There’s a pretty good chance that at some point in the next couple weeks, you’ll think of Times Square. It’s the location for perhaps the most famous New Year’s Eve party in the whole country. And when you think of it this year you probably fall into one of three camps. 1)That would be kind of fun…at least once. Or 2) No way on earth you’re getting me within fifty feet of that chaos. Or 3) It’s kind of nice to have on in the background while we do our own thing.

If the first, there’s something you should know. You can’t just waltz up to the famous intersection and be a part of yet more ball-dropping history! Only invited guests and those with reservations in one of the Times Square restaurants or attractions – only these people get to be part of the action. So what are some of the Times Square attractions? Do you even know what Times Square is? Besides the towering digital billboards?

Technically speaking, Times Square is an intersection, specifically the intersection of Broadway and Seventh Avenue. Did you say Broadway? Yes, I did. And Times Square is the location for about forty Broadway theaters, playing the most popular stories and performances in the industry. You may end up near Times Square on purpose for a glimpse at the famous megatrons or simply to see the amazing convergence of so much life and energy. But if not, a Broadway plan is one of the many things that could draw you there. Here are some of the other attractions that may bring you to the famous Manhattan location.

The Hershey Store – Or perhaps, The M&M Store. These candy heavens are both located on the famous Square, and might be just the ticket for your New York City group travel. If say, your group is filled with children, dessert lovers, or the young at heart. Who am I kidding? Who doesn’t want to visit these candy confections of awesome?

Planet Hollywood is another fun one. This theme restaurant celebrates all things, well – Hollywood. New York City is a great place to celebrate film and television anyway. You might as well make it official with this always-popular American restaurant.

Hard Rock Cafe might be more your taste even than movies. Like at Planet Hollywood, you’ll eat while celebrating your favorite entertainment legends and works of art, only in this case – it’s the music world instead of film. I have a picture with [a statue of] Elvis because of this jolly theme restaurant.

Ripley’s Believe it Or Not. Ever seen the television show that makes grown men cringe with its wild and absurd realities that truly are unbelievable? Imagine them collected in a museum. Or don’t imagine, and just go there instead, to see for yourself the lock of Elvis’ hair, the albino wildlife, and the actual iron maiden. Ripley has been known as the real life Indiana Jones, and this museum is just the beginning of some of the many amazing things he discovered.

Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum has its own gallery of amazing sights. And though these aren’t real, you’ll sometimes look twice to be sure. This wax museum is famous for its amazing likenesses of popular celebrities and legends.

You see? Times Square is way more than the ball on New Year’s Eve. There are tons of stores, theaters, restaurants, and hot spots there that are likely to draw just about any group any time of year.

Photo by plattypus_of_new_york on flickr.

Let’s talk about the White House. After all, Oprah recently did her Christmas special with the new administration. So it might be on your mind. Besides that, it’s the most identifying residence in Washington D.C., which remains the most popular city for student group travel.

If you’ve ever considered a trip to the nation’s capital, it has surely crossed your mind: Can groups still tour inside? The answer is yes with a big, fat but.

There are many times throughout the year when the White House is not available for tours. It’s recommended that you request a tour with as much advance notice as possible. This is something you do through your member of congress. (Our travel company, though not all, will take care of this detail for you.) There will be several security hoops to jump through, information to provide about your group numbers, etc.

Is it worth it? Many believe it is simply for the experience – just being able to say you’ve been there – that can be pretty cool. You should know, though, that these tours are hardly personal. You won’t be visiting with the President himself or any member of his family. You won’t be anywhere near the actual residence areas or the famous Oval Office. Many of the luxurious rooms you’ll visit are roped off, and you simply view them from beyond, like a diorama at a museum. Still, seriously, they’re pretty beautiful. And the history of how different pieces entered the decor can be fascinating information.

Here’s another thing to consider: Up until the moment you step inside, your hard-earned tour could, of course, be cancelled. Scheduling conflicts can arise on a last-minute basis, and you won’t get to say you’ve been there after all. Fortunately, there’s an alternative.

The White House Visitor Center was not technically designed as an alternative to the White House itself but as a complement to it. Basically, you get to see more there. The visitor’s center features architecture from the White House, furniture, trivia about former First Families, photographs, even famous visits from dignitaries and other White House special events. Despite not actually being in the White House, this is a more inside look at the famous residence.

