New Marketing Option: Tauck’s Civil War Program

Tauck announced details on the five-day Civil War event it is hosting with 12-time Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Ken Burns in and around Washington, D.C., from May 22 to May 26. Full itinerary information is contained in a new 32-page brochure Tauck is mailing to agents and consumers, and the company has also posted the brochure online at its website.

The special event will be highlighted by Tauck-exclusive experiences, including private access at a number of historic venues and a keynote address from Burns during an interactive evening with the filmmaker. The Tauck/Ken Burns event coincides with this year’s 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, and a PBS rebroadcast of Burns’s documentary "The Civil War" slated for early April. The Burns film has been honored with more than 40 major film and television awards.

Each full day of the Tauck/Ken Burns event will examine a different facet of the Civil War, with attendees splitting into groups of just 15 to 30 to experience a series of private, interactive guided sightseeing modules related to that day’s theme. Themes that will be explored on selected days include "The Meaning of Freedom," which probes the role of slavery leading up to and through the Civil War in special visits to the Frederick Douglass House and the African-American Museum of the Civil War, and on a walking tour of historic U. Street.

Other themes include "Lincoln’s War," which examines the 16th president’s remarkable leadership, complex personality and enduring legacy in private tours of Ford’s Theatre, the Library of Congress, and Lincoln’s newly-opened "summer cottage," the personal retreat he frequented during his presidency. "The People’s War" ventures outside of Washington for a guided tour of the Manassas battlefield in Virginia. Like Burns’s films, each day’s theme will be explored "from the ground up," emphasizing the human drama and deeply personal experiences of the people, from common foot soldiers to national figures, whose lives were impacted by the Civil War.

With 2011 marking the 150th anniversary of the war’s start, interest in the conflict is already increasing, said Tauck CEO Dan Mahar.

"A recent USA Today survey asked people what kind of 2011 event they were most likely to travel for, and a Civil War-related event was the number-one response," said Mahar. "With the rebroadcast of the Ken Burns Civil War film this spring, interest is only going to grow."

Mahar added that the Tauck/Ken Burns event isn’t intended to cover the entire history of the war in detail.

"You can’t possibly cover the entire four-year war over the course of five days, but you can certainly gain a rich understanding of many of its key themes," said Mahar." In particular, when you have Ken Burns, Harold Holzer and others sharing their insights and perspectives, and when you’re enjoying exclusive access to so many incredibly historic places with deep ties to the Civil War, you can count on an amazingly engaging and rewarding experience. This is really a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Prices for the event are from $3,590 per-person, double occupancy, plus air. Included in the price are airport transfers, most meals, admission to all sites and attractions, local guides, ground transportation, all evening programs and entertainment, taxes, luggage handling and more. Guests can select lodging from four historic five-star hotel properties in Washington, D.C., including the Willard Intercontinental.

Visit www.tauck.com.