What we're about
Our tours take place in Washington, D.C.--Lafayette Square, Capitol Hill, Georgetown, et al.--Alexandria, Virginia, and other historic sites such as Civil War battlefields in Antietam, Maryland. The tours last about 2 hours, and typically cost $15 per person.
Washington, D.C. and nearby towns like Alexandria, Virginia drip with history and political intrigue--from colonial times to the present day. This is a group aimed at those eager to explore the often-violent and scandalous past of the nation's capital and its surroundings--its wars, espionage rings, assassination attempts, mayhem and misbehaviors, as well as more uplifting events--against its backdrop of architectural splendor and breathtaking vistas.
Detailed itineraries!:
Lafayette Square--White House, Andrew Jackson statue, Stephen Decatur House, slave annex, Dolley Madison House, St. John's Church, Frederick Douglass bank, Lafayette statue, Blair-Lee House, Renwick Gallery, Treasury Dept., Eisenhower Executive Office Building...Learn about: The assassination attempt on a President-one block from the White House!…The war-hero congressman who murdered his wife’s lover…The tragic suicide of the wife of America’s most esteemed author…The brutal stabbing of a Secretary of State…The ruthless spy who lost the U.S. Army a major battle…The scandal that caused the entire presidential Cabinet to resign!..And much more! And it all happened in Lafayette Square, across from the White House in Washington, D.C.
This tour starts and ends at the Andrew Jackson statue.
Old Town Alexandria, Virginia--the Torpedo Factory, the John Carlisle mansion, the Stabler-Ledbetter pharmacy museum, Lawrence Washington's House, George Washington's town house, Founder's Park, the City Hall, the John Wise tavern, Gadsby's Museum and restaurant, Christ Church, Robert E. Lee's boyhood home, the Lee-Fendall House, the old cotton mill, the Presbyterian Meeting House.
This tour typically starts at the Torpedo Factory and ends at Christ Church.
Capitol Hill--the Supreme Court, the House of Representatives, the Senate, the Library of Congress, the 9/11 memorial, the Anne Frank memorial, the Peace Memorial, the President Garfield statue, the Inauguration steps, the Ulysses S. Grant memorial, the Frederick Law Olmstead grotto, the Sullivan Brothers memorial, the hidden cornerstone of the Capitol.
This tour starts at the Supreme Court Building and ends at the Ulysses S. Grant memorial.
What We Do--"Walking history seminars": walking group tours of the most historic venues in Washington, D.C., Alexandria, Virginia, and other towns.
Where We Go--We tour historic, atmospheric neighborhoods and sites such as Lafayette Square, the Capitol Building grounds, Georgetown, Old Town Alexandria, the Navy Yard area, and the Antietam Civil War battlefield.
Upcoming events (5+)
A Bike tour of D.C.'s secret history. Cover more ground of the capital in the same amount of time! We'll roll from Logan Circle to Lafayette Square to the National Mall to Capitol Hill, telling stories about wildly historic events en route. Sunday, June 23, 4 pm. Register through Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/crime-spies-and-scandal-62319-tickets-63429872456?mc_cid=b242d34195&mc_eid=9ab0fa2045 The event on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/2390854104533560/ Your guide is a former Tonight Show & Presidential writer, and author of the forthcoming book: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1131103788?ean=9781476674865
- Ed
- 1 attendee
George Mason Memorial
Independence Day Tour of President Thomas Jefferson's Washington, July 4, 2019, 11 am! Held on Independence Day, this tour will examine the accomplishments of, and many crises faced, by President Thomas Jefferson--D.C.’s first two-term President--during his wild stay in office. And of his colleagues & rivals James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, George Washington, Benjamin Banneker, & John Adams, all of whom left a significant mark on Lafayette Sq., the capital, and America. Thursday, July 4, 2019, 11 am! Timed to beat the heat of the day & the fireworks and bbqs to follow. MEET at the entrance of the GEORGE MASON memorial, 300 meters southwest of the Jefferson Memorial, 900 Ohio Dr SW, Washington, DC 20024, https://www.google.com/maps/place/George+Mason+Memorial/@38.8796066,-77.0392043,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x4ea0b5c6e9dfe2a8!8m2!3d38.8796066!4d-77.0392043 $15. 2 to 2.5 hours. Nearest metros: Smithsonian. You must RSVP to attend. Discover: • A traitor’s near betrayal of Jefferson’s Lewis & Clark expedition • The mysterious Jefferson Pier • The undeclared naval war, and declared trade war, that nearly wrecked Jefferson’s second term • Sally Hemings and Maria Cosway • Disputes over the Jefferson Memorial • His rollercoaster relationship with John Adams • “The room where it happened” • The “miracle mansion” of TJ’s militia chief • The scoundrel who betrayed Jefferson, killed Hamilton, and tried setting up his own country—with the head of the U.S. Army! • Architect-in-Chief: Did TJ secretly design the White House? • The Marquis de Lafayette’s amazing & perilous associations with multiple American Presidents • How Jefferson came to write the Declaration of Independence, and its secret coda • The astonishing Jefferson Cipher--of 1942 • Who was the smartest President? • The backdoor diplomacy behind the world's greatest real estate deal • And more! We’re highly rated on TripAdvisor: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g28970-d12791843-Reviews-Lafayette_Square_Tour_of_Scandal_Assassination_Intrigue-Washington_DC_District_of.html Your tour guide is a former speechwriter to the President of the United States, a former writer for Jay Leno’s “The Tonight Show”, author of America A to Z and The Two-Term Jinx, and writer of the forthcoming hidden history of Lafayette Square, Cockpit of the Capital!: https://www.amazon.com/Two-Term-Jinx-Presidents-Washington-Theodore-Roosevelt-ebook/dp/B01K0NT0CK/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= You must RSVP to attend. We’re on Airbnb: https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/412812 Think history is boring? Think again! We’re on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LafayetteSquareTourOfScandalAssassinationIntrigue/
- Ed
- Kathy
- Jane D.
