Sure, you butter your toast, click on the tube and tune in to catch the weather or current events over morning coffee – but do you ever wonder how – and where – your favorite news show comes together? Grab your Atlanta student travel group and get the scoop; see how national news is gathered, written and reported by the intrepid pioneers of 24 hour news! A variety of exciting options garner you special insights with amazing behind-the-scenes peeks at CNN. The “Inside CNN Atlanta Tour” offers a once-in-a-lifetime view of the global headquarters; these thrilling, 50-minute guided walking tours depart approximately every 10 minutes. A “CNN Morning Express Tour” experience features dynamically effervescent news personality Robin Meade’s acclaimed Morning Express Show and includes a Morning Express / Inside CNN Travel Mug, a cool souvenir photograph to commemorate your visit to CNN’s global headquarters, a tour of the actual HLN control room and an exclusive opportunity to experience Morning Express with Robin Meade from inside HLN’s Studio H.* The loaded “VIP Tour” affords privileged visitors fascinating expanded access to the working studios at the Global Headquarters of CNN Worldwide. CNN Center is open to the public and entrance to the building is free; visitors will enjoy exploring an excellent food court featuring both fast food and full-service restaurants along with convenient specialty retail and other services; a stop by the CNN Store ensures you leave with more than memories! Be sure to wear your running shoes – studio tours includes a leg-stretching eight-flight workout.

Groups on Georgia getaway will want to pencil in a few quiet hours to visit this wonderful monument to Martin Luther King, Jr. in the historic Sweet Auburn District of Atlanta. The 35 acre site is composed of various integral components of MLK’s life story, including his boyhood home and the church where he and his father pastored, Firestation No. 6 that served the Sweet Auburn community he was raised in, historically significant shotgun row houses, the Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Colored Mission and the MLK gravesite. The “I Have a Dream” International World Peace Rose Garden, a visitor’s center that chronicles the Civil Rights Movement and features the multimedia exhibit Courage To Lead, and a memorial tribute to Mohandas K. Gandhi all stand with the preserved structures in loving reverence and fond remembrance of a great man gone too soon, and his important legacy as a leader of the American Civil Rights movement. The International Civil Rights Walk of Fame-a walkable promenade that showcases actual footstep impressions of those honored, created “to give recognition to those courageous soldiers of justice who sacrificed and struggled to make equality a reality for all” is also located at the site.

Comprised of authentic Chinese cuisine like unusual candies and curious crunchies like dried cuttlefish, Chi-Town is your travel group’s one stop shop for dim sum, roasted meats, bubble milk tea, noodle varieties, soup dumplings and even Vietnamese, Shanghais, Taiwanese, Pekingese, Cantonese and Hongkonger specialties! Your bunch of globe trotters could easily spend an entire day just taste testing north of the Financial District! One of the great aspects of this neighborhood is all the foods you’ve never heard of that are equally delicious, affordable and interesting to show off on your Instagram account if you feel brave come time to order! Sightseeing takes your travel group from a statue of Confucius in Confucius Plaza all the way to the Kim Lau Memorial Arch, a reminder of the Chinese Americans whose lives were lost in World War II. Center yourselves upon entering the Mahayana Buddhist Temple across from the Manhattan Bridge where the golden Buddha (coming in at over 16 feet tall) rests upon a lotus flower. Oh, the shopping! Markets, street stands, tempting storefronts, your group could very well find yourselves stumbling into a martial arts supply store or Hello Kitty heaven! Remember this handy tip: Bring cash and prepare to haggle, many of the shops will only accept the green currency and incredible prices are famous if you can adapt to the local art of debating. Gift shops, herbal markets, tea and brewing accessories, even an ice cream factory with flavors like Zen Butter leave nothing to be desired! These days, Chinatown is populated by just about 100,000 folks. Having come about in the 1840s, Chinese immigrants established this neighborhood working occupations like cigar men or earning pay in the restaurant and laundry industry. The largest Chinatown outside of China has earned its place on the Must-See list when visiting NYC!

