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The Chautauqua Experience in Summer

Program No. 20581RJ
Founded in 1874, the Chautauqua Institution is a celebration of art, history and culture. Join us for classes, lectures and performances, all in a uniquely American lakeside village.
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Philosophy & ReligionClassroomPolitical ScienceMost PopularHistory
Length
7 days
Rating (4.92)
Activity Level
Starts at
2,299
Prefer to enroll or inquire by phone? 800-454-5768
Select your type of room
Price will update based on selection
Prices displayed below are based on per person,doubleoccupancy.

DATES & PRICES

Gate PassNo shuttleShuttle
Participants ages 90 and above receive a free gate pass at the Chautauqua Institution.
Excludes round-trip airport shuttle transfers to and from the program location.
Includes round-trip airport shuttle transfers to and from the program location.
Jun 28 - Jul 4, 2026
Select Date
Free Gate Pass 2,299
No transfer 2,949
Roundtrip airport transfer 3,099
Itinerary Note

This week’s theme: Icons and Instigators: “Women Who Change the World” Across generations and geographies, women have sparked revolutions, reshaped norms and reimagined the possible. We celebrate iconic changemakers and unsung trailblazers alike — women whose courage, vision and defiance have rerouted history and continue to shape the future.

Jul 5 - Jul 11, 2026
Select Date
Free Gate Pass 2,299
No transfer 2,949
Roundtrip airport transfer 3,099
Itinerary Note

This week’s theme: “Breaking the News: Charting a New Media Landscape” The way we produce and consume news is changing fast — shaped by established and emerging digital platforms, evolving audience consumption habits and rapidly shifting business models. As trust in traditional media declines and misinformation rises, how do we ensure a healthy press — and an informed public?

Jul 12 - Jul 18, 2026
Select Date
Free Gate Pass 2,299
No transfer 2,949
Roundtrip airport transfer 3,099
Itinerary Note

This week’s theme: “The 2026 Election: What’s at Stake?” This week’s theme is a Partnership with American Enterprise Institute and Brookings Institution. As voters prepare for an election year, the American political landscape is shifting beneath our feet. With all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and a third of the Senate on the ballot — and early signals emerging about the 2028 presidential race — this week explores the issues galvanizing voters across the ideological spectrum.

Jul 19 - Jul 25, 2026
Select Date
Free Gate Pass 2,299
No transfer 2,949
Roundtrip airport transfer 3,099
Itinerary Note

This week’s theme: “Wasted: Our Era of Disposability” In a world where phones are upgraded yearly, appliances aren’t built to last, and new cars are essentially rolling computers that require a manufacturer willing to continue providing software updates, even our most expensive possessions are treated as disposable. In this week in partnership with the Chautauqua Climate Change Initiative, Chautauqua convenes a timely exploration of the cost of convenience.

Jul 26 - Aug 1, 2026
Select Date
Free Gate Pass 2,299
No transfer 2,949
Roundtrip airport transfer 3,099
Itinerary Note

This week’s theme: “Art and Artists Against the Odds” Behind every celebrated work of art is a story of persistence. In this week, Chautauqua spotlights the uphill journeys of artists who’ve carved out visibility and voice in a world where creative paths are rarely straight or simple. We’ll explore the realities of the art world — from the influence of gatekeepers and geography to how race, class and access impact who gets seen and supported.

Aug 2 - Aug 8, 2026
Free Gate Pass 2,299
No transfer 2,949
Roundtrip airport transfer 3,099
Itinerary Note

This week's theme: "America at 250: In Partnership with the National Constitution Center and The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation" The term semiquincentennial has entered the zeitgeist as the United States of America prepares to commemorate its 250th birthday in 2026. Such a milestone anniversary offers and opportunity to survey the previous quarter-millennium — how a collection of upstart British colonies became the world's pre-eminent constitutional democracy, with major successes, failures and continued struggles along the way.

Aug 9 - Aug 15, 2026
Select Date
Free Gate Pass 2,299
No transfer 2,949
Roundtrip airport transfer 3,099
Itinerary Note

This week’s theme: “Global Power and Our Evolving International Order” For decades, the United States has been the anchor of a liberal world order shaped by shared institutions, military alliances and economic leadership. As the Trump administration’s “America First” domestically focused agenda takes root, new powers are rising — and the rules of global engagement are shifting. In this week we examine the impact of America’s new posture toward its international allies and enemies, examining how the international order is evolving in real time, from security alliances and trade blocs to diplomatic norms and great-power competition.

Aug 16 - Aug 22, 2026
Select Date
Free Gate Pass 2,299
No transfer 2,949
Roundtrip airport transfer 3,099
Itinerary Note

This week’s theme: “The Future of Food: Climate, Technology and the Next Agricultural Revolution” Food is universal, it sustains us, connects us, defines us. But how we grow it, share it, and celebrate it is changing fast. As climate pressures mount, technologies advance and cultural traditions evolve, we find ourselves at the edge of a new agricultural revolution. This week at Chautauqua explores the future of food systems through the lenses of sustainability, technology, culture, justice and joy.

Aug 23 - Aug 29, 2026
Select Date
Free Gate Pass 2,299
No transfer 2,949
Roundtrip airport transfer 3,099
Itinerary Note

This week’s theme: “The Importance of Gathering: A Collaboration with the Smithsonian Folklife Festival” in collaboration with the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Chautauqua investigates and celebrates togetherness as a critical component of what it means to be human. For more than 150 years, the essence of Chautauqua, the most fulsome expression of its mission and work, has been a stretch of summertime in which thousands of people gather on our verdant, rural 220-acre grounds. These folks gather to learn, to feel, to pray, to play, and much more — and each of these experiences is made all the more rich because they are experienced together.

