Group trip planned to tour Civil War sites in Virginia, West Virginia and Pennsylvania

HANCEVILLE, Ala. — Civil War buffs or anyone who enjoys history will want to join a group trip planned Sept. 10-18, 2016, by the Wallace State Community College Alumni Association. The nine-day, eight-night Civil War Trail tour will begin in Lexington, Va., and wind its way through West Virginia, Pennsylvania, back to Virginia, before making a final stop in Tennessee. The motorcoach trip will depart from and return to the Wallace State campus.
In Lexington, Va., the tour will kick off with a 50-minute carriage tour of Historic Lexington. Later in the day, the group will tour the Virginia Military Institute, the Stonewall Jackson House and the Lee Chapel on the campus of Washington & Lee University.
The next day will the group will be in Harpers Ferry, W.V., where they will have time to explore on their own before and after a tour of the Harpers Ferry National Historic Park led by a park ranger who will speak about “Charles Town & John Brown: The Rest of the Story.” The day ends as the group travels to its next destination in Gettysburg, Penn.
In Pennsylvania, the group will visit the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitors Center, where arranged activities include watching the film “A New Birth of Freedom” and see the Gettysburg Cyclorama painting before taking a two-hour driving tour of the Gettysburg National Battlefield. Other stops include the Seminary Ridge Museum, dinner at the Farnsworth House and a Ghost “Live or Die” Walking Tour.
A second day in Gettysburg includes visits to the David Willis House, the Shriver House and the Gettysburg Heritage Museum. An optional day trip to Lancaster is offered for the rest of the day and includes tickets to “Samson” at the Sights and Sounds Millennium Theater.
The group returns to Virginia the next day, with visits to the Fredericksburg Battlefield Visitors Center and a guided tour of the battlefield. The day ends in Richmond, Va., where on the following day the group will tour the American Civil War Museum at Richmond National Battlefield Park. There, a Tredegar History Tour explores the important role the Tredegar Iron Works played in the Civil War. Later in the day, there is a planned visit to the White House & Museum of the Confederacy.
The trip will end as the tour winds its way back to Alabama with an overnight stay in Tennessee. Wallace State History Professor Robert Davis will provide interesting details throughout the tour.
The cost of the trip includes all transportation and lodging expenses, eight breakfasts and eight dinners, admission to all locations and activities on the itinerary, a souvenir gift, luggage handling, taxes and meal gratuities. Prices start at $1,500 for double occupancy for alumni members and go up to $2,100 for single occupancy non-member.
The Alumni Association is currently accepting reservations for the Civil War Trail trip. Those interested in the trip can contact LaDonna Allen at 256.352.8071 or ladonna.allen@wallacestate.edu. Visit www.wsccalumni.org/civilwar2016 for more information about the trip and to download the reservation form.
The Association will hold an informational meeting about this and the other trips planned for 2016 on Tuesday, March 1, at 5:30 p.m., on the 2nd floor of the James C. Bailey Center. Anyone who registers for a trip during the meeting will be entered into a drawing to win $200 to go toward the deposit of a trip.
Each year, the Alumni Association puts together a number of trips to popular tourist destinations in the United States. Traveling as a group, the trips offer competitive rates and prospects for building lifelong friendships and memories.
Alumni Association members benefit from discounted fees for the trips. The general public is welcome to join in on the trips and can join the Alumni Association if they wish to take advantage of the discounts offered to members.