Washington D.C.’s City Center
Washington, D.C.

We will visit the Smithsonian American History Museum and Arlington National Cemetery and the Iwo Jima memorial. See John F. Kennedy’s tomb, the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and witness the changing of the guard ceremony. See the White House, the Washington Monument, the World War II Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, the FDR memorial, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. Learn from your host faculty about the importance that each of these men and each of these wars on American history.

The Maryland Science Center
Baltimore, MD

The MD Science Center is the largest Museum devoted to science in Maryland. We encourage you to learn more about the many impressive exhibits. This Museum focuses on introducing campers to scientific concepts through hands on experimentation. Hundreds of scientific experiments, engineering tools for learning, and demonstrations can be experienced directly. The Davis Planetarium is a center devoted to understanding and teaching about deep space and the physical forces that drive the formation of stars. Students will have the opportunity to buy lunch at the Baltimore Inner Harbor food court or bring lunch from home.

The Basilica Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton
Emmitsburg, MD

At a meeting of the American hierarchy in 1852, Archbishop Kenrick commented, “Elizabeth Seton did more for the church in America than all of us bishops together. Unmistakably, Elizabeth Seton is a seminal character in the history of America’s Catholic church.” She was the first American saint to be canonized by the Vatican and is considered the founder of the parochial school system in the United States. Most of her work was centralized in this mountainous region as she founded the Sisters of Charity.

Luray Caverns
Luray, VA

Experience some of the 60 acres of caverns located beneath the earth’s surface. Our group will tour these famous caverns and learn about how caves are formed over millions of years. What causes a cave and how does a cave constantly change? What is a stalagmite? What is a stalactite? We will also learn about the conservation of natural resources such as Luray caverns. While we are in the cavern, our group will enjoy a concert from the largest and only all-natural, underground echo organ. Bring a few pennies to throw into the copper underground lake.

Skyline Drive and Shenandoah National Park
Luray, VA

Over 20,000 acres of wilderness and wildlife that is set on top of a famous road (Skyline Drive) that transverses that tops of the Appalachian Mountain range, including Hogback Mountain at 3,385 ft where beautiful vista views of the Shenandoah Valley can be seen.

The United States Botanic Garden
Washington, DC

Steeped in history, rich with tradition, the United States Botanic Garden (USBG) is a living plant museum that informs visitors about the importance, and often irreplaceable value, of plants to the well-being of humans and to earth’s fragile ecosystems.

Catoctin Mountains National Park
Thurmont, MD

Catoctin Mountain Park, located in north-central Maryland, is part of the forested Catoctin Mountain ridge−range that forms the northeastern rampart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, in the Appalachian Mountains System, It is also home to Cunningham Falls, the longest waterfall in the state of Maryland which leads to a pristine mountain lake where we will go swimming.

The Basilica National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
The Catholic University, Washington, DC

The largest Church in all of the Americas, the Basilica is a place that combines beautiful Architecture, Art, and History in a sacred space. The Basilica is the location of prior visits from the Pope and is found on the Catholic University of America’s campus.

Great Falls National Park
Potomac, MD

Great Falls Maryland is a National Park and one of the most significant geographical locations in the entire region. www.nps.gov/grfa This hike parallels along the Potomac River. The area is a geological phenomenon and it represents one of the last undeveloped bedrock terrace habitats in the mid- Atlantic region. With a particularly interesting geological history, this section of the river was formed as a result of a slow plate shift collision in the earth’s upper mantle that buried an ancient seabed under a continental plate and lead to an abundance of bedrock that is still exposed today giving the many unique shapes and contours along the hike. Students will hike up and along these rocks and take in views of the Potomac’s Mather River Gorge. During the hike, students will learn about the process of erosion and the role it plays in land formation and rock exposure. It is a tradition at The Heights that students learn to observe their surroundings in nature and understand the forces that shape our local environment. Boys will be permitted to walk/wade in a nearby creek but not in or around the Potomac River.

Smithsonian Natural History Museum
Washington, DC

We will travel to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum and go behind the scenes of the many exhibits for a chance to see the work of the many Smithsonian Scientists. The many exhibits will include: Gems, Minerals, the Live Insect Zoo, Ancient Cultures, Mammals, Aquatic Animals, Prehistoric Fossils, Giant Squids, The Dinosaur Age, and Winged Mammals. The newest exhibit includes an opportunity for exploring the Smithsonian’s archives of artifacts in the basement of the museum. We will see an IMAX film on marine biology which represents over 90% of all life found on planet earth.

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, MD

A special Space Suit demonstration and a tour of the facility will take place. A presentation on the famous Hubble Space Telescope will provide the details and pictures behind the world’s most successful long-distance telescope. We will also learn about the many things that the Hubble has taught us regarding the birth and death of stars, nebulae, and black holes. The trip will include a tour of the world’s largest “clean room”, an enormous cargo room where NASA assembles equipment that must be clean of 99.99% of anything larger than a 0.3 micron (which is about the size of the smallest blood cell). We will see a full-scale model of the Hubble Space Telescope as well as the scientists at work in the clean room. There will be a presentation on the experiences of astronauts while in space followed by the opportunity to see the facility that is the ground control for the NASA Hubble Space Telescope. After the tour, campers will be able to participate in a unique information scavenger hunt competition. There will be a lesson on the NASA Hubble Space Telescope. The Hubble Space Telescope is the largest earth orbiting telescope which takes direct pictures of far away galaxies and provides NASA with photos of the furthest reaches of our galaxy. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center is where the Hubble space telescope was assembled. The lesson will also include an introduction to the newest NASA telescope, the James Webb Deep Space Telescope.

Swim Centers

We will visit several different swim center locations with waterslides and diving boards in Rockville, Greenbelt, and Germantown. Swimming is an option each week of the summer.

Sports and Games
The Heights School

We will have regularly scheduled times for athletic activities on The Heights School campus.

National’s Park and Field
Washington, DC

The group will experience America’s pastime, as we attend a Washington National’s game at National’s Park in D.C. Nationals Park is located in Southeast Washington, south of the Capitol, along the fast-developing Capitol Riverfront adjacent to the Navy Yard. The new park not only redefines modern sports facility architecture but also serves as the catalyst and cornerstone of a new mixed-use Capitol Riverfront in our nation’s capital.