This presentation is based on my experiences with an experimental summer travel course in which students were on the road for 16 days and visited a series of historical locations in Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama. The presentation will show the importance of hands on learning. Students gained a better appreciation for the topography of battlefield in the outcome of fights, why battles were fought in certain places, and how southern plantations worked during the antebellum years. Even more, students learned about new job opportunities within museums, historic sites, and with the National Park Service. While a long 16-day trip might be beyond the capacity of many students and professors, classes can engage in small daylong fieldtrips to gain at least a basic appreciation and provide knowledge impossible to convey in a conventional classroom.
