Insider Trips

The Memorial Is on the Move

Join your fellow history buffs for our insider trips to some of Virginia’s most remarkable destinations.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR OUR 2024 Trips:

And, stay up-to-date on upcoming trips and all Memorial events by joining our email list!

Please contact Dan Thomas at dthomas@vawarmemorial.org with questions about upcoming trips.

Upcoming Trips:

Wednesday, August 28: A Tour of the Pentagon & DEA Museum

REGISTRATION HAS CLOSED. The second trip of the year will take insiders on a highly sought-after Pentagon tour, along with a trip to the nearby Drug Enforcement Administration Museum, packed with oddities and artifacts.


Wednesday, October 23: A Trip to Lexington to visit VMI and W&L

On our final trip of 2024, we will visit two of the oldest universities in Virginia: Washington & Lee University and the Virginia Military Institute. While there, we will take a look at W&L’s renowned Reeves Collection of Ceramics and take a tour of VMI, led by our very own Virginia War Memorial Director, Dr. Clay Mountcastle, VMI class of 1994.

REGISTER HERE


PREVIOUS Trips:

2024

Behind the scenes tour of Museum of the USMCWednesday, May 8: National Museum of the Marine Corps & Rippon Lodge

We kicked off the 2024 Insider Trips by visiting the National Museum of the Marine Corps and took a behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming exhibition about the 1983 Beirut Barracks Bombings and the Invasion of Grenada with two of the museum curators.

Insiders then visited Rippon Lodge, a historic home built around 1747 for Richard Blackburn.


2023

Wednesday, June 21: Fort Eustis and Yorktown Battlefield

Insiders explored the U.S. Army Transportation Museum at Fort Eustis, which features nearly 7,000 transportation-related artifacts in stunning indoor and outdoor exhibits. After lunch at the Officer’s Club, we received a guided tour of the Yorktown Battlefield with award-winning author, historian, and preservationist Bert Dunkerly.


Wednesday, August 9: Hampton Roads Naval Museum and the MacArthur Memorial

In August, Insiders toured the MacArthur Memorial, a museum and research center dedicated to preserving and presenting the story of the life of General of the Army Douglas MacArthur. We then took a guided tour of the Hampton Roads Naval Museum, celebrating the long history of the U.S. Navy in the Hampton Roads region.


Wednesday, September 13: Fort Monroe

Insiders took a fascinating tour of Fort Monroe, taking in the historic Fort, as well as the new Visitor and Education Center and the Casemate Museum.  After our tour, we had lunch at a locally owned Hampton Roads eatery, the Grey Goose and made an impromptu stop at the Hampton History Museum to see their exhibit, “Teetotalers and Moonshiners, and Hampton’s Prohibition Story.”


2022:

Wednesday, May 11, 2022: Arlington National Cemetery

This trip included a private tour of Caisson Platoon Barn, a trolley trip through Arlington National Cemetery with stops at President Kennedy’s gravesite, Arlington House, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We were joined by former Arlington Cemetery Historian and Leadership in America speaker Philip Bigler, who provided illuminating commentary.


Wednesday, July 13, 2022: Fort Lee Visit

This trip included a fascinating visit to the Ordnance Training Center (only open to guests by special invitation), the U.S. Army Women’s Museum, and the Quartermaster Museum. The day concluded with a tour of Petersburg National Battlefield Park with Dr. Clay Mountscatle.

 

 

 


Wednesday, August 17, 2022: National Museum of the U.S. Army 

This trip included a fascinating tour of the new National Museum of the U.S. Army with a lunchtime commentary by Army historian Jim Kelly.