Recently, Super Holiday Tours took a North Carolina group to California, traveling from toe to tip across the Golden State.
Across eight days of travel, the Union Academy Charter School’s wind ensemble experienced as much as they could in California, including theme parks, museums, performances and more.
“We decided to do a trip to California so we could visit the west coast. Most of our students have never been to the west coast so this was an amazing opportunity to visit and perform,” said Union Academy band director Steven Stevens.
Because it was something so new for the group and involved so much travel, it was also a different and exciting project for Super Holiday.
“Planning this travel experience was unique in its entirety from the very beginning!” said Casey Cole of Super Holiday. “We had to plan for a student group that was flying cross-country from North Carolina to California and into San Diego, a mere twenty miles from the U.S.-Mexico border.
“After three days, they made the short drive up to Los Angeles for another three days of sightseeing and exploring. Then, once again, they continued their journey up the Pacific Coast to San Francisco for two more days, before flying back home to North Carolina from Oakland, California. All told, you’re looking at a travel experience that covered some 5,500 miles!”
The group began with a fun evening at Dave & Buster’s, before heading to San Diego Zoo the next morning, which Stevens says is an absolute “must visit” attraction. This was followed by a day at the beach, which was the first time ever seeing the Pacific ocean for many students. The next day was a full day at SeaWorld San Diego!
Then, it was up to L.A. for experiences featuring the vibrant, globally renowned arts and film community. The Union Academy group visited the Grammy Museum, the Academy Museum of Motin Pictures, and a local cultural city tour.
Of course, this is a band trip, which means performance opportunities! The group played at Universal City Walk in the morning before spending the rest of the day enjoying the Universal Studios Hollywood parks.
After a day of driving up to San Francisco, the group went to Green Music Center at Sonoma State University, attending a band clinic, which was another huge highlight for Stevens. “Our performance at Universal City Walk was amazing and our clinic with Dr. Andy Collinsworth, band director at Sonoma State University, was second to none.”
The group then toured San Francisco before heading home the next day. All in all, it was a hugely varied trip that showed the students tons of incredible new experiences. They had fun, learned, played, and of course, bonded, all while experiencing the beauty of California. It’s the kind of trip no student will ever forget.
“Super Holiday Tours did a great job planning, facilitating, and guiding us on this tour,” Stevens said. “We look forward to our next trip with them.”