Washington, DC

Graffiti & Urban Art

The U Street neighborhood tour begins at Ben's Chili Bowl, directly across from the U Street metro. From there visit the other stops during a 3-hour long leisurely walking tour, that covers approximately 2 miles. During your tour, you will learn about several significant buildings and check out street art and murals that contribute to the story of U St. In addition to the stops at multiple restaurants, where you will enjoy a variety of carefully selected tastings, you will explore the history of the neighborhood. Stay for approximately 20 minutes at each stop and enjoy brief walks in-between. The tour will end close to the Shaw Metro stop at approximately 2:30 PM. A portion of each ticket is donated to Bread for the City, a charity that provides services to DC locals including providing food, clothing, and legal and medical services. Unfortunately, we are not able to accommodate vegan diets on this tour.

Explore the Smithosonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery with your own private tour guide. Take advantage of a knowledgeable, expert guide to one of the world's largest and most inclusive collections of art. Enjoy visiting these two outstanding collections, both under the same roof in the vast Old Patent Office Building. Discover works of art from the colonial period to the present day, in a collection which features more than 7,000 artists.

Explore the U Street Corridor, once known as "Black Broadway," with a local guide and learn about African American history and heritage in Washington, D.C. After meeting your guide, set off on your stroll through what was once the heart of Black culture in America, attracting locals and visitors for an unparalleled music and nightlife scene. During your tour, hear about jazz musician Duke Ellington, a celebrated D.C. hero whose birthplace was here, and admire a towering sculpture in reverence to him. Soak up a section of the city that was once home to the largest urban African American community in the United States, and which is still as vibrant as ever, The food in the area is also eclectic and exciting. From soul food to Italian to the world-famous Ben's Chili Bowl and, uniquely, on the eastern end, the area known as “Little Ethiopia” for its concentration of residents from that country, you're sure to find somewhere to stop to eat after your tour.

The building itself is a marvel, once a Civil War Era hospital where famed poet Walt Whitman helped injured soldiers. Today, his portrait joins thousands of others in this building, which has flirted with art exhibits since 1829, before becoming a dedicated museum. The National Portrait Gallery features portraits of the great women and men who helped build the United States. Presidents and first ladies are on display, as well as famous military leaders of the Civil War, like Grant and Sherman. Discover 19th Century daguerreotypes, early photographs, before exploring the Robber Barons and Suffragettes of the early 20th Century. Afterwards, move on to the American Art Museum where artists like Mary Cassatt, a beloved Impressionist, are on display. You’ll explore big names like Edward Hopper and David Hockney in front of some of their iconic paintings. Georgia O’Keeffe’s provocative flowers will spark conversations as much as the slightly odd portrait of former president Obama. Learn about the WPA-era photographs that helped define a nation during the Great Depression, as well as more modern works that will leave you scratching your head, until your expert guide helps bring it all into focus.

Experience another side of Washington, DC, as you explore the rich history and cultural diversity of U Street, Columbia Heights, and Adams Morgan. Less than two miles north of the White House, these DC neighborhoods feel a world away from government buildings, monuments, and memorials. Home to carefully designed parks, grand mansions, churches, and colorful row homes, these neighborhoods have hosted and housed every type of resident, from the working class to the social elite. Discover the hidden architectural gems of DC and see the design and architecture that make these neighborhoods stand out in DC history. Hear stories of movers and shakers, protests, disasters, social scandals, and more.