Our adventure began with a passion for connecting people with the history that moves them. After our profound experience working together at the Utah Beach Museum, my husband and I founded this company to continue experiencing first-hand the joy of preserving a legacy of courage and sharing history with patriots who care as deeply about the past as we do.
I was born and raised in Normandy, France, which undoubtedly influenced my fascination with this subject. I pursued this passion in my education at the University of Caen, where I studied English language, history and tourism. Both of my grandfathers were prisoners of war in Germany. The challenges they faced provided another foundation for my interest in the WWII era, which has always been a strong focus of mine. Having grown up in Normandy, I couldn't help but explore the stories of American heroes in WWII. My European background provides a special perspective, and I knew I could find a way to bring those experiences to life for others who share my respect for this subject. As a result, I worked at the Utah Beach Museum in Sainte-Marie-du-Mont for twenty years before we founded this company. In my last four years at the museum, I served as General Manager, and I quickly found my passion in this work: the joy of community and shared interest in historical tourism, which has been an incredible inspiration. That unique connection, and the chance to exchange stories of heroism and sacrifice through collective experiences, have been the driving force behind this new initiative.
My husband, who serves as the President of our new venture, shares this passion. He chased his interests abroad, expanding his horizons in higher education in the United States before coming to France to put his experience to work. He shares my excitement and motivation for connecting people with history and engaging with like-minded people who share a dedication to history and an appreciation for the heroism of men and women who came before us. We worked together at Utah Beach Museum for several years, where we realized we wanted to grow our work in this area and step into the field of historical tourism. Our success at the Utah Beach Museum, the joy of working together, and the realization that we made an excellent team in this field gave us the final push we needed to establish this new company.
As the 2020 pandemic has changed the historical tourism landscape, we recognized the need for full-service tours that help Americans connect with their history around the world in a reliably secure and comfortable manner. I gathered a group of my most passionate peers to create a heritage-driven project based on relevant experience and dedication to this goal, and thus began: Beaches of Normandy Tours. Our mission is bringing history to life and to celebrate the men and women who came before us, with the aid of local experts and historians.
Severine Diaz
Founder of Beaches of Normandy Tours
General Manager of Utah Beach Museum
