A Train Tour of the Northeast


We started our region tour on a train in Maine. Students received train tickets that they will keep as souvenirs to add to their region tour scrapbooks.

Our first stop was West Quoddy Head in the northeastern corner of Maine. Out the windows of the train, we were able to see the famous lighthouse that sounds a foghorn to warn ships that they are close to land. We then saw Mt. Washington, standing at 6,288 feet tall. Located in the state of New Hampshire, it is the tallest peak in the northeast.
In Plymouth, Massachusetts, we were able to see The Mayflower II, a reproduction of the pilgrims' ship. We also read about the Mayflower Compact, an agreement that said the pilgrims would set up a government and make laws for the good of everyone. As an activity, students discussed the validity of the rules made by the pilgrims in small groups and compared their compact to the democracy we enjoy today in the United States. We feasted on cranberry muffins! Click here to tour the Mayflower!

In Boston, Massachusetts we stopped at Boston Common and had great views of the Boston Harbor. We learned that this city was the place where the first fighting broke out between colonists and British troops to begin the Revolutionary War.


In Hershey, Pennsylvania, we visited the Hershey Chocolate Factory! After taking a virtual tour of the factory, we created our own assembly lines in class and tried to see how many Hershey Kisses we could wrap in two minutes. It was hard work! We even made peanut blossom cookies with Hershey Kisses! Click here for more cookie-making pictures!
In Philadelphia, we visited Independence Hall. On the first Independence Day in 1776, leaders from the 13 colonies met in this building to sign the Declaration of Independence.


In Washington D.C., we got off the train and took a bus tour of the amazing city. We visited The White House, The Washington Monument, The Lincoln Memorial, and the Capital Building. We had to wear our VIP passes to get into some of these important buildings!


In New York City, we visited the Empire State building. We wanted to know how long it would take to get to the top of the empire state building if we used the steps. We "air-stepped" for five minutes and then used multiplication to figure out how long it would take! Students even enjoyed New York bagels as a treat at our final northeast tour stop!