Senior Trip?

S

SemperExcelsius

10-Year Member
5-Year Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2008
Messages
265
Does anyone have any genuis ideas for a good senior trip to be taken next year during the spring? I am a current junior in HS and the seniors of our AFJROTC unit always take a senior trip... And I will be a SENIOR next year! Very exciting! But I digress...

Any strange and/or wonderful ideas?
 
Haha, OK sounds good... I'm down for Las Vegas :rolleyes:. Now suppose it had to have some connection to the Air Force, the USA, or such... Does that annihilate all the "fun places?"
 
You could always go to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii :)- it may be a bit expensive though
 
He's planning a HS senior trip....what is there for him (legally) to do in Vegas? Save that one for a college trip!
 
SemperEx,

Have to agree with Mom3boys; Vegas is a GREAT college trip (when you're old enough to do the "fun" things :smile: ), but there is quite a few things there for someone underage. From the shows, the rides at Stratosphere (a roller coaster on top of a 1000' tower! :thumb: ), New York, New York and other Casinos, to the sights of the strip. However, all the things downtown are getting EXPENSIVE (some ofthe show tickets are above $90), so you have to do your research to find the good deals.

But when it comes to do something AF-oriented, Vegas is the home to Nellis AFB (the home of the Fighter Pilot (and WSO :biggrin:) ). Nellis is the home of the Weapons School (AF's "Top Gun"), the Thunderbirds, RED FLAG, and a bunch of other neat things. If you're unit is lucky, the timing might work out for you to be there during a RED FLAG. If it is allowed, they may let you in to see a brief or watch the RED FLAG Mission Debriefing System (RFMDS), which is basically a "live feed" of the aircraft flying in the exercise put on a theater sized screen. Looks like the world most expensive video game! :biggrin:

If you do decide to go to Vegas, contact the Public affairs office on Nellis to arrange a tour; there is soooo much to see there. And you can always do the "Non-Sin-City" things at Vegas too; like visit Red Rocks National Park, the Hoover Dam, and such. I've been there sooo many times (for FLAGs, Weapon School Support missions, Live drops, etc.) that I'm mostly bored with the "Sin-City stuff, and stick to the sight-seeing.
 
I am with Bullet and the Commissioner on this one - Las Vegas is pretty awesome.... much to do/see without gambling.
Many families vacation in LV and I can see why - of course you would have to spend an entire day at Hoover Dam - very cool.

But Semper Excelsius - your request is difficult without knowing what limitations you would have - what part of the country are you from and how far can you travel?
Any ideas where (geographically speaking) you would like to go?
If you and/or most of your class have never been to Washington DC - it is difficult to pass that up.
 
Apologies for not giving a bit more detail... Located here in Westminster, CO (Suburb of Denver), and no specific idea of where we would like to go (Our senior instructor advised in order for us to go somewhere it must have some relation to aerospace/Military). Our budget is based on how much we raise during the school year with fundraisers, but there are very few seniors for next year(less than 8) so costs are lowered. Washington DC is our fool-proof plan, which will be our trip if we fail to construct another idea for a different senior trip.

Now, I'm sure someone is wondering , "He has an entire year to plan this out!" Now, here is my answer. The seniors this year spent many many hours on fundraising for their senior trip, raising a total in excess of 2000 bucks. But... They failed to plan their trip until the last minute and consequentially did NOT get a senior trip. Big bummer. Now, my senior class is going to have it down and not have to worry about last-minute planning, hence the seemingly premature question :smile:
 
Last edited:
Senior Trip

Seattle could be a lot of fun. Museum of Flight, Boeing factory tour, Olympic National Park, Mt. Ranier, Mt. St. Helens, Bremerton Sub base (not really airplanes but still cool), McChord AFB, (check out if they have an airshow scheduled....not sure what time of year you are going), Coast Guard in Seattle and Port Angeles, plus the city of Seattle itself.

Frontier flies there pretty cheap from Denver.

Have fun!

Mike
 
For a 'pure' Air Force theme, Dayton, Ohio and the USAF Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB can't be beat. Of course there isn't much else to do in Dayton unless you want to risk a minor in possession rap. Just down I-75 is Cincinnati and a big amusement park, major league baseball, and a few other attractions. Consider it a 'cheap' date.
 
Washington DC can be awesome, especially if some of your classmates haven't been very far from home.

Spring Break 2 years ago we took about 20 Civil Air Patrol cadets to DC. We were able to stay at Bolling Air Force Base, just a few mile outside the capital area. We stayed in really great rooms at the visiting officers complex (kind of like a motel) and ate some meals in the mess hall.

We were able to get tours of the Capital building (through our Senator), White House, Pentagon, Arlington National Cemetary, Air and Space Museum, etc. Great time.

Backup, Peterson Air Force Base down in Colorado Springs has housing for groups like yours. You could get tours of the Academy, maybe Cheyene mountain, etc? Being that close you or your unit probably know more than I do.

Good luck, early planning is key.
 
