Immerse yourself in the history of African-American culture in the United States during this half-day history excursion in the Nation’s Capital. Follow the path of the first African-Americans at Jamestown through the Civil Rights movement, checking out key sites like the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, the vibrant U Street corridor, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the MLK Memorial, plus much more.

Learn about African-American history and culture in Washington DC
See top sights like the MLK Memorial and the White House
Reserved entry to the National Museum of African American History & Culture
A small-group tour ensures a personalized experience

What's Included

Bottled water
Live commentary on board by a local tour guide
Live tour guide - on and off the bus
Air-conditioned vehicle
Reserved Entry into the National Museum of African American History and Culture

Lunch
Hotel pickup and drop-off

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

701 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004, USA
US Navy Memorial Plaza

Start time

10:00 AM

End point

National Museum of African American History and Culture
1400 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20560, USA

What To Expect

Meet your guide and fellow travelers at the United States Navy Memorial and Naval Heritage Center, where your tour begins. Walk to the Black Lives Matter Plaza in front of the White House and onwards to the Lincoln Memorial and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial to learn about the role each man played in African American history.

Then visit the statue of African American educator and activist Mary McLeod Bethune in Lincoln Park before heading to the African American Civil War Museum to listen to commentary from your guide (outside the building). Finish your experience with reserved access to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which you can explore at your leisure.

United States Navy Memorial and Naval Heritage Center

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

White House

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Lincoln Memorial

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Lincoln Park

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

African American Civil War Memorial Museum

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Washington Monument (Pass By)

Bureau Of Engraving And Printing (Pass By)

Jefferson Memorial (Pass By)

FBI Headquarters (Pass By)

Howard University (Pass By)

U.S. Capitol (Pass By)

Freedom Plaza (Pass By)

National Museum of African American History and Culture

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Collapsible wheelchairs with removable wheels can be accommodated providing the passenger is accompanied by someone who can assist them board and disembark
The seats are assigned on the first come, first served basis
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation

Infants must sit on laps
Most travelers can participate
Please arrive at least 20 minutes before your scheduled departure time to ensure a timely check in
No food allowed on buses (snacks are fine!)
Please Note: Purchase of this tour includes free timed-entry passes to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. However, this is not an official Smithsonian tour. Additionally, entry to the property is provided complimentary only after completing the sightseeing history tour. Customers booking this tour are paying for this company’s services and perspective, which is independent of and may not represent the views of the Smithsonian.
Additionally, we do our best to provide entry to the Smithsonian but it is not guaranteed. The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture is a public institution and we do not factor entry passes into our ticket price. We have no special reservation agreement with them and simply access their public portal on Recreation.gov for tickets. Guests may still experience wait times upon arrival to enter the museum and are required to follow the museum's guidelines for entry at their allotted entry time.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 55 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.5

949 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 949 reviews

How did we not know this?

Leslie_F, Apr 2024

What's better than learning something you didn't know? Dre (sorry can attach accent above the e) is just AMAZING. His knowledge, dry sense of humor, commitment to history and learning are the perfect recipe for an engaging tour.

A tour day with Dre’

Keith_B, Apr 2024

Our tour guide, Dre’, was knowledgeable, charismatic and very funny. He made the whole event very enjoyable and I will definitely do this again with more of my family and friends.

It was very informative

Lisa_Y, Apr 2024

This was my first tour with Viator. The tour guy was very informative and took us to a lot of different places. But the bus was very small and tiny, We didn’t have lunch and the tour guide showed his vote for the presidential nomination. We got to the African-American museum at 130. It was really nice.

Missed Out On The Truth In Iowa

monique_s, Apr 2024

I learned more about African American History in 3 hours than I have in my entire lifetime! The abundance of my ancestors struggles and victories is hard to believe. Born in Iowa makes me aware of how much of history that was never told. I'm going back to tell the True Story 👍

A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!!!

Keyneica_J, Apr 2024

Sooo glad we chose this specific tour. Our guide, Dre, was absolutely AMAZING. He is a walking encyclopedia explaining the history from memory. He needs a raise! I know we would not have gotten this education on any other tour, since African American history is usually so overlooked and under valued. This tour is highly recommended for children to educate them early. I am still trying to process everything from the AA History Museum (which was self guided at the end of our tour). Very emotional experience. We were there 3.5 hours and still didn’t see everything as I needed an emotional break as it was very intense (tears, joy, laughter, pride..). Our driver was safe, great, friendly and entertaining! The driver made sure we were able to cross the street safely at tour stops and told some great funny stories.

Awesome

Ericka_M, Apr 2024

The Tour was great! Dre’ was awesome very smart and knowledgeable.We Learned a lot Loved it! Wonderful experience

You thought you knew history , Just Wait!!!

Francy_H, Apr 2024

New historical facts, eg war monument with the most names ever, Black civil war soldiers, amazing Mary Mccloud Bethune and many more. Dre is a wealth of information!and a treasure!! A must do in DC

Absolutely loved this tour. Definitely recommend.💕

Rachell_P, Apr 2024

The tour was great at explaining the African American perspective of Washington DC history. Definitely recommended.

I definitely learned a lot

Marcus_W, Apr 2024

Excellent. The tour guide DeAndre is a walking encyclopedia of knowledge. It was paced well with lots of breaks.

Best guided tour

Patricia_L, Apr 2024

Dré was our tour guide and was awesome. He was extremely informative, knowledgeable, and made the experience enjoyable. I would recommend this tour.

Excellent guide. ...

Christina_C, Apr 2024

Excellent guide. Knowledgeable and passionate about history. Our guide (Dre) and driver (Tre), took great care of us.

AA Tour

Christine_V, Apr 2024

We got to museum a bit late and started from the 2 bottom floors and the experience was very emotional for me. Hopefully next time I’ll be able to continue visiting the entire museum and provide additional feedback. The AA tour was very educational and very entertaining.

A highlight of my time in DC

Karen_B, Apr 2024

Our guide, John, a retired park ranger, was an extremely informative and compelling interpreter. Having this tour before The African American History Museum was a highlight of my time in DC.

Best Guide Ever!!...Dre

nubia_j, Apr 2024

Our guide Dre, was the best!!! He was a wealth of information and very personable. I would love to do another tour with him as the guide. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed his knowledge.

DC Trip

KELLI_P, Apr 2024

Dre was absolutely phenomenal and he made sure we stayed on schedule. I was surprised how much I learned that I did not previously know.

Drè and Mr. Calvin were Amazing

Linda_M, Apr 2024

Drè and Mr. Calvin were amazing hosts. They were very friendly and attentive to the needs of the customers. We also had a smooth and safe ride around the city.

Very Interesting

David_C, Apr 2024

Knowledge of Time capsule in front of MLK Memorial and lower level information at Lincoln Memorial very informative.

Dre' was a great your...

Baria_J, Mar 2024

Dre' was a great your guide. He was extremely knowledgeable and witty. Even kept my 13 year old intrigued. Great tour.

Great!

Ciare_J, Mar 2024

We really enjoyed the tour and appreciated the perspective and interesting facts shared. There is an opportunity to provide more of a safe space for learning; a bit of the delivery read as a touch too sarcastic/condescending for my taste.

This is a tour for everyone!

Tanesha_W, Mar 2024

The tour guide Dre' was the most knowledgeable person and simply amazing. He gave great insight in aspects of history we've heard about but dove a lot deeper then what we really know.

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