The Harriet Tubman Trail

In 2022, the world celebrated the 200th Anniversary of Harriet Tubman's Birth. Today, we embark on a Journey of Harriet Tubman's Story & The Underground Railroad.

While we don't know her exact birthdate, we honor her legacy on March 10th. In the spirit of immersive education, MARS invites you to embark on a journey of discovery with the Harriet Tubman Story & The Underground Railroad. Take a powerful and inspiring trip along the East Coast and travel the footsteps of Harriet Tubman. See where she was born, lived, worked, and from where she fled. See and explore Hampton University & The Emancipation Oak, the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center, The Tubman Byway, Philadelphia's African American Museum, the Reginald F. Lewis Museum, and much more.

Duration
5 Days /4 Nights

Group size
35+

Customization
Available!
Tour Inclusions: 4 nights’ accommodation; 4 breakfasts; 1 lunch; 4 dinners; admissions, entrance, and guide fees as stated in the itinerary, including taxes, and gratuity, except gratuity for guide fees is not included on adult tours unless otherwise requested.
Highlights:
  • Hampton University & Museum
  • Emancipation Oak
  • Journey of the “Underground Railroad”
  • Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center
  • Choptank Riverboat Feast
  • The Tubman Byway to Philadelphia including 45 sites
  • Independence Hall
  • The Liberty Bell
  • African American Museum in Philadelphia
  • Reginald F. Lewis Museum

Sample Itinerary:
Day 1 - Hampton University & Museum and the Emancipation Oak
  • Arrive in Hampton, VA, and meet your GUIDE.
  • See Hampton University, a private, historically Black, research university in Hampton, Virginia. Founded in 1868 as Hampton Agricultural and Industrial School, it was established by Black and White leaders of the American Missionary Association after the American Civil War to provide education to freedmen.
  • See the famous, historic Emancipation Oak, a large tree under which children of freedmen were educated & the Emancipation Proclamation was read.  Emancipation Oak is a historic tree on the campus of Hampton University. The large sprawling oak is 98 feet in diameter, with branches which extend upward as well as laterally.
  • Visit the  Hampton University Museum. Founded in 1868, this African American museum features fine arts & exhibits on university history. The Hampton University Museum is the oldest African American museum in the United States and the oldest museum in Virginia.
  • Enjoy lunch on own while visiting the campus prior to departing for Cambridge, MD, and check-in to your local area hotel.
  • This evening, dinner is included at a fresh, local seafood restaurant. Enjoy waterfront dining, crab balls, stuffed flounder, rockfish, crab cakes, and/or for meat lovers: choice hand cut steaks or Prime Rib. (Meals: D)
 
Day 2 - Journey of the “Underground Railroad” & Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center
  • Enjoy breakfast included at the hotel this morning. Depart for the Dorchester Visitor’s Center, meet your Tubman Trail GUIDE, and embark on a Journey of the “Underground Railroad”.
  • Next, it’s on to Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, to see up close the terrain slaves traveled under the cover of night.
  • Other sites will include Bucktown, Scott’s Chapel, & other Harriet Tubman historical landmarks.
  • Visit the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center and immerse yourself in Tubman’s world through informative, evocative, and emotive exhibits. The immersive displays show how the landscape of the Choptank River region shaped her early years and the importance of her faith, family and community.
  • Enjoy a special included luncheon at a Historically Black Church during your immersive tour!
  • Return to the hotel to rest prior to an amazing Dinner Cruise & Crab Feast on the Choptank Riverboat. The Choptank River Boat Company operates The Dorothy & Megan and The Choptank River Queen. They are reproductions of authentic 80-foot turn-of-the-century paddle-wheeler river boats. (Meals: B, L, Dinner Cruise)
 
Day 3 - The Tubman Byway to Philadelphia
  • Enjoy breakfast included at the hotel this morning prior to checking out. Depart with your ESCORT/GUIDE and travel The Tubman Byway to Philadelphia. The Tubman Byway is a Driving Tour winding for 125 miles through the beautiful landscapes and waterscapes of Maryland's Eastern Shore, then continues for 98 miles through Delaware before ending in Philadelphia. There are 45 amazing sites along The Tubman Byway you will stop or drive by. (Meals: B, D)
 
Day 4 - Independence Hall, The Liberty Bell, & African American Museum in Philadelphia
  • Enjoy breakfast included at the hotel this morning prior to checking out. Meet in the hotel lobby and depart with your GUIDE to William Still’s Last Residence. Tubman and others found their way to Philadelphia, where William Still of the Philadelphia Vigilance Committee provided shelter, food, clothing, transportation, and money for the passage north.
  • Visit Independence Hall where important decisions about slavery and freedom, which charted the future of this nation, transpired.
  • See The Liberty Bell and other significant African American sites in Philadelphia time permitting.
  • Enjoy a GUIDED Tour of the African American Museum in Philadelphia. Founded in 1976 in celebration of the nation's Bicentennial, the African American Museum in Philadelphia (AAMP) is the first institution funded and built by a major municipality to preserve, interpret, and exhibit the heritage of African Americans.
  • Enjoy lunch on own at the Reading Terminal Market Place, a famous indoor farmer's market offering diverse fare, housewares, & area specialties since 1892 located on the edge of Market East, Reading Terminal Market is a sprawling, slightly chaotic urban food paradise.
  • Depart for Baltimore, MD, and enjoy an included dinner this evening at an upscale Brazilian chain for all-you-can-eat meat carved tableside plus an extensive salad bar. (Meals: B, D)
 
Day 5 - Reginald F. Lewis Museum & Baltimore’s Inner Harbor
  • Enjoy breakfast included prior to checking out.
  • Meet in the hotel lobby and depart on a GUIDED Tour of the Reginald F. Lewis Museum. The Museum’s education department has developed an African American curriculum and provided teacher training that is invaluable to Maryland’s 850,000 students and 50,000 teachers.
  • Enjoy lunch on own and free time along Baltimore’s Inner Harbor prior to departing for home. (Meals: B)

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