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Trip to Philadelphia's Independence Seaport Museum set Feb. 24; Reserve by Feb. 15

January 7, 2017

The Lewes Historical Society is offering a Day in Philadelphia Bus Trip Friday, Feb. 24. Traveling via charter bus, the group will depart Lewes at 8:30 a.m. from the Lowe's Home Improvement parking lot alongside Route 1 at 20364 Plantation Road, Lewes. The main feature of the trip will be a visit to The Independence Seaport Museum along the Delaware River on Penn's Landing. The museum is a repository for many historic artifacts, art and archival items from the Delaware River Valley. For more information, go to www.phillyseaport.org.

Tickets are $55 per person. To purchase tickets, call 302-645-7670. The day-trip ticket includes transportation, lunch and Seaport Museum entrance fees. Seating is limited and reservations must be made by 4 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 15.

Upon arrival, attendees will receive a 45-minute guided walking tour through a new exhibit, Tides of Freedom: African Presence on the Delaware River. It will be led by Chief Curator Craig Burns, who has been with the museum for 21 years. The exhibit explores the concept of freedom through the lens of the African experience along the Delaware. The exhibit contains gripping first-person accounts and interactive elements during four key moments in Philadelphia's history, representing the themes of enslavement, emancipation, Jim Crow and civil rights.

A lunch break is set for 12:15 p.m. at the Keating's Rope and Anchor Restaurant connected to the museum with a beautiful overlook view of the river. There will be a set-menu lunch of soup, sandwich and salad. Those with dietary restrictions should consider bringing a supplementary home-packed lunch. Unfortunately, vegan, vegetarian or gluten-free alternatives will not be available.

From 1 to 3:15 p.m., attendees will have the opportunity to independently explore the various aspects of the museum, including the wooden boat-making shop, Woodshop on the Water. Part of the museum's permanent exhibit, docked in the river, are two full-sized historic vessels: the Olympia, a Spanish-American War-era cruiser, and the Becuna, a World War II-era submarine.

Also included is the exhibit Patriots and Pirates, featuring curated objects never or rarely seen by the public, highlighting the little-told story of America's conflicts with pirates. At the center of the exhibit is a full-size waterline model of Diligence of 1797, a stationary 102-foot schooner with masts soaring above a 62-foot deck.

Attendees who wish to explore the historic district of Philadelphia are welcome to do so. However, they must arrange for their own transportation within the city and provide their own entrance fees to other sites, ensuring that they return to the Seaport Museum by 3:15 p.m.

Departure time back to Lewes from Philadelphia will be 3:30 p.m. For more information, go to www.HistoricLewes.org or call 302-645-7670.

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