- 3 attendees
Supreme Court of the United States
Bicycle/Scooter Tour of Washington, D.C., Sunday, July 7, 5 PM! Join a special two-wheeled tour of the Capital’s most historic sites. When: Sunday, July 7, 5 PM. About 2.25 hours. What: A unique, freewheeling tour of Washington, D.C. We will roll along the Capitol Building grounds, the National Mall & Smithsonian, Lafayette Square and the White House, Pennsylvania Avenue, the Lincoln, Vietnam, & Korean War memorials, and the MLK, FDR, & Jefferson memorials. With stops and insights along the way. How: Bring your own bike or scooter to the tour. You MUST wear a helmet, and bring lights/reflectors. And strictly obey all traffic laws. Where: Meet in front of the Supreme Court building. Price: $15, payable in cash at the start of the tour. Who: Your guide is an avid cyclist, a professional tour guide, a published historian, and former Presidential & “Tonight Show” writer. RSVP: You must RSVP to attend—here, or to [masked] We’re the highest rated DC travel event on TripAdvisor!: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g28970-d12791843-Reviews-Lafayette_Square_Tour_of_Scandal_Assassination_Intrigue-Washington_DC_District_of.html Airbnb Experiences features us too!: https://www.airbnb.com/experience-hosting/listings?from_nav=1 We’re on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LafayetteSquareTourOfScandalAssassinationIntrigue Our forthcoming book: https://www.amazon.com/White-Houses-Unruly-Neighborhood-Lafayette/dp/1476674868/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=white+house%27s+unruly+neighborhood&qid=1555118270&s=books&sr=1-1-catcorr RSVP: You must RSVP to attend—here, or to [masked] Roll with us through the streets of historic D.C.
- Ed
- Brenda
- Lisa
- 5 attendees
American National Red Cross
SPY Tour of the White House and Lafayette Square, Friday, July 19, 5:45 pm! From its start, the White House and its surroundings have been a focus of espionage--from U.S. intelligence agencies, domestic traitors, and secret foreign agents. Take a cloak and dagger trip across 225 years of espionage lore. When: Friday, July 19, 5:45 pm. About 2 hours. Where: MEET at 17th St. and E St., N.W., at the northwest corner of the American Red Cross building. Fee: $15, paid in cash at the start of the tour. You must RSVP to attend. Questions? Contact: [masked] The action-packed itinerary will select from the following persons & events: • The restaurant where a Russian KGB agent handled his top-ranking Treasury • The White House aide who spied on a war-time President’s secret messages Dept. spy • CIA and NSA scandals • The radio lab that cracked the code of Japan’s Imperial Navy • The encryption machine of a Founding Father--that proved unbreakable for 150 years! • When a rebel spy nearly murdered General Grant • How “fake news” and a “disinformation campaign” saved DC’s finances • Where two Presidents sent coded messages to each other • The home of a famous Senator who plotted a secret slave escape • A Presidential Don Juan and an East German femme fatale • The house of a Confederate spy ring • A Revolutionary War nest of spies • The top U.S. general who spied for foreign enemies, and for Aaron Burr! And more!! Who: Your host is the author of many books of history, including (https://www.amazon.com/Patriots-America-Things-American-Should/dp/1596525495). His latest book, based on his tours, comes out this summer: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1131103788?ean=9781476674865 He is a former presidential speechwriter, a former writer for Jay Leno’s “The Tonight Show. RSVP: You must RSVP to attend. We’re on TripAdvisor!: https://www.meetup.com/Lafayette-Sq-Tours-of-Scandal-Assassination-Spies-Meetup/ And Airbnb!: https://www.airbnb.com/experience-hosting/listings?date=2019-02-15 Think history’s boring? Think again!!
- Ed
- Lisa M
- 2 attendees
Past events (89)
- Ed
- James D.
- Marie
- 5 attendees
