History/Politics tour to New York by air: 5 days, 3 nights
We have selected excursions that specifically relate to and provide the best learning opportunities for different areas of the GCSE revisions for the AQA, OCR and Edexcel syllabuses. Please ask your travel advisor for advice on which excursions are most appropriate for your exam board. ‘Prices from’ is based on low season departure, inclusive of flights, transfers and room only accommodation.
Similar tours
Suggested itinerary
Day one
Fly from the UK to New York
Arrive in New York
Transfer to accommodation
Day two
Ellis Island and Museum/Statue of Liberty
9/11 Memorial and Museum
Group dinner Little Italy or Chinatown
Empire State Building
Day three
Tenement Museum
Central Park
American Museum of Natural History
New York Historical Society – Museum and Library (tours possible)
Uptown pizza dinner
Broadway show
Day four
Depart accommodation
Jewish Heritage Museum
Board flight back to the UK
Day five
Arrive back in the UK
Excursion locator map
Excursion Ideas
Ellis Island and Museum/Statue of Liberty
Subject range: History
What you’ll experience: An exciting and memorable experience that will take you to the iconic Statue of Liberty, along with a visit to Ellis Island Immigrant Museum. At the museum, visitors learn about Ellis Island’s history before, during, and after its use as America’s immigration station. The museum also tells the stories of why so many people immigrated to America and what became of them after they arrived. For the Statue of Liberty there are two options for you to choose pre-tour: access to the pedestal or the pedestal and crown.
Select says: Audio Tours are included with the purchase of every ticket. The audio tours, which complement the National Park Service (NPS) Ranger-led tours on the islands, provide a major enhancement to the visitor experience on both islands.911 Memorial and Museum
Subject range: History
What you’ll experience: The Museum’s 110,000 square feet of exhibition space is located within the archaeological heart of the World Trade Center site. It tells the story of 9/11 through multimedia displays, archives, narratives and a collection of monumental and authentic artefacts. It serves as the country’s principal institution for examining the implications of the events of 9/11, documenting the impact of the events and exploring the continuing significance of September 11, 2001.
Select says: The museum’s website has an excellent interactive timeline for pre tour work and post tour follow up/discussion.Wall Street
Subject range: History
What you’ll experience: A guided walking tour in the Financial District, the financial capital of the world. A relative theme is the Wall Street stock market crash in October 1929 when the world economy was plunged into the Great Depression.
Select says: You will pass by the Federal Hall National Memorial – George Washington was inaugurated on the balcony of the original Federal Hall.Jewish Heritage Museum
Subject range: History
What you’ll experience: Created as a living memorial to those who perished during the Holocaust, the Museum honours those who died by celebrating their lives. The core Exhibition and award-winning special exhibitions present the 20th and 21st century experience from the perspective of those who lived it. New generations are taught how to recognize and fight contemporary instances of injustice and oppression.
Select says: Aspects of the collection which contribute to areas of the curriculum include: Holocaust ghettos and camps, Nazi and collaborationist materials, non-Jewish victims of the Holocaust, and Jewish participation in the Civil Rights Movement.Empire State Building
Subject range: Art, History
What you’ll experience: It’s hard to imagine the city without picturing this iconic building of the New York skyline. The views from the observation decks are particularly beautiful at sunset. The visit also includes the newly restored lobby with its beautiful art deco ceiling murals, the historical Dare To Dream Exhibit, the new Sustainability Exhibit, and an interactive audio device. Find out more here.
Select says: The view of the building is also amazing. The Empire State Building’s tower lights have maintained a tradition of changing colour to recognize various occasions throughout the year. In 2012, a new computer driven LED light system was installed capable of displaying 16 million colours.Tenement Museum
Subject range: History
What you’ll experience: The Tenement Museum preserves and interprets the history of immigration through the personal experiences of the generations of newcomers who settled in and built lives on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The museum tells the stories of 97 Orchard Street – this tenement apartment building was home to nearly 7000 working class immigrants who faced challenges such as making a new life, working for a better future, and starting a family with limited means.
Select says: The materials on the museum website will help enrich your visit and aid teaching students about immigration.Harlem History Tour/Uptown Bus Tour
Subject range: History
What you’ll experience: A guided tour of Harlem is a fantastic opportunity for students to walk in the footsteps of history with possibilities including passing the club where Billie Holiday once sang and seeing where Malcolm X delivered his speech in 1963.
Select says: A wonderful tour for bringing aspects of the curriculum to life for your students, and aid their understanding of the contributions that 1960’s Harlem made to the American Civil Rights Movement.American Museum of Natural History
Subject range: Science, Cultural, History
What you’ll experience: One of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world. Located in park-like grounds across the street from Central Park, the museum complex has 27 interconnected buildings housing 45 permanent exhibition halls. The museum collections contain over 32 million specimens of plants, humans, animals, fossils, minerals, rocks, meteorites, and human cultural artifacts, of which only a small fraction can be displayed at any given time.
