Explore Up Close

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Explore Up Close

Explore Up Close is a small group travel company dedicated to discovering the hidden places and stories of the Southeast and beyond. It really opened my eyes!"
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Explore Up Close is a family-owned travel company, specializing in exploration of the historic, cultural, and natural world. Founded by Chumley Cope in 2004, Explore Up Close creates and guides trips for groups of all sizes and interests. Our specialties include small group travel across the Southeast and beyond, and custom travel for schools, universities, and special interest groups. Here are so

me nice things that people have said about us:

"I enjoyed the pace of the trip...structured, but with plenty of freedom." "It was great as usual – you always teach us something new!"

"I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your careful planning and the fact that you accompanied the kids on their trip. You provided an opportunity for my child to learn and to make memories that will last a lifetime." "We were never rushed through any of our visits. We always had time to look at everything we wanted.

04/09/2024

More photos from our summer adventure in Quebec!

21/08/2024

Merci beaucoup to everyone who joined us for our July trip to Quebec! This is truly one of our favorite places to be, especially in the summertime. The quaint towns, pristine countryside and natural beauty, and fantastic stories to explore with friendly local folks - it doesn’t get better than this!

19/08/2024

Scottish Highlands escape for August!

10/08/2024

Our whale-watching excursion on the St. Lawrence River began in a soupy, thick fog, and we wondered if we would see anything at all! We enjoyed the commentary from our naturalist guides on the boat, and we were lucky to spot a few seals. The cool weather was quite a change from summer in the Carolinas. A storm began to build, and we started to head back to land. Suddenly, the wind cleared the clouds in the middle of the water, and we were able to stop to watch a pod of minke whales feeding! Later, as we made our way back to shore, a perfect rainbow appeared in the mist, and we saw blue skies over our hotel….where local wine and cheese was waiting. Truly a magical and memorable day!

07/08/2024

Waking up to a misty, cool morning in Tadoussac made for some wonderfully dramatic photos! This grand old resort hotel (most recently rebuilt in the 1940s) catches your eye wherever you are in this tiny village, but that iconic red roof is especially striking on a foggy day…

What’s that? How did the moody weather affect our whale-watching excursion? Check out our next post to see for yourself!

28/07/2024

Idyllic scenes from our time in Quebec’s pretty Charlevoix region - windmills and wild roses, lavender farms, Victorian homes, and dramatic views of the Saint-Lawrence as we made our way north!

26/06/2024

It’s been an exciting week for Explore Up Close! We were honored to receive our second Heritage Tourism Award at the South Carolina Historic Preservation Awards. This award recognizes an organization that uses South Carolina’s cultural resources to promote tourism and historic preservation, and we are so grateful to be able to shine a light on the rich layers of history and special places in our home state through our trips. This award holds special significance for us, as we celebrate 20 years of Explore Up Close this year.

Thank you to Preservation South Carolina for this special honor, and for hosting a wonderful event in Columbia for the historic preservation community!

30/04/2024

What does the first day of an Explore Up Close trip look like in our nation’s capital? 12 travelers enjoying the panoramic views from the Old Post Office, wandering the National Portrait Gallery, taking a fascinating peek into the National Building Museum, and exploring the city’s African-American heritage, with a centrally located base at our lovely Beaux-Arts hotel!

15/01/2024

It was nothing short of magical to swim in Hierve el Agua, nestled in the mountains east of Oaxaca’s Central Valley. 🌵💦 Though the name means “boiling water,” the natural springs were actually named for the bubbling appearance. Take a dip in these cliffside pools, and you’ll find they’re a perfect swimming temperature for a hot day - about 75 degrees. The most striking feature? As water seeped from the travertine bedrock over millennia, the mineral deposits formed a “frozen waterfall” made of stone – and the views are spectacular.

13/01/2024

New year, new adventures…come explore with us in 2024! Check out our latest trips on our website, and join us for a small group adventure this year.

05/01/2024

Allow us to introduce you to beautiful Bath Gardens (in Blythe, Georgia) - these European-inspired gardens were founded in 1958, by the grandfather of one of our Explore Up Close travelers! These historic gardens are open for public use, and they are currently hosting a Matching Gift fundraiser to assist with their preservation efforts through January 6th. All contributions, no matter how small, are deeply appreciated!

Here's the link to the Bath Gardens Foundation website for those who are interested in learning more about this Southeastern gem: www.bathgardens.com

The photo below was taken by our founder Chumley Cope during a visit to the gardens in November 2022. If you're interested in exploring more hidden treasures of the Southeast with us this spring, check out our March trip to Sumter, South Carolina! https://www.exploreupclose.com/trips/sumter2024/

02/01/2024

Happy New Year! Exploration awaits in 2024 - we hope you'll join us for a small group adventure in the year ahead!

Check out our upcoming trips on our website, and book your spot today: https://www.exploreupclose.com/upcoming-trips/

We also launched our latest Travel Catalog in December (pictured below) - the cover features our May 2024 trip to Pittsburgh.

If you're not on our mailing list, you can sign up on our website here: https://exploreupclose.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=03100931905e90e4f95198e57&id=b333d3bafb&e=c6473e0723

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http://www.exploreupclose.com/

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