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Tours
begin and end in downtown Washington and are ninety minutes
long. For bad weather,please call
301-588-9255 day of tour for an update. For more information, email mail@historicstrolls.com.
For dates, please see the tickets page.
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Ever ponder how Charles Dickens kept Christmas? Find out
on A Dickens of a Tour: Charles Dickens in Washington. Led by a
character from A Christmas Carol, this event features scenes from
the book and historical anecdotes about Dickens's visits to Washington
in the 19th century. As we wend our merry way past the actual buildings
that Dickens visited, we'll see scenes from Dickens's Yuletide work played
out in doorways and archways. A portion of the proceeds donated to SOME (So Others May Eat). how to get to Dickens, ideas for parking and Metro stop locations
To see pictures from
our December 2003 tour, click
here.
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Did an actual
descendant of Charles Dickens appear somewhere on the 2005 tour?
Why yes, Virginia, he did!
Gerald Dickens, the great, great grandson of Charles Dickens in the flesh.
And we welcomed him with a great hurrah!
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Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions
of our childhood days, recall to the
old man the pleasures of his youth, and transport travelers back to his own
fireside and quiet home!
-- Charles Dickens
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Ready for All Hallow's Eve? Start with a thrilling
alternative to the usual "hack and slash" movies and bar hops.
The Ghost Story Tour of Washington will lead you through Washington's most haunted locale, Lafayette Square Park, with an entertaining
interactive production featuring the specters rumoured to haunt it. Walk
with your ghostly guide, hear stories, meet spirits, and take home a
sweet treat!
A
portion of the proceeds from this tour will be donated to the Whitman-Walker
Clinic.
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If, after I
depart this vale, you ever remember me and have thought to please my
ghost,
forgive some sinner and wink your eye at some homely girl.
-- H.L. Mencken
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Spies,
soldiers, hot-air balloons, officers directing cattle and a real pistol-packing
heroine risking her life to save others. Sounds like the frontier? Courage!
The Civil War in Washington is a walking tour led by a “citizen” of Washington City during the war years,
1860-1865. As the tour wends its way past actual Civil War era structures
you’ll hear amazing tales of life in our city during this most divisive
conflict in American History. You’ll learn new things about some famous
people such as Louisa May Alcott and Mathew Brady and hear stories taken
from Civil War diaries. You may even meet a few interesting locals during
this unusual tour. Take home a typical Civil War recipe to try at home.
p>click
here.
A portion of the
proceeds from this tour will be donated to area food banks
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All wars are civil
wars, because all men are brothers.
-- Francois
Fenelon
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Ah,
Wilderness! A Theatre History of Washington is a walk through Washington’s
original “Broadway”. Led by “actors” from the City’s past and featuring
current local talent, this tour shines a spotlight on the great theaters
that have taken their last curtain call. You’ll hear about Washington’s
theatrical beginnings in the early 1800’s and be astonished at the list of
greats that played our town. You’ll also be able to find out what’s playing
in Washington right now, and how to get same day, half price tickets for
many current shows.
A portion of the
proceeds from this tour will be donated to:
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I regard the
theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate in which
a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human
being.
-- Oscar Wilde
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"I have reported myself and some nurses for free
service at the War Department..." Clara Barton, April 20th, 1861. What
was the city like when Clara Barton lived here? Join Miss Barton and
see the city through her eyes and learn something about this amazing woman.
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F. Loyd
Wrong is Right: A Stroll through Architecture in D.C.
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Frank
and Francine Loyd Wrong, America's worst architects, designed several
outstandingly terrible structures (that is, if they're still standing).
Most notable of these is their joint venture "Falling Down". It
did. When asked to comment on this Francine said "I blame Frank".
Frank of course, blames Francine. But they both agree on one thing.
Washington, D.C. is home to some amazingly beautiful architecture, and they
only wish they would be asked to design something for this city. Frank
suggests a triangular museum, balanced on a ball shaped base, balanced on a
two inch piece of marble. When asked how one would enter this museum Frank
said a slingshot elevator would be necessary to catapult visitors into the
site.
A portion of the
proceeds from this tour will be donated to Habitat for
Humanity.
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Bad Olde Days
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Bad
Olde Days (formerly
Gangs of Washington) is a slice of 19th century Washington life
that most guidebooks gloss over but we found it fascinating. Take a
walk on the wilder side of the 1800’s on our rollicking look at
Washington City’s pickpockets, con men, “ladies” of ill repute, mobs,
murderers and of course, gangs! On this tour, led by a denizen of
“Murder Bay”, you’ll hear the most astonishing yet true tales and meet
some of the “characters” that made this town notorious. Along the way
you’ll learn some 19th century slang and maybe a card trick or two.
A
portion of the proceeds donated
to the Washington Literacy Council
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Society can
overlook murder, adultery or swindling; it never forgives preaching of a
new gospel.
-- Edmund Burke
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World War 2 in Washington: Gussie’s War 
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It's
December, 1941, and Washington, D.C. is in for a big change. Rationing,
scrap collecting, bond drives, and anti-aircraft guns on the roofs. Five
thousand new government workers arriving per month ... and where will they
all live? Socialites, soldiers, spies and "dollar a year"
men are just a few of the people you'll meet on this unusual
tour. Join our new "Government Gal" Gussie as she adjusts to
life in a bustling Wartime city. Learn how to survive on ration coupons,
and how to "use it up, wear it out". Bring a foil gum wrapper for
the aluminum ball or a piece of string for Gussie’s string ball! “Relive”
these historic years and see how they changed this city forever.
A portion of the
proceeds from this tour will be donated to:
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