Celebrating our Independence: EF Go Ahead Tours Launches New "Footsteps of the Revolutionary War" Tour for America 250 as Survey Reveals Most Active American Travelers Have Never Visited the Birthplaces of Independence

Ken Burns PBS Documentary Historian Dr. Iris de Rode to Serve as Featured On-Tour Guide from Philadelphia to Yorktown, VA on Debut July 4, 2027 Departure

• New Tour Launch: EF Go Ahead Tours announces "America 250: The American Revolution from Boston to Yorktown," an 11-day special departure guided group tour debuting July 4, 2027, tracing America's founding story from Boston to Yorktown, Virginia.
• Survey Findings: According to a May 2026 survey by EF Go Ahead Tours and Qualtrics Research, fewer than 1 in 5 active American travelers have visited key Revolutionary War sites, including Valley Forge (19%), Lexington and Concord (15%), Yorktown (16%), and Washington Crossing, PA (13%).
  Featured Historian: Dr. Iris de Rode — historian, author, and featured expert in Ken Burns' PBS series The American Revolution — joins as on-tour guide from Philadelphia to Yorktown.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., June 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As America marks 250 years of independence, a striking new survey from EF Go Ahead Tours and Qualtrics Research reveals a gap between American excitement over the 250^th anniversary and the reality that most active travelers residing in the U.S. have never visited destinations inside the country where the nation was born.

Today, EF Go Ahead Tours announces the launch of America 250: The American Revolution from Boston to Yorktown, a new 11-day special departure guided group tour celebrating American history where it all started. Bookable now and debuting July 4, 2027, the new tour traces the arc of America's founding story — from the cobblestones of Boston's Freedom Trail to the final battlefield at Yorktown, Virginia, where independence was secured.

Most Americans Haven't Been There — Yet

Recent survey data shows that even among active American travelers, many have largely bypassed the very ground where their nation's history was made. Among active American travelers who had visited at least one U.S. historical city, New York City led at 70%, followed by Washington, D.C. at 65%. But the numbers of travelers drop sharply when it comes to the Revolutionary sites that define the American story:

• Only 51% had visited Boston and 49% Philadelphia — two key cities that sparked the revolution.
  
  
• Fewer than 1 in 5 had visited Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts (15%); Princeton, NJ (16%); Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania (13%); Valley Forge, Pennsylvania (19%); or Yorktown, Virginia (16%) — where the Continental Army won the final decisive battle for independence.

"There's something deeply powerful about standing in the places where history was made and a nation was born. On this commemorative tour, we invite travelers to explore the full, complex story of the American Revolution and discover what the founding of the United States truly meant for the people who shaped it," said Lael Kassis, Vice President of Market Innovation and Development at EF Go Ahead Tours. "From the 'Shot Heard Round the World' at Lexington and Concord, to celebrating July 4th in Boston — one of the greatest Independence Day celebrations in the country — to a Broadway performance of Hamilton in New York City, and finally – standing at the Siege of Yorktown, this tour brings that complex, living history to life in a way that only a guided tour can. With America's 250th anniversary celebrations in full swing and a growing appetite for meaningful domestic travel, there has never been a better moment to experience our shared American story firsthand."

The Tour: An 11-Day Journey Through American Independence

Footsteps of the Revolutionary War is an 11-day Classic-style guided group tour debuting on July 4, 2027.

Starting in Boston and departing from Richmond, Virginia, the itinerary visits the most consequential sites in the American founding:

• Boston (3 nights): Walk the 2.5-mile Freedom Trail, eat a lobster roll, and trace the events that sparked the Revolution; visit Bunker Hill; and witness where the Shot Heard Round the World rang out at Minuteman National Historic Park in Lexington and Concord. On the first night of the tour, enjoy a special 4^th of July fireworks show from EF Go Ahead's headquarters in Cambridge, MA, along the iconic Charles River Esplanade.
  
  
• New York City (1 night): Learn about some of the early battles of the revolution under General Washington's command in the New York City and Long Island areas, then see an EPIC live performance of Broadway's iconic Hamilton — included in the tour price.
  