Thanks all for the suggestions! I'm digging the Vegas trip :thumb:

Bullet: Looks like Nellis is going to have a Red Flag sometime during August 2008 (random wikipedia finding) but our trip will be in the spring so perhaps we will have to pass that up

Cougar: Peterson, the AFA, and Cheyenne Mtn. are all very cool! Unfortunately (or fortunately - depends who you are), we take field trips to those three places almost every year. So perhaps a more distant backup would benifit us more :cool:

But it looks like Washington DC is what most of our seniors will pick, but we don't have to have a decision till middle of May so I'm still open for any suggestions; strange and/or interesting! :spacecraft:
 
DC is outstanding, especially because most of it is free (made up for with expensive food).


If you want to visit the Congressional liaison office of any of the branches, they welcome that stuff. The Senate liaison offices are in the basement of the Russell Senate Office Building. It's a public building. It also houses the offices of two Presidential hopefuls.
 
SemperExcelsius said:
But it looks like Washington DC is what most of our seniors will pick, but we don't have to have a decision till middle of May so I'm still open for any suggestions; strange and/or interesting!
Click to expand...

As a native Washingtonian, let me make a few suggestions:

Do not stay in DC. Stay in Northern VA or Montgomery County MD and take the Metro (subway train) in to town. There is nowhere that you want to see that isn't close to a Metro stop. The dangerous parts of the city are far away from the tourist locations, no worries.

In the Spring, anytime close to when the Cherry Blossoms bloom, prepare to pay double. For everything. They know you're coming. But it's worth it. There is no more beautiful city in the world than Washington DC during the Cherry Blossom festival.

Arrange for tours for the White House and The Capitol through your Congressman or Senator. Tickets are free, but you have to schedule them way in advance to get them, and you must have a group of 10 or more.

Visit the Air & Space museum late in the day. EVERYBODY goes there first, it is extremely crowded every morning.

Don't bother going in the Smithsonian Castle, there is nothing there.

The best museums in my opinion are (in order):

American History (free)
Air & Space (free)
Natural History (free)
National Archives (free)
Army Medical Museum/National Museum of Health & Medicine (free)
International Spy Museum ($14)
National Zoo (free)
Navy Museum/Navy Yard SE (free)
Hirshhorn Gallery (free)
National Portrait Gallery (free)
Holocaust Museum (free but need tickets)

:cool:
 
MOST of the Smithsonians are in the same area, the exception being part of the Air and Space. Either Natural History or American History is closed this year.

It is nearly impossible to get a tour of the White House, unless you act far in advance or have an in in the executive branch. The Capitol can be arranged day of, however, you will need your Senator or Congressman to see both sides, otherwise you get the "other" tour, which isn't bad either.

I was able to go TAD to Congressional Affairs for a month, DC is a different animal, but I loved it, and I would love to go back...if I get that assignment.

Use the Metro like it's your friend, because it is, and it's clean, incase you've ever used the T in Boston or the Subway in NYC.

DO NOT sit on the benches, especially near Union Station, the homeless people DO urinate on them.


ENJOY the nations capital. With all of the grief we give the government, stuff does get done there, and it is a sight to see.
 
Washington DC-Air and Space Museum

And if you go to DC, make sure you see both Air and Space Museums; the old one on the Mall and the new one at Dulles.

Mike
 
LineInTheSand said:
DO NOT sit on the benches, especially near Union Station, the homeless people DO urinate on them.
Click to expand...

^^Really? Not to sound like a smart-alec, but how was this found out? Anyways, I'm going to take your word for it :thumb:
 
Found it out each morning when I took the Metro from Mclean, VA to Union Station and walked from Union Station to the Russell Senate Office building. You run into the same people each day. Lunch was always with a civilian CG Senate liaison (who was also a reservist E-7 in the USAF), and an Army major from the Army Senate Liaison office. The smells and the sights are not easily forgotten...which is just how I like it.
 
Definetly go to the Spy Museum and then eat in China Town. You can buy the tickets on line, don't show up and expect to get in. They have limited tickets and if you go during the spring, tickets sell out quickly. You can show up at noon, and they might be sold out until 3.

Go to Ford's theatre (I think they are free) and go to eat at the hard Rock, only about 200 ft from it.

Stay on the VA side, Ballston is a great area and has a night life. You can get into DC quickly. Old town Alexandria is also great. There are 2 metro stops and easy to get to Reagan National on the Metro.

When you go to the capitol, if they are in session, go to Bullfeathers Bar, it is a watering hole for the MOC's.

Crystal City/Pentagon Row is also a great place to stay. There are some nice restarant/bars that are located across the street from the Pentagon. A lot of the military hang out there after work on Fri. night. The metro goes straight into the city.

If you want to go cheap and stay out further, try Springfield. It is further out there, but the hotels will be cheaper.

I know the military puts up their people off of Key Bridge in DC, you might want to look in that area and ask for govt. rates.

There is also the O'Club in DC, that has a hotel, not sure how easy it would be to get into that.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top