Weekend Tours
Weekend Tours
Due the shortened nature of this year's 2024 season (3 weeks instead of the usual 4 weeks), we will NOT be offering weekend tours like we usually do. There will be opportunity to visit various sites each weekend, but the nature of these visits will be casual, flexible, and somewhat impromptu (decided week by week and perhaps day by day).
If you would have been interested in the original type of weekend tours described below, please email us at archaeology@lipscomb.edu as we might be able to put something similar together if there is enough interest.
The Lanier Center for Archaeology arranges weekend tours for those who are interested in exploring the biblical land of Israel. These tours are led by an experienced guide and are highly recommended if you have not visited Israel before or are looking to explore the country more thoroughly. These tours focus on the archaeology, history, and geography of Israel and will not only take you to nearly every major historical site but will also allow you special access at some sites that are either not open to or known by the general public!
The weekend tours are open to anyone attending the Tel Burna Excavation Project. If you are interested in doing so, please contact the LCA Educational Coordinator Ms. Marcella Barbosa at mbarbosa@lipscomb.edu.
Cost
The weekend tours are designed as a package deal including all four weekends and the price can vary depending on the year. The cost includes transportation, entry fees, lodging, and most meals.
For the 2023 season, the cost is $1500 per person.
Because the tours are designed as a package deal, this price does not apply to individual weekends.
Academic Credit
You can earn academic credit by participating in the weekend tours!
The Lanier Center for Archaeology at Lipscomb University offers credit for the course Special Topics: History, Archaeology, and Geography of Ancient Israel (ARCH4113 Section 01 for undergraduates and ARCH5703 Section 01 for graduate students), the requirements for which include participation in the weekend tours. For more information about receiving academic credit, please visit our Academic Program page.
Typical Itinerary
Below you can find a generic itinerary example. These itineraries are subject to change as necessary. If you plan to take part in the weekend tours, you must arrive in Israel on the Friday before the dig starts!
The tour on this weekend takes place on the Saturday and Sunday immediately before the excavation starts on Monday.
City of David
Hezekiah's Tunnel
Davidson Archaeological Park
Pool of Siloam
Mount of Olives
Old City (this can include the Temple Mount, Western Wall, Broad Wall, Pools of Bethesda, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and more)
The tour on this weekend starts Friday afternoon, immediately after the excavation finishes for the week, and goes through Sunday.
Dead Sea
Qumran
En Gedi
Masada
Beersheba
Ashkelon
Mediterranean Sea
This tour is a 3-day weekend that starts early on Friday morning and goes through Sunday.
Sea of Galilee
Caesarea Maritima
Megiddo
Sepphoris
Tiberias
Hazor
Dan
Banias/Caesarea Philippi
Chorazim
Magdala
Capernaum
Beth Shean
The tour on this weekend starts Friday afternoon, immediately after the excavation finishes for the week, and goes through Sunday. This weekend is more flexible to allow visits to sites that might have been missed until now.
Israel Museum
More Jerusalem sites
Shopping
Lachish
Gezer
Gath
Beit Guvrin/Maresha
Herodium