  
• Philadelphia (3 nights): Explore Independence Hall and the birthplace of the Declaration of Independence, with excursions to Valley Forge National Historical Park and the Brandywine Battlefield.
  
  
• Washington, D.C. (1 night): Visit the monuments of the nation's capital, including a stop at George Washington's Mount Vernon, experienced through the eyes of his staff and learn about the enslaved workers who built it.
  
  
• Yorktown, Virginia (2 nights): Stand on the grounds of the Siege of Yorktown, where the Continental Army's final victory over the British secured American independence in 1781.

Dr. Iris de Rode: Bringing the Revolution to Life from Philadelphia to Yorktown

Adding an extraordinary dimension to the tour's southern leg, EF Go Ahead Tours is proud to announce that famed author and historian Dr. Iris de Rode will serve as a featured on-tour expert and guide from Philadelphia through Yorktown. Dr. de Rode is one of the foremost scholars of the French-American alliance during the Revolutionary War and appears in Ken Burns' acclaimed PBS documentary series The American Revolution. Her doctoral research, conducted at the Chastellux Castle in Burgundy, France, uncovered more than 6,000 unpublished papers of Major General François-Jean de Chastellux — a central figure in the French-American military alliance and close confidant of George Washington. Her biography of Chastellux was awarded the prestigious Prix Guizot of the Académie Française in 2023 and has been recognized by both the Sons of the American Revolution and the Daughters of the American Revolution.

"The story of the American Revolution is not just one of colonial rebels and British redcoats — it is a story of an extraordinary alliance, of French officers who crossed an ocean because they believed in the idea of liberty, and of men like Washington and Chastellux who forged that partnership in the mud of Valley Forge and on the fields of Yorktown," said Dr. Iris de Rode, historian and author. "Walking these sites with travelers is a privilege. The ground at Valley Forge, at the Brandywine, at Yorktown — it still holds the weight of what happened there. I look forward to helping travelers feel that weight, and to understand that the independence America celebrates today was won through sacrifice, strategy, and an unlikely friendship between two nations."

Best Price Guarantee

Have the confidence that the price of your tour is the best price. EF Go Ahead's Best Price Guarantee is valid at the time of booking for new reservations and applies to the price of the tour including airfare and after the value of any promotional offer or discount is applied. Click here to read more about this guarantee: https://www.goaheadtours.com/about/terms

Benefit from our New Referral Program!

The new referral program offers travelers an easy way to connect and invite friends, family members, and fellow adventurers to experience a guided group tour for themselves.

How it works: Give $100. Get $100.

• Refer a friend: Any traveler who has taken a trip with or is currently booked on tour with EF Go Ahead Tours, EF Ultimate Break, or EF Adventures can now share a personal referral link via email, text, social media, or their respective EF World Journeys mobile app. Friends must be new to EF World Journeys, 18 or older, and have a valid email address to qualify.
  
  
• Both travelers earn $100: When the referred traveler books, both receive $100 in travel credit. Rewards are issued 60 days after booking confirmation, and referrals must book within six months.
  
  
• Earn $500 on every fifth referral: Referring travelers receive $500 for every fifth successful referral. There is no limit to how many referrals can be made, and rewards NEVER expire.

Visit to learn more: https://www.goaheadtours.com/about/referrals

About EF Go Ahead Tours
EF Go Ahead Tours has been a leader in guided group travel for more than 30 years, offering expertly crafted itineraries across the globe. With a focus on immersive experiences, cultural connections, and seamless travel, Go Ahead helps travelers explore the world with confidence and curiosity.

Go Ahead offers more than 200 guided trips across six continents. Each carefully planned, expertly led tour makes it easy for curious travelers of all ages to get to the heart of a destination. With a maximum group size well below the industry average, each trip has the perfect balance of planned sightseeing and free time to explore.

EF Go Ahead Tours is a tour operator brand within EF World Journeys, one of North America's leading guided, experiential travel companies.

Join EF Go Ahead Tours' affiliate program, supported by AWIN and earn commissions on booked tours.

SOURCE EF Go Ahead Tours