DATES & PRICES

Gate PassNo shuttleShuttle
Participants ages 90 and above receive a free gate pass at the Chautauqua Institution.
Excludes round-trip airport shuttle transfers to and from the program location.
Includes round-trip airport shuttle transfers to and from the program location.
Jun 28 - Jul 4, 2026
Select Date
Free Gate Pass 2,599
No transfer 3,259
Roundtrip airport transfer 3,409
Itinerary Note

This week’s theme: Icons and Instigators: “Women Who Change the World” Across generations and geographies, women have sparked revolutions, reshaped norms and reimagined the possible. We celebrate iconic changemakers and unsung trailblazers alike — women whose courage, vision and defiance have rerouted history and continue to shape the future.

Jul 5 - Jul 11, 2026
Select Date
Free Gate Pass 2,599
No transfer 3,259
Roundtrip airport transfer 3,409
Itinerary Note

This week’s theme: “Breaking the News: Charting a New Media Landscape” The way we produce and consume news is changing fast — shaped by established and emerging digital platforms, evolving audience consumption habits and rapidly shifting business models. As trust in traditional media declines and misinformation rises, how do we ensure a healthy press — and an informed public?

Jul 12 - Jul 18, 2026
Select Date
Free Gate Pass 2,599
No transfer 3,259
Roundtrip airport transfer 3,409
Itinerary Note

This week’s theme: “The 2026 Election: What’s at Stake?” This week’s theme is a Partnership with American Enterprise Institute and Brookings Institution. As voters prepare for an election year, the American political landscape is shifting beneath our feet. With all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and a third of the Senate on the ballot — and early signals emerging about the 2028 presidential race — this week explores the issues galvanizing voters across the ideological spectrum.

Jul 19 - Jul 25, 2026
Select Date
Free Gate Pass 2,599
No transfer 3,259
Roundtrip airport transfer 3,409
Itinerary Note

This week’s theme: “Wasted: Our Era of Disposability” In a world where phones are upgraded yearly, appliances aren’t built to last, and new cars are essentially rolling computers that require a manufacturer willing to continue providing software updates, even our most expensive possessions are treated as disposable. In this week in partnership with the Chautauqua Climate Change Initiative, Chautauqua convenes a timely exploration of the cost of convenience.

Jul 26 - Aug 1, 2026
Select Date
Free Gate Pass 2,599
No transfer 3,259
Roundtrip airport transfer 3,409
Itinerary Note

This week’s theme: “Art and Artists Against the Odds” Behind every celebrated work of art is a story of persistence. In this week, Chautauqua spotlights the uphill journeys of artists who’ve carved out visibility and voice in a world where creative paths are rarely straight or simple. We’ll explore the realities of the art world — from the influence of gatekeepers and geography to how race, class and access impact who gets seen and supported.

Aug 2 - Aug 8, 2026
Free Gate Pass 2,599
No transfer 3,259
Roundtrip airport transfer 3,409
Itinerary Note

This week's theme: "America at 250: In Partnership with the National Constitution Center and The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation" The term semiquincentennial has entered the zeitgeist as the United States of America prepares to commemorate its 250th birthday in 2026. Such a milestone anniversary offers and opportunity to survey the previous quarter-millennium — how a collection of upstart British colonies became the world's pre-eminent constitutional democracy, with major successes, failures and continued struggles along the way.

Aug 9 - Aug 15, 2026
Select Date
Free Gate Pass 2,599
No transfer 3,259
Roundtrip airport transfer 3,409
Itinerary Note

This week’s theme: “Global Power and Our Evolving International Order” For decades, the United States has been the anchor of a liberal world order shaped by shared institutions, military alliances and economic leadership. As the Trump administration’s “America First” domestically focused agenda takes root, new powers are rising — and the rules of global engagement are shifting. In this week we examine the impact of America’s new posture toward its international allies and enemies, examining how the international order is evolving in real time, from security alliances and trade blocs to diplomatic norms and great-power competition.

Aug 16 - Aug 22, 2026
Select Date
Free Gate Pass 2,599
No transfer 3,259
Roundtrip airport transfer 3,409
Itinerary Note

This week’s theme: “The Future of Food: Climate, Technology and the Next Agricultural Revolution” Food is universal, it sustains us, connects us, defines us. But how we grow it, share it, and celebrate it is changing fast. As climate pressures mount, technologies advance and cultural traditions evolve, we find ourselves at the edge of a new agricultural revolution. This week at Chautauqua explores the future of food systems through the lenses of sustainability, technology, culture, justice and joy.

Aug 23 - Aug 29, 2026
Select Date
Free Gate Pass 2,599
No transfer 3,259
Roundtrip airport transfer 3,409
Itinerary Note

This week’s theme: “The Importance of Gathering: A Collaboration with the Smithsonian Folklife Festival” in collaboration with the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Chautauqua investigates and celebrates togetherness as a critical component of what it means to be human. For more than 150 years, the essence of Chautauqua, the most fulsome expression of its mission and work, has been a stretch of summertime in which thousands of people gather on our verdant, rural 220-acre grounds. These folks gather to learn, to feel, to pray, to play, and much more — and each of these experiences is made all the more rich because they are experienced together.

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Prefer to enroll or inquire by phone? 800-454-5768
This date is available to book as a private experience for your group!