Step back in time as we go behind the scenes at Monticello, the mountaintop home of Thomas Jefferson—the third president of the United States, Founding Father, principal author of the Declaration of Independence, and a slaveholder who enslaved more than 600 people over the course of his lifetime. During our visit, we will explore both Jefferson’s remarkable achievements and the profound contradictions between his stated ideals of liberty and his active participation in the institution of slavery.

Our journey will also include a visit to the University of Virginia, another of Jefferson’s enduring legacies and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There, we will examine his vision for higher education and the lasting impact of the university he founded. We will also visit the former site of the Robert E. Lee statue in downtown Charlottesville, where its removal became a defining moment in the city’s ongoing efforts to confront questions of history, race, and public memory.

Together, these sites provide an opportunity to reflect on how the past continues to shape the present and how communities engage with complex historical legacies.

During this six-hour guided tour of the 6,000-acre Gettysburg battlefield, we’ll immerse ourselves in the tragedy and heroism of the Civil War through vivid, blow-by-blow accounts of the battle’s pivotal moments. Trace the fierce clashes between Union and Confederate forces across iconic locations such as Devil’s Den, Little Round Top, and East Cemetery Hill, and stand where Pickett’s Charge unfolded—a devastating assault in which more than 5,000 soldiers were killed or wounded in a single hour.

As we tour the Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture, we will explore the powerful historical events, battles, wars, leaders, statesmen, service members, and everyday citizens who have helped shape and build our nation.

Through these experiences, we will reflect on the deeper meaning of their sacrifices, courage, and contributions—and consider how their stories inspire and apply to our own lives today.

We will also have the privilege of meeting Reena Evers-Everette, daughter of civil rights leaders Medgar Evers and Myrlie Evers, and Lisa McNair, sister of Denise McNair, one of the four young girls who lost their lives in the 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama.