Tour status

As of May 6, we've just moved to wait list mode for this tour. If this tour interests you, please follow the "register" button and fill out the Witte Travel wait list form! No payment is needed; we'll contact you if we have a cancellation and you can make a final decision about registering at that time.

Complete tour info

Download the tour brochure (PDF) for full tour details. Please email alumni@calvin.edu with your name and address if you'd to receive a print copy of this brochure. 

Tour highlights

Join Debra Freeberg for an exploration of communities, faith, and culture in the greater Appalachian region. The tour passes through Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, and Indiana. The itinerary includes stops such as these:

• Chihuly collection at Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanic Gardens
• Columbus progressive dinner with Nick Dekker '01 of Breakfast with Nick
• New River Gorge, which became a new national park in 2021
• Southwest Virginia Cultural Center & Marketplace
• Abington, Virginia, including Barter Theatre and Abingdon Vineyards
• Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill
• Birthplace of Country Music Museum
• Old Friends retired thoroughbred horse farm
• Newfields Museum of Art in Indianapolis 

Women's tour group

Our Alumni Association and CALL staff have noted that we frequently have women joining our tours who either need to find a roommate or pay a single supplement to participate. This tour has been designed for female passengers only, structured so there's one equal fee for all participants. Whether you travel as a single or invite friends or family to join you, we hope you come ready to make new friends and share autumn in Appalachia with other women.

Tour leader

Debra Freeberg, Calvin director of theatre and professor of communication emerita, loves exploring different cultures and landscapes—and sharing them with others. She has led students and alumni groups to explore culture, faith, and arts in Scandinavia and the United Kingdom. With Gary Schmidt, she also regularly leads a popular CALL Shakespeare trip to Stratford, Ontario.

During this tour, Debra will include a couple interactive sessions centered on the concept of storytelling—telling stories from our past, and writing a short narrative prompted by experiences of the tour.

Lodging

For six nights, lodging is in moderate first-class and standard first-class hotels based on single rooms with private facilities (or double rooms on request, if you wish to share with a friend/family member). For the seventh night, Pine Mountain Settlement School, with its simple lodging accommodations, exclusively offers cabins with shared-room options for 2-4 roommates. All participants will be assigned a shared room for one night at this location (or can indicate roommate preferences for that night on their registration form). 

Pricing

The tour cost is $2,985 if all payments are done with check or e-check. If you choose payment with credit card, the cost is $3,035. This includes seven nights of lodging, motorcoach, all entrance fees, two theatre performances, two lunches, and six dinners including a Columbus food tour and dinner at the historic Martha Washington Inn. The pricing is the same for all participants (no additional "single supplement," as there is with many trips). 

Registration

Register online via Witte Travel, or print and mail a paper form to Witte. 

Photo credit: Shaker Village by Carl Wycoff, used by permission via Creative Commons license