Lifelong Learning for Adults Worldwide

Road Scholar and Philadelphia

Heritage learning is travel designed to provide adults worldwide the opportunity to experience the places and activities that authentically represent the stories and people of the past.

Road Scholar’s mission is to empower adults to explore the world's places, peoples, cultures, and ideas, and in so doing to discover more about themselves. A fellowship of learning and the joy of discovery are the hallmarks of the Road Scholar experience.

The Road Scholar Program engages expert instructors, provides extraordinary access, and stimulates discourse and friendship among people for whom learning is the journey of a lifetime.

Each year, through Road Scholar over 15,000 global travelers visit Philadelphia's numerous historic sites and arts and music attractions to discover the social history and cultural heritage of our extraordinary American city.

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PhilaLandmarks Road Scholar Program

For thirty years, PhilaLandmarks has been an integral part of the heritage tourism in Philadelphia since becoming a member of the Road Scholar Network in 1992.

PhilaLandmarks offers Road Scholar approximately 50 program dates a year, introducing participants to our four historic houses, together with the tremendous historical and cultural resources of our area.

Along with touring our houses and Philadelphia’s other principle sites, participants take excursions to Bucks, Montgomery and Chester counties, and to Gettysburg, and to sites in Delaware, New Jersey and Maryland.

PhilaLandmarks’ Road Scholar program is also one of the largest subscribers to the Philadelphia Orchestra, Philadelphia Flower Show, Barnes Foundation and Philadelphia Museum of Art, to name a few popular tours.

Through our partnership with Road Scholar, PhilaLandmarks plays a crucial role in the tourism economy of Southeastern PA, generating substantial revenues for our city/state.

PHILALANDMARKS ROAD SCHOLAR

Meet Our Road Scholar Director

Lauren Biddle Kain is our Director and Site Coordinator for PhilaLandmarks Road Scholar. She also manages the Gettysburg and Cape May Road Scholar programs.

Lauren received her BS/BA from Randolph Macon College in Ashland, Virginia. After marriage and a move to San Diego, she began working at Event Network, a leading retail operator, working on behalf of prominent cultural institutions such as zoos, botanical gardens, aquariums, museums, science centers and other cultural attractions.

Lauren started working with Road Scholar as a junior Group Leader for the Grandparent Programs. And since then she has taken up the leadership role for us at PhilaLandmarks.

Lauren has a great passion for American history and she and her family reside happily in the Philadelphia area. As a mother of two, Lauren is also very involved with her children’s school. She and the other parents have helped to raise significant funds to benefit both the students and teachers.

CONTACT

PhilaLandmarks Expert Instructors

Tish Byrne

An artist and historian, Tish Byrne is passionate about all aspects of her native city. She has both lived in and led tours at Hill-Physick House. And she now plays the beloved character of Elizabeth Powel at PhilaLandmarks events. Tish is also an interpreter of Abigail Adams and Dolly Madison.

Tish is a graduate of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts where she also worked as an assistant to the Director. She received a BFA from University of the Arts Philadelphia and did graduate studies at University of Oxford.

Tish is a founding co-chair of Young Friends of Philadelphia Museum of Art, a member of Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art and of the Academy of Vocal Arts. She is also a master guide for Mural Arts, a docent at Christ Church, and an exclusive guide for Philadelphia’s 5-star hotels. Tish has lived in London, San Francisco and Carmel, but Philadelphia holds her heart.

Mitchell Kramer

The multi-talented Mitchell Kramer holds a B.A. in playwriting from Hampshire College and attended the renowned Circle in the Square acting conservatory in NYC. He has additionally worked off-Broadway and at notable regional theater companies, including the New York Theater Workshop and the Dorset Theater Festival.

Mitchell is a costumed Historic Interpreter who famously portrays Benjamin Franklin through-out historic venues in Old City Philadelphia including at our PhilaLandmarks houses and events.

Mitchell has written and produced plays for children and adults, along with writing a series of historically accurate stories about 18th century Philadelphia for Historic Philadelphia, Inc. Mitchell is also on the Board of Directors of Mount Sinai Cemetery.

Warren Williams

Warren Williams is a retired architect with over forty five years of experience. Much of his professional career was spent designing projects for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority in Philadelphia.

Indeed, Warren was the lead designer for the renovation of several historic railroad stations in the Philadelphia region. He was also project manager for the design of the subway station at Fifth Street, a station which importantly serves as the public transit gateway to Philadelphia’s historic neighborhoods.

For the last 25 years, Warren has led groups exploring Philadelphia’s historic houses and architecture and Philadelphia’s unique city planning and he also occasionally lectures on Philadelphia’s historical development. In his spare time, Warren is an avid photographer of historic buildings and urban streetscapes.