Students get to experience NC history up close

NEW BERN, N.C. (WTVD) -- Almost 2,000 students will get to see Tryon Palace in New Bern, North Carolina, in person, thanks to the help of scholarships.

Tryon Palace was North Carolina's first permanent state capital.

Officials there say more than 1,700 students at 16 Title 1 schools will receive the scholarships to cover the cost of field trips to the historic site.

Title 1 schools meet certain guidelines for the number of economically disadvantages students. Most of the schools receiving the scholarships are in eastern North Carolina.

The Tryon Palace Foundation raised the money for the field trips through donations.

The foundation president says the field trips are important because experiencing history is different from just reading about it.

Applications to attend next year's field trips will be accepted from Aug. 15 through Sept.30.