My husband I joined the moonlight tour in DC over the Easter weekend. The guide communicated well…read morebeforehand, was at the meeting place promptly, very knowledgeable and fun to share the historical background of the memorials we visited, and overall very pleasant. Evening view of the memorials and the historical sites was spectacular, especially all the cherry blossoms fully blooming :) After the tour, our hotel was only a block away so we planned to just walk back to the hotel, but the guide offered to dropped us off at the hotel we stayed. It was very sweet of him when he didn't need to do so. Overall, we had a blast and highly recommend this tour :)

Great Tour! The guide was very knowledgeable and entertaining! We saw all the main sites and he got…read moreus all around despite July 4 shutdowns

You do plan to have ghosts on your ghost tour? Hello! Hello! Haha just a little Jurassic park humor…read morefor everyone. But seriously, you don't want to see ghosts on a ghost tour. It would be very frightening. Part of you would be relieved to know that you can visit your loved ones from the beyond, but you would be unable to defend yourself against their ethereal beings. Your hands would go right through them! They would then be a liberty to commit hijinx! Luckily there were no ghosts on this ghost tour, except the memories of times passed. And what memories they were! A vibrant city full of lives long snuffed out by Father Time and misfortune. They laughed, they loved, they toured! As we are now so once were they! Huzzah!

First-rate from start to finish! I booked Natalie for the Dartmouth Club of DC and not only were…read morethe reviews unanimously great, they want to book her again for her Penn Quarter ghost tour. Natalie was funny and very knowledgable. The 90-minute tour was over before we knew it!

Vicky was a fantastic guide! I've spent a lot of time in Georgetown so I didn't know how much I'd…read morelearn, but Vicky blew me away with her depth of knowledge.

Georgetown, Washington DC - My handsome husband surprised me with Saturday night tickets for the…read moreGeorgetown Ghost Tour. We are local to the area and love history, spooky stories and corny jokes so for us this is a fun date :-). The tour began at the Old Stone House where we were checked in and divided into two groups of about 18 people each. Everyone in our group was from out of town except us and our amazing tour guide Sonia. She effortlessly led us from site to site while allowing time for questions and photos. She also made sure our group stayed together and safely crossed the streets. I was concerned that it would be hard to hear given the traffic and Saturday night usual cacophony that is Georgetown but that generally wasn't a problem. We didn't see any ghosts - DRAT! But we did have fun and learn some history along the way. We would recommend this tour company and this particular tour.

For my 1,000th review I wanted it to be special…read more This is the final resting place for close to 430,000 servicemembers and their families, of which there are around 5,000 who are unknown. There is an average of around 30 funerals a day. Originally part of General Robert E. Lee's land, it was confiscated by the Union in 1864 because the family failed to pay their taxes. The Union use it to bury their fallen Soldiers in a way to ensure the Lee never returned they burned their fallen all the way up to the mansion. In 1882 it was deemed by the Supreme Court to be unconstitutional, but the Lee family sold the land rather than exhuming the remains. Originally burials were segregated by rank and race until 1948 when President Truman desegregated the military and cemeteries. Probably one of the most well known part of the cemetery is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It was established in 1921 and had been guarded by the Old Guard 24/7 since 1937. It is definitely something worth watching the change of the guard which occurs every hour on the hour from October 1 to March 31 and everyone 30 minutes from April 1 to September 30. Ensure to stop at the visitor's center especially if you are looking for a particular headstone or have questions that the staff can answer. Do NOT try to talk to the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Remember that this hallowed ground may be a place that some go as a tourist trip or to pay their respects to those who laid down their lives in defense of their nation and our freedom, it is also a place where families, friends, and those bounded to the fallen through combat go to visit their lost loved ones. Please be respectful and honor the fallen and those who were left behind.

Terrible tram system. Lines too long and it does not run enough…read more Your tour guide didn't know department of war is new name. Changing of guard, slave houses and JFK grave were highlights.

Today, Fort Stevens is a tiny green space in semi-urban DC, good for jogging and dog walking. But…read morein 1864, it was the site of a little known battle which almost changed US history. Knowing President Lincoln's sensitivity to any threat to Washington DC, General Lee ordered Jubal Early to attack the US capitol, gambling an attack here would scare the Union Army sufficiently to abandon its siege of Petersburg. Early outflanked Grant's army by moving thru the Shenandoah Valley and Maryland, surprising the depleted line of forts which surrounded the city. Union militia and trainees rushed to the defenses and stopped Early's advance, possibly saving the capitol. "We didn't take Washington," Early told his staff officers, "but we scared Abe Lincoln like Hell." He probably didn't realize how true those words were. While visiting the fort, Lincoln attracted the attention of Confederate snipers - becoming the only sitting US president to come under fire from an enemy combatant. A monument explains how close we came to losing him, just months before the next election. While the northern side of the fort is completely gone, the walls and dry moat of the southern defenses are still in decent condition. A few cannon are also on display. There is plenty of street parking in the surrounding area. A few minutes drive away, a few of the soldiers killed here are buried in Battleground National Cemetery. http://www.nps.gov/cwdw/learn/historyculture/index.htm

People pay big money to see history like at Fort Stevens Park and true to its DC roots, this park…read moreis FREE! It's a small green space in NW DC that saw the only Civil War battle in Washington, DC. It's a fort and you can tell that by the ditch surrounding it. Once you jump over the ditch, you'll see several cannons and plaques explaining the battle and why this fort exists. It's also speaks to the woman, a freed slave, who owned the property before it was taken from her by the US government to protect the capital. Fascinating!

