Most of us like to imagine life in a different city, a different country, and sometimes in a different time altogether. There is something fascinating about the days just before the industrial revolution, before cars were the standard mode of transportation, when some people still refused that new-fangled contraption known as the telephone.

In some parts of the country, you can practically step back in time and experience that so-called simpler life for yourself. Time does stand still in places like Colonial Williamsburg or the Amish communities of the Pennsylvania hills, because the people who live or work there have preserved it for just that purpose. Preservation is a natural instinct for humans. You may do it with love letters, stamp collections, or your old stuffed animals. These people have done it with time. They’ve captured a charming, hard-working era, preserved it, and kept it thriving so that we can step inside its streets and witness life in another time.

You can find these historical communities especially in the east where colonists first settled in the country. Colonial Williamsburg is one of the best known. Thousands of visitors every year are fascinated by this 18th century town where colonists seem to be going about their daily lives – building fences, baking bread. You’ll love the authentic homes and businesses, the costumes, and the vibrant activity from this historic era.

If you want to travel a little further back in time, you’ll love Plimoth Plantation in Massachusets not far from Plymouth Rock itself. This setting brings to life not only a colonial English community from the 1600s but the Wampanoag People who were native to the area when the English arrived. You’ll see what each group experienced in those trying early days of our nation.

If you have very much interest in other eras, you probably know that some communities choose to live the lifestyle of a “simpler time” even today. The Amish community is perhaps the most well-known. Their homes and communities are spread throughout the country, but many of them dot the hillsides of the Pennsylvania countryside and offer daily glimpses into their fascinating lives. 

Our student theme tours offer trips to all of these fantastic eras through the villages and tourist attractions that have preserved them. If you’ve always wanted to experience a different time, this is a thrilling way to do it.