|
The Grand Western Tour has been a pioneer in creating memorable summer adventures for high school students. We took our first busload of students from North Carolina to California in 1964 — and have been doing it every year since.
The story of the Grand Western Tour begins with Eleanor Sue Cox Shore, an alum of Salem College with a love of travel. She founded the Western Tour in 1964 to provide young people with the same educational travel experiences she had enjoyed. She found a true gem in Ken Hayes, a beloved Winston-Salem teacher and coach who was hired to serve as the first tour director. |
|
Ken served as tour director for a remarkable 33 consecutive years before purchasing the company in 1997. Over the years, Ken gained incredible insight and knowledge that enabled us to refine and enhance the Grand Western Tour experience.
Our goal is to give students an up-close and personal look at America, from the wheat fields of Kansas to the beaches of Los Angeles. We travel to some of the nation’s most beautiful national parks, including the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone, and visit some of our most notable landmarks, including The Alamo, the St. Louis Arch, and the Space Needle in Seattle. Along the way, we introduce students to different cultures and communities, traveling from a rustic dude ranch in Montana to the US/Mexico border town of El Paso and the French Quarter in New Orleans.
Our goal is to give students an up-close and personal look at America, from the wheat fields of Kansas to the beaches of Los Angeles. We travel to some of the nation’s most beautiful national parks, including the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone, and visit some of our most notable landmarks, including The Alamo, the St. Louis Arch, and the Space Needle in Seattle. Along the way, we introduce students to different cultures and communities, traveling from a rustic dude ranch in Montana to the US/Mexico border town of El Paso and the French Quarter in New Orleans.