My family and I were finally able to take our twice-pandemic-postponed "Big 3 Smithsonian" tour…read morewith DC Insider Tours and it was definitely worth the wait! We were fortunate to have company co-owner Bo as our guide, He took us on an enthusiastic, informative, efficient four-hour tour of the highlights of the American History, Natural History, and Air & Space museum along with a stop at the Smithsonian Sculpture Garden. Bo's personable nature, passionate knowledge of all things Smithsonian plus Washington DC overall made the experience truly exceptional. The customer service provided by DC Insider Tours during my rescheduling throughout the pandemic was also incredible . We also appreciated the detailed day-of-your instructions, including a texted photo of the tour guide we were looking for. I highly recommend DC Insider Tours for any tour in the Washington DC area, you will NOT be disappointed!

My family hired DC Insiders for a private walking tour of DC yesterday. Bo, the owner took us…read morearound starting in Foggy Bottom at GW University. We explored the history and meaning of Foggy Bottom. Bo provided visual references and history of each spot we stopped at. We toured the Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, World War 2 Memorial and Washington Monument. We learned information we never would have by walking around on our own. All in all Bo was full of energy and great for kids and we learned so much. We can't wait to return to DC and take another tour.

In April, Rob Orrison spent 6 hours taking me on an in depth tour of Manassas battlefield (1 and 2)…read moreand it was an experience I will not soon forget. He is a historian by profession and he brought the fields alive to me in terms of understanding the strategies behind the battles and how they progressed punctuated by seminal events at various locations on the fields. I highly recommend this tour agency.

One of D.C.'s more obscure museums is in a 1904 rowhouse in Dupont Circle. The home of L. Ron…read moreHubbard starting in 1955, the building is now a museum about Hubbard, the founder of Scientology and the world's most prolific fiction writer. (It's an actual Guinness World Record.) Tours are given daily from 10am to 6pm, but it's best to call in advance to secure a spot. One day, I walked in and they didn't have availability for that day so I made a verbal reservation for the next week. The tour is guided by their tour guide and lasts around 90 minutes. The guide shows you four floors of rooms with artifacts. You'll learn about Rob Hubbard's impressive life, see his office with original artifacts inside including a Mongolian drum from Genghis Khan's army that's over 800 years old. You'll also see a library with his books, see where he recorded his lessons, and learn about Scientistology. As someone who is not part of their church, I didn't feel evangelized to during the tour. The guide was very nice.

The restoration and history on display is exquisite. Bill was charming and really have a personal…read moretouch to L. Ron Hubbard and the humble beginnings of Scientology. We intended to spend an hour going through the house museum and ended up being there for 3 1/2 hours. There is just so much of Mr. Hubbard's life chronicled here. I am told you can move through the whole museum in 20 minutes if you are short on time, but I highly recommend taking a longer tour.

Our tour guide, Elmira, was great. She was very personable and knowledgeable. Elmira made the…read moretour very enjoyable and entertaining. We had a wonderful time.

From the owner: We are providing guided tour by classic vintage electric vehicles in National Mall and Monuments…read morearea of Washington DC

I have taken two of the curated heritage tours with Manumission Tour Company and I've had a great…read moreexperience both times! I love learning about history in Alexandria and Manumission provides little-known African-American history in historic Old Town. City of Alexandria Councilman John Chapman owns the tour company so taking the tour is a great way to interact with a local leader as well as support a locally owned business. He takes great care in providing accurate information and sharing the history in a respectful way. The walking pace is slow and steady with stops along the way - small groups are intentional so that we can hear as he speaks (uses a microphone speaker) as well as engage with questions. I liked that the tour is mindful of walking throughout Old Town and the guide is mindful as we are crossing streets and pointing out areas for sitting for those who may need to rest during the tour. I learned so much on the tours and I'm looking forward to booking another tour to learn even more. It is truly a unique experience in Alexandria.

Great experience from start to finish! Scheduling the tour was quick and easy online using the…read morelink my friend sent me. The guide was knowledgeable and responsive to the group's many questions. There are so many stories left untold in our history books and our guide introduced us to early luminaries in the Black community in Alexandria, like doctors, civil rights attorneys, property developers and organizers of churches and social clubs. We even visited a cemetery from the 1800s where freedmen were buried after the war. Standing there, I had such a powerful feeling. These were REAL people, not just faceless characters from a book. Know before you go: This is a small, locally owned and operated business. Don't expect 24/7 operators to take your call. If you are from out of town, it gets hot here in the summer! Our guide had water bottles for us and the bus was air conditioned (not on arctic blast but it was nice). Do expect a caring and personal experience. You'll be glad you went!