The other benefit to the Visitor Center is that it’s open all the time and available to all D.C. visitors without scheduling in advance. It’s definitely the way to go if you’ve planned your D.C. tour short notice or if you’re traveling at the same time that, say, the president of France is in town.

The White House Visitor Center is located on the southeast corner of 15th and E streets in Washington D.C., just two blocks east of the White House.

Photo by ricardo.martins on Flickr.

The American Natural History Museum in New York City is an amazing discovery of our planet and its inspiring evolution through time, including the most comprehensive exhibit of the evolving human species.

This is one of the best NYC attractions for educational tours or other kinds of student travel. The experience is simply fascinating with dioramas of wildlife and the ocean. You’ll see where life began in the oceanic halls with their celebration of the first known life forms and exhibits featuring all kinds of creatures from the Mysterious Blue today.

The wildlife displays showcase other fantastic specimens with whom we share the planet. And other halls feature the planet itself, its geographic treasures, and amazing finds you haven’t even imagined.

The most popular halls of the museum, of course, are probably the Fossil Halls. That’s where you’ll find the dinos, or in technical terms, “The most comprehensive collection of vertebrate fossils” anywhere in the world. They’re grouped according to species so you can see the evolution process for yourself. These halls take up two floors of the museum and thrill visitors every single day.

Though located within steel and concrete, this museum could actually be a great beginning to eco-friendly student travel. Understanding the variety and depth of our planet, its changing processes and the life it sustains – what better way to discover the goals of being eco-conscious?

This museum’s location adds to its popularity, as its situated at Central Park West. It’s a beautiful Manhattan area for a brilliant Manhattan attraction and one every student group should consider.

Photo by Raul DS on Flickr.

The purpose of an educational tour is to take learning on the road. Or rather, it is to take students on the road to greet the amazing learning you can find there.

New York City is a great choice for student travel because of its wide variety of experiences. And, hands down, one of the most popular NYC attractions for visitors is the amazing wealth of live and Broadway performances.

The arts in schools across the nation are sometimes the first area to lose funding in difficult times. But, often, supporters of the arts are some of the most passionate in the district. It’s been proven that music and the arts can increase the brain’s ability to soak in all kinds of information – from math and science to literature and beyond. All of this is why a Broadway performance is in itself a valid attraction to add to any Manhattan educational tour. The inspiration of seeing one of these amazing performances live, is by itself a powerful reason to put it on the itinerary.

But there’s more. If you truly want to connect the inspiration to the learning potential, Broadway offers its own classrooms for just that purpose. This is one of the amazing attractions perfect for NYC theater tours.

Broadway Classroom is an amazing opportunity to complement the powerful inspiration of a Broadway performance with a corresponding workshop for your group. There are several different workshop themes to choose from. Your group can focus on the performance itself, the acting, singing, dancing, and choreography. You can see what it’s like to audition, to rehearse, and to put it all together. If you prefer to consider the business side of things, there are workshops for that as well. Here are some things you can count on no matter which workshop you choose.

Length – All workshops are approximately ninety minutes, with some exceptions.

Flexibility – Your group attends a workshop without any others. The workshop, then, works with your schedule to find a time that works for you.

Star Power – The workshops are taught by actual Broadway performers, or sometimes they’re the surprise guest at the end. For all the workshops, though, you’ll know you’re learning from someone who’s part of the biz.

Location – The workshops are held in actual theater rehearsal studios.

Affordable – The price of the workshops is extremely reasonable and two chaperones are included for free per 25 students.

Quality – Broadway Classroom is taught by qualified teaching artists and actual Broadway performers, and they are based on the National Standards for Art Education.

Context – Except for some instances, your workshop is paired with the actual performance itself. This means if you take the Movement and Song workshop for Billy Elliot, you’ll get to see the professionals perform the very numbers you have worked so hard to learn. This is perhaps the best part of the Broadway Classroom experience.

I think most of us can agree, the arts are a beautiful addition to the world and something none of us want to do without completely. Therefore, we need to spend at least some of our time and other resources to give the next generation the chance to be inspired. And Broadway Classroom is just one of the many ways to do it.

