The Stuttgart German - American Wandering Club (SGAWC) was founded in 1972 and is the oldest German - American Wandering Club in Germany. Comprised of Military and Civilans - Americans and Germans - you will always find yourself amoungst one of the greatest social groups or set of companions.

If you are looking for a way to get out and see Germany and other countries, meet new friends, and have a lot fun - then you have found the right group of people. Our club members range in ages from five years old all the way to 85. A very social club which takes part in events all over Germany and surrounding countries throughout the year to include our very own Wandertag held annually here in Stuttgart.

What is Wandering? You may find definitions such as, "travelling about without any clear destination". Or "To ramble without a definite purpose or objective; roam, rove, or stray". When we refer to wandering in our context, we are talking about walking or hiking and yes, we actually do have a goal or destination. While, sometimes we do find ourselves lost or deviating from the path to visit a near by castle, waterfall, Christmasmarket, Bier/Wine Festival - Wandering or Volksmarching (people's march) is one of the safest, noncompetitive and most popular, internationally recognized sports. And if that wasn't a mouthfull - Volksmarching was founded right here in Germany in the 1960's to meet the needs for a community event that required no special level of fitness and incorporated all ages. By the end of the 1960's the IVV (International Federation of Popular Sports) was formed, covering all volksports: walking, biking, swimming and cross-country skiing. In 1972, the Stuttgart German-American Wandering Club was formed. Since then, we have been hitting the trails all over the world!

What to expect when you show up to a volksmarching event? First you have to find the "starthalle". Depending on what time you get there,(ealiest usualy from 0700 - 0900) there will be cars parked all up and down the streets. Sometimes there are parking areas. And sometimes you may have to park a little ways off. The Starthalle is the start place and is where you basically check-in and meet your friends - chat a while - eat and drink a bit. This is also the place where you end your walk. The starthalle can be small or huge with live music and a real party going on. Sometimes there are so many people, you can actually get lost a little or find yourself just drifting with with the crowd. So, pay attention and look for the sign ________. If you belong to a club like ours, tell them that you are from Stuttgart. The more people that show up to a march from a volkmarching club the better chance we have at winning a group prize! Also, at this point you must pay for either a yellow card or an orange card. The yellow card is without a prize and is about 2.30 Euro. The orange card is about one Euro more but you get a prize or medallion. These prizes can be anything. Just ask the person at the table and they will show you. Sometimes the prizes are mugs, plates, fuzzy bunny rabits, model trucks - you just never know. Once you pay for your start card you can find your friends, eat/drink or just head out and hit the trail. ~ still working on this page - more to come~