to Court business and are subject to volunteer docent availability. A line forms in the Great Hall on the first floor before each lecture. It is advisable to join the line at least 15 minutes prior to the lecture’s start time. Please be on time for the lectures, as late entries cannot be accommodated.

ACTS / SOT provides logo-shirts to employees who are required to travel. Shirt styles and colors are limited in order to maintain a cohesive image. The number of shirts provided reflects the amount of travel done by the individual. Shirts are ordered from Land’s End; product numbers are noted. Please use the links provided to review size charts, product description, and colors. DO NOT ORDER ON THE LANDS END WEBSITE. We would like to have all orders into the office by no later than Tuesday, December 20 so the order can be processed before training. There are two forms a ladies and a mens. Do your best to use these forms and return them to us. Please submit them to owen@acts-tours.com

We recently were sent updated guidelines and group information from the African American Museum. You can find that information here

According to ACTS conversations with the staff at the Library of Congress, - the LOC tunnel is still closed, and they are not anticipating reopening it for groups to use to get to the Capitol building. As we know things can change. There is also talk that the Supreme Court is planning to reopen sometime in October when the term starts. So far, that is not confirmed and nothing is on their website or official SC news releases yet. We will watch for official news and share that with when we find out. Thanks for being amazing EPLs!

After 2 PM - the tour at Monticello is self-guided. There are QR codes in each room for “more information”. There are also guides in each room but only answer questions if asked. Encourage your students to ask questions if you are not able to be with each group. Anyone else have anything to add?