There are more than a few iconic landmarks in the Big Apple including the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, Central Park, and of course, Times Square. New York City pulled itself through the centuries and into the new millennium as a booming metropolis with everything to offer. Times Square, equivalent to L.A.’s Hollywood Boulevard, is the city’s major entertainment center, where commercialism meets production, where lights meet action.

You can find everything you want, except perhaps peace and quiet, on the streets in and surrounding Times Square. This entertainment district runs the full gamut of amusements from live performances to Madame Tussaud’s wax museum, over a hundred restaurants, and countless shops. Take a tour of the area and possibly meet some Broadway actors after their performances, see the famed Coca-cola sign, Chevrolet clock, and explore the exhibits at the Discovery Times Square museum. See a show at The Orion or the Paramount Theatre, see where ABC’s Good Morning America is filmed at Times Square Studios, or check out the new exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art. Come during the holidays and see the lighting of the tree at Rockefeller Center or the ball drop at the New Year’s Eve festival. Central Park and the New York skyline is beautiful from the Top of the Rock Observation Deck while Duffy Square maintains its regal, historic charm. There is no shortage of amusement in Times Square.

Although New York City, and Times Square in particular, has changed and evolved with the times, the spirit of the city remains the same. Start off your tour of New York City with a stop at Times Square and you will experience the true fast-paced, transformational and modern vivacity of New York. It is, after all, the city that never sleeps.

Most people recognize this tall, sleek structure as a symbol of our nation’s capital. This is fitting considering what the monument actually does represent. Standing taller than any structure in Washington, D.C., and according to current zoning laws likely to be the tallest in the city ever, the Washington Monument is the centerpiece for the world-famous National Mall. Here you’ll find almost all of the presidential and war memorials so popular for Washington, D.C., group tours. Much thought always goes into the design of any monument, and Washington’s was no different. This unique shape with its imposing height was chosen to symbolize George Washington’s prominence in our history. He is often called the Father of our country, and designers wanted his memorial to be equally distinguishing among the capital’s many monuments. That intent was certainly captured in this dramatic, over 555-foot, obelisk-shaped structure, recognizable around the world. And this should be true as it is the tallest stone structure on the planet. On clear days it has a visibility of 30 to 40 miles. Around the base of the Washington monument stand 50 flags. Inside, visitors find a statue depicting George Washington as well as information and artifacts about him. Then from the observation deck within, visitors can view the amazing visibility for themselves and get a unique view of Washington, D.C.’s, other prominent buildings, including those on the National Mall. Behind the Washington Monument, the beautiful, rectangular Reflecting Pool gives a unique view of the monument itself. This pool was specially designed to minimize ripples from the wind, allowing for a crystal-sharp reflection of this amazing structure.

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is one of the most memorable and emotional experiences offered in Washington, D.C. The goal of this museum is to not only show the horrors of the Holocaust and what the survivors lived through, but to make sure something of this magnitude never happens again. While visiting this museum, your group will learn about the Holocaust through artifacts, testimonials, and interactive exhibits that show the lives of the children who survived it. Little is left to the imagination when your group sees displays of shoes from Holocaust victims, a freight train like those used to transport Jews, and descriptions of the gas chamber methods. The permanent display is the most memorable for many visitors. At the beginning of this display, visitors are given an “identity card” that provides a photo and information on a person who really lived during the Holocaust. This card details the life of the person and describes their fate. This will make the museum feel personally related to you and make it all the more emotional. Throughout the permanent exhibit, your educational travel group will be shown Nazi propaganda, films of Nazi rallies, recordings of Hitler’s speeches, Nazi political posters, newspaper articles, films of medical experiments, models of death camps, and survivors recounting their personal experiences in the Holocaust. The final part of this exhibit will show the Aftermath of the Holocaust. Mass graves, starving prisoners, and troops entering the German death camps are shown through video display and images. There is even a Remember the Children floor to the museum. This is an immensely emotional and memorable experience for anyone who visits.

