Day Trip to Stonehenge and Bath



One of my favorite parts of this cross cultural experience was the day trip to Stonehenge and Bath. Stonehenge is designated as a World Heritage Site. It is a monument from prehistoric times that continues to prompt study today. While it's full purpose to prehistoric peoples remains a mystery to scholars, it is an impressive testament to the technology and creativity of that time. The story of Stonehenge and it's creators is accessible to visitors via audio tours, a walking path around the stone circle, museum exhibits, and a Neolithic village. I admire how the site has been made so engaging. With a variety of things to do and see, visitors are prompted to consider our prehistoric ancestors and become curious about the origin and construction of the monument. I think that the site is well put together to appeal to the interests of different types of visitors while preserving history. 

I wish that we had more time to experience Bath. It was beautiful city with a relaxed atmosphere and a lot of history. While there, I had the chance to visit the Roman Baths and the Jane Austen Centre. The Roman Baths are a historic site where people of the ancient world came to worship and bathe. Tourists now come to see the ruins of the baths and collections with objects from Roman Britain. An audio tour guided me through the site's history and I had chance to drink water from the hot springs. I have found that I prefer when historic sites provide audio tours. I think they are helpful tools to meet different accessibility needs. I enjoy going through sites at my own pace and focusing on my particular areas of interest. I think more sites should adopt audio tours as an option for their guests. 

At the Jane Austen Centre, the historic interpreters dress in historically accurate outfits and take on the persona of key Austen characters. The Centre coordinates yearly festivals and balls in honor of Austen's work. I listened to a presentation on Jane Austen's immediate family and meandered through exhibits on her life, work, and the Regency Era. I learned that Jane Austen lived in Bath in house similar to the one that the Centre operates out of. I found it inspiring to see how the Centre uses the life of an author to engage the public with history. The use of special programming like balls that require historically accurate dress from the guests and teach period dancing is a wonderful way not only to preserve literature, but to reflect on the legacy of a place like Bath. 

Relevant links:

https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/

https://www.romanbaths.co.uk/

https://janeausten.co.uk/


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