Life
Photo courtesy of DC Design Tours.
Walk This Way: 4 Walking Tours Offering Insights on History, Architecture + More
September 18, 2023 @ 10:00am
Step into new perspectives and knowledge with tours from some local walking tour businesses.
“The built environment is not arbitrary – it’s a result of human decision-making…whether it’s a building like a theater or a monument, it was intentionally placed there,” says Tim Wright, owner of Attucks Adams, a Washington, D.C. walking tour business.
A variety of local walking tours offer ways for tourists and Washingtonians alike to learn about our city’s built environment in new and insightful ways through one of the many walking tours engineered by local entrepreneurs. Themes range from the classics like monument tours and Capitol Hill to more unexpected topics like the power of “pink collar” jobs and presidential assassinations (and attempts). While tours are often the itinerary when traveling, there is just as much to be gained from checking out options closer to home.
“I like being in a tourist in my own town and sharing that experience [with locals],” says Chris White, owner and operator of Walking Backwards. “You get people saying things like ‘I’ve lived here 20 years and I’ve never set foot in Kalorama.’” He often witnesses Washingtonians’ surprise to learn something notable about a building they pass all the time, such as the Patterson Mansion in Dupont Circle. President Coolidge and his wife lived there in 1927 while the White House underwent significant renovations. These are the kinds of things that can really “sink into the background” of our day-to-day lives, White observes.
Different passions and interests drove the creation of various local walking tour enterprises, but one thing stands out as a common thread across them: a love of learning and sharing that enthusiasm with others.
A Tour of Her Own
D.C.’s first tourism company focusing entirely on women’s history, A Tour of Her Own (TOHO)’s walking tours explore themes such as the forgotten women of Arlington Cemetery and hidden history of First Ladies. Kaitlin Calogera founded TOHO in 2018. In 2021, she co-authored the book 111 Places in Women’s History in Washington That You Must Not Miss.
For those in need of greater flexibility in their tour, several of TOHO’s tours are available as private virtual or driving tours.
View this post on Instagram
Owner Tim Wright brings over twenty years in experiential education and teaching U.S. history and civics to bear in running Attucks Adams, the walking tour business that he named jointly for Crispus Attucks and John Adams. When his tours stop at a piece of art like a mural or something commemorative like a statue, Wright often asks people to consider “what they see in the visual…what do they think about it, what does it make them wonder?” to encourage them to form their own observations and perspective, before he shares his deep knowledge of what they’re looking at.
Wright calls “U Street: The Art & Soul of Black Broadway” his “most researched tour” in terms of the sheer volume of preparation he’s poured into it – this tour even includes a playlist that matches up with the murals and stops along the way.
DC Design Tours
Founded in 2015 by former architectural designer Carolyn Muraskin, DC Design Tours is perfect for those interested in “experiencing the history behind the brick and mortar” of buildings across the district (and into Arlington National Cemetery). Architecture, design, and history aficionados lead tours exploring everywhere from historic Georgetown to the architecture of historic Anacostia.
In addition to several walking tours, DC Design Tours also offers private driving tour options.
View this post on Instagram
Chris White describes himself as a “former stand-up comedian who accidentally became a presidential history fanatic.” Both qualities shine through as he infuses his tours with humor and a love of surprising anecdotes. Case in point: his tour of Presidential Residences in Kalorama and Dupont includes 2131 R St NW, where Eleanor and Franklin Delano Roosevelt and their children lived from 1916 to 1920. In June 1919, anarchist Carlos Valdinoci set off a bomb at the home of Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer – who lived right across the street from the Roosevelts. The blast affected several homes on the block, including that of the future President and First Lady. Perhaps not one for details, however, Valdinoci’s bomb went off sooner than he intended and he blew himself up in the blast.
In addition to tours of places other than the White House where presidents have lived, Walking Backwards also offers “Assassinations Capital” which examines the locations of four presidential assassination attempts.
Want to learn more about the many walking tours across D.C.? Consider becoming a member for access to our premium digital content. Support local journalism and start your membership today.