The Museum of the American Indian is a wonderful educational center for anyone interested in the Native Americans and the way they lived their lives not so long ago. This museum has one of the most extensive collections of Native American artifacts in the world! Over 12,000 years of history is collected here. More than 1,200 indigenous cultures are represented by the over 825,000 items on display inside the museum. In addition to this, the museum also has photographs. There are 324,000 images from the 1860s to the present! There are daily special events and hands on activities offered to help visitors truly get into the history! This museum is a fantastic way to show any person the history of the Native American people, and with all of the exhibitions and artifacts there, it’s easy to get caught up in the history. Your educational travel group will love seeing the world in a way that portrays the lives of the American people in a way that justly identifies their love of nature and respect for the earth around them. When your travel group is shown the betrayal of the American Indians’ trust the United States committed, they will rightly be saddened. You will not regret a trip to this amazing exhibition of the American Indian tribes and their history in the United States. This is a wonderful museum with something to suit everyone’s educational desires. Your group will not want to miss an exhibition as touching and diverse as this.

The Museum of American History is a museum you cannot miss! This is one of the most interesting and historically diverse museums the Smithsonian offers. Your group will love the wide range of artifact topics offered for observation in this Museum! It has many interesting exhibits and collections your travel group is sure to love! Advertising, agriculture, art, clothing and accessories, coins, currency, and metals, communications, all of these have a history, and this Museum is dedicated to the showing of times gone by for all this and many more subjects! Your group will love the amazing exhibits and will be awestruck by the amount of artifacts offered. See everything from the ruby slippers worn in The Wizard of Oz and the Muppet character Kermit the Frog, to the more than 5,000 instruments of European and American history. Medical science artifacts are available to see and represent almost every aspect of the medical practice. Your educational travel group will even get the opportunity to see the history of what our country eats! Study the food fads from the past and the history of how food was made. Ovens, cookie cutters, kettles, ice cream making machines, home canning jars, and wine making equipment are displayed. Your group will see every side of history, whether it be art, food, or media, there will definitely be something of interest for everyone! Whatever the reason to visit, this Museum will certainly be a favorite stop in your trip to Washington, D.C., and will leave everyone wanting to come back all over again!

This museum is recognizable by its green dome, underneath which you will learn fascinating things about our earth. The exhibits inside help you experience the earth’s history and parts of it you have never even seen. You’ll learn more about the land and sea as well as some of the creatures who have and do live here. Through it all, you’ll gain a greater understanding for the human connection to our planet. Dinosaurs, ocean life, and curiously-colored gem stones will all open your eyes to earth’s wonders. You’ll see millions of insects and plants carefully preserved for study. This museum takes you on your very own journey of discovery from soil to sea and back again – throughout history and all around the globe.

The American Art Museum is a wonderful Museum that portrays the art and its evolution through American history and also history’s effect on art. Your group will certainly enjoy viewing the largest collection of American art in the world! Recently, the Museum has started accepting video games into the multimedia section and is displaying them as a form of art. This is a good example of how art can come from anywhere and can be taken for granted, especially in a society like we have today. In this Museum, you will get the chance to see works from some fantastic American artists, some as famous as Georgia O’Keeffe! This establishment shows all forms of art, whether they are sculptures, paintings, films, photographs, or video game multimedia. There’s something for everyone to enjoy when your group make a visit here! This Museum boasts a collection any rising artist needs to see! There is an amazing array of artifacts and there’s nothing like seeing the real thing! Three centuries of artwork is proudly displayed in this amazing facility, capturing the character and artistic view of every artist featured. This museum has a dedication to the collection and understanding of American art and celebrates the creativity of the human being. When your educational group visits this Museum, you will be viewing one of the most inclusive and largest collections of American art in the world. Allow your educational travel group the amazing opportunity to see the world and its history through the eyes of some of the most creative people on the planet!