Photo by CST 13 on Flickr.

I’m reading the best book right now. It’s fiction and epistolary, and it weaves through its story surprising details about the World War II German occupation of an island in the English Channel. It reminds me of one of my favorite novels, set during World War I and written by someone who actually lived it. I’ve been known to say books like this are really the only way I know anything about world history. It’s true for most of us that facts, dates, and events from history resonate more thoroughly if presented with a little sugar – like fictional stories in my case or gorgeous travel to the European locations that housed them, if you’re lucky enough to be a part of student travel overseas.

We’ve got a ten-day tour in France for instance that’s sure to seep if not facts than atmosphere from world history deep into your psyche. There’s absolutely no comparison to experiencing these locations for yourself.

The student tour in France begins in beautiful Paris. Your guided tours begin from the moment you leave the airport. Besides a glance at some of the other Paris highlights, you’ll spend the first day at the Eiffel Tower and then have dinner at an authentic Paris restaurant.

Further exploration the next few days in Paris take you to the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre, the highest hill in Paris located in Montmartre and highlighted by the white Sacre-Coeur basilica.

An excursion to Versailles will thrill your group as well. You’ll no longer have to only imagine the extravagance of seventeenth century French royalty. The palace and state apartments here will amaze you.

You’ll also spend time in Basin d’Arcachon, a French, outdoor haven with beaches and pine forests, villages and surf. A nearby water park offers an entire day of fun as well. Its name is Arcachon.

Finally, you’ll visit Normandy and its historical beaches. Your entire tour of France includes amazing basilicas – some of the largest and most amazing of their time, quaint villages, French countryside, and the magnificent sites of Paris. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and a thrilling way to take in a little history.

Click this link for more ideas for International Student Tours.

Bayeux, Normandy in France, pictured here by caspermoller on Flickr.

More than seventy percent of all Americans consider themselves believers of the Christian faith. This makes faith-based tours a common reason to travel. Youth groups, private schools, and home-school co-ops are often looking for exciting places to travel that celebrate their history and beliefs. There are several destinations around the country that help faith-based groups experience the history of the Old and New Testament. They can really bring to life things the group members have thus far only read or heard in simple lessons. Group leaders will love seeing the stories come alive for their students. It can really help connect a person to their faith.

One of the largest of these is the Holy Land Experience in Orlando, Florida. It combines the sunny warmth of the palm tree state with intense, hands-on exhibits from the bible and its amazing stories. Here are some of the things you’ll see there:

The Scriptorium is a complete bible experience, that is, an extensive look at the text itself. A walking tour through this beautiful museum showcases actual ancient texts of the scripture itself and parallel documents. Visitors will learn about the history of the documents and discover the culture and time periods in which they were first penned and translated. The museum parallels the written history to the history of civilization, further affirming its validity. You’ll also discover the amazing impact the bible has had on the world, its longevity and far-reaching effect.

The Wilderness Tabernacle – Students of the bible know that the Israelites were given detailed instructions for the building of their portable tabernacle and the ceremonies to be performed there after their escape from Egypt and before they settled in their Promised Land. At the Holy Land Experience, visitors can enter the tabernacle and see reenactments of all these amazing details, from the portability to the extravagant appearance and rituals.

The Jerusalem Street Market introduces guests to the noise and energy of Jerusalem two thousand years ago around the time Jesus would have walked its streets.

There you’ll find The Great Temple, the beautiful reproduction of Solomon’s temple and the Jewish centerpiece Jesus visited several times.

Calvary’s Garden Tomb replicates the Via Dolorosa, the street through Jerusalem on which Jesus carried his cross before his own crucifixion. Three crosses stand above the Garden Tomb, and the reenactment known as the Passion of Christ takes place here.

Besides these exhibits, the Holy Land Experience also brings you a scale model of the city of Jerusalem, a movie theater playing classic Christian films, and an auditorium with live performances throughout the year. The Crystal Living Waters is a popular feature after dark with an amazing light, water, and music display that thrills guests every night near closing.

There are all kinds of exciting destinations for group travel centered on your faith. And just imagine how the experience could benefit your group and complement the very convictions that brought you together in the first place.

Photo by DeaPeaJay on Flickr.