Select says: We recommend a shorter visit that focuses on areas of the museum that best meet the students’ learning requirements especially the ‘Human Origins and Cultural Halls’ where you will find the ‘Hall of Plains Indians’. The Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Hall may also be of interest. Further information and an interactive floorplan is available and can be printed prior to your visit.New York Historical Society – Museum and Library
Subject range: History
What you’ll experience: A group visit to the New-York Historical Society gives students the opportunity to experience a taster from over 1.6 million works of art and 40,000 objects that tell compelling stories about New York and the nation’s history. Look out for new additions to the museum – in December 2016, the fourth floor will be transformed into a new destination for historical education.
Select says: The museum offers a variety of educational options suitable for different themes covered by the various exam board specifications. Please see their website and contact us for further details and to view current and upcoming exhibitions relating to learning requirements.
History/Politics trip to New York by air: 5 days, 3 nights Accommodation
Broadway Hotel & Hostel
Location: Manhattan
Capacity:
Well located accommodation on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, only minutes from world-famous attractions. A great choice for groups offering newly renovated, comfortable dormitory-style rooms, friendly service, and contemporary design.
Rooms: Shared bathroom.
Facilities: Restaurant, free Wi-Fi, 24 hour reception, lounge area.
Comfort Inn Chelsea
Location: Manhattan
Capacity:
Central location near Madison Square Park and the iconic Flatiron Building in Times Square. The Comfort Inn offers comfortable rooms with friendly staff in a very convenient location to explore the city.
Rooms: All rooms have en-suite facilities.
Facilities: Breakfast buffet, Wi-Fi available.
Holiday Inn
Location: Manhattan
Capacity:
Comfortable, well-located accommodation in Midtown 57th street, within walking distance of Central Park, Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center.
Rooms: All rooms have en-suite facilities.
Facilities: Large lobby, bar and restaurant.
Links to Learning
Learning areas:
KS3
Ideas, political power, industry and empire: Britain, 1745-1901- Britain’s transatlantic slave trade: its effects and its eventual abolition
- the Seven Years War and The American War of Independence
Challenges for Britain, Europe and the wider world 1901 to the present day - the Second World War and the wartime leadership of Winston Churchill
A study of a significant society or issue in world history and its interconnections with other world developments: USA in the 20th Century.
KS4
America, 1840–1895: Expansion and consolidation (AQA)
America, 1920–1973: Opportunity and inequality (AQA)
Conflict and tension, 1894–1918 (AQA)
Conflict and tension between East and West, 1945–1972 (AQA)
Conflict and tension in Asia, 1950–1975 (AQA)
Conflict and tension, 1990–2009 (AQA)
British America, 1713–83: empire and revolution (Edexcel)
Superpower relations and the Cold War, 1941–91 (Edexcel)
The USA, 1954–75: conflict at home and abroad (Edexcel)
International Relations: the changing international order 1918–c.2001 (OCR)
The USA 1919–1948: The People and the State (OCR)
The USA 1945–1974: The People and the State (OCR)
The Making of America, 1789–1900 (OCR SHP)
The USA: A Nation of Contrasts, 1910-1929 (WJEC)
‘Tea and Freedom’, the American Revolution 1774-83 (SQA)
USA 1850-1880 (SQA)
Free at Last? Civil Rights in the USA, 1918–1968 (SQA)
The Cold War 1945–1989
United States of America c1920–1941 (CEA)
The Cold War 1945–1991 (CEA)KS5
The making of a Superpower: USA, 1865–1975 (AQA)
The Birth of the USA, 1760–1801 (AQA)
America: A Nation Divided, c1845–1877 (AQA)
International Relations and Global Conflict, c1890–1941 (AQA)
The American Dream: reality and illusion, 1945–1980 (AQA)
The Cold War, c1945–1991 (AQA)
In search of the American Dream: the USA, c1917–96 (Edexcel)
The USA, c1920–55: boom, bust and recovery (Edexcel)
The USA, 1955–92: conformity and challenge (Edexcel)
Civil rights and race relations in the USA, 1850–2009 (Edexcel)
Britain: losing and gaining an empire, 1763–1914 (Edexcel)
The American Revolution 1740–1796 (OCR)
The USA in the 19th Century: Westward expansion and Civil War 1803–c.1890 (OCR)
International Relations 1890–1941 (OCR)
The Cold War in Asia 1945–1993 (OCR)
The Cold War in Europe 1941–1995 (OCR)
Civil Rights in the USA 1865–1992 (OCR)
The Origins and Growth of the British Empire 1558–1783 (OCR)
The Crisis of the American Republic c.1840-1877 (WJEC)
The American Century c.1890-1990 (WJEC)
Historical Study: European and World (SQA)
The American Presidency 1901–2000 (CEA)
To be accredited
Government and politics of the USA (AQA)
Comparative Politics – Government and Politics of the USA (Edexcel)
Global Politics (Edexcel)