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
Tour escort/host
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

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

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

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
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
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Infants must sit on laps

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.
Safety Measures For The National Museum of African American History and Culture: beginning January 22, 2022, all visitors to the Cafe who are 12 and older must show proof of having had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
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.
Most travellers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 travellers

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 cancelled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travellers. If it’s cancelled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveller Photos

Traveller Tips

There was no reserved entry to the museum at this time of year, so perhaps the company should revise the title of the tour.

This was the best history and city tour I have experienced in DC, It was worth the cost.

Reviews

4.5

649 reviews

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

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-10 of 649 reviews

Highly recommended!

Ellen_K, Mar 2023

John was a great local tour guide with vast knowledge of D.C.’s history and neighborhoods. He helped the van driver navigate around many cherry blossom season road blocks, and made each site meaningful, adding many personal stories. Visiting the museum at the end was a fitting, powerful end to the tour!

Excellent showcase of true U.S. History

Belinda_J, Mar 2023

Historical landmarks. The tour of the African American Museum was the highlight and most memorable; very informative.

Nice Tour but...

Jean_C, Mar 2023

I learned a lot about the Black experience in D.C. and how Black people, as well as other minority groups and formally oppressed groups, helped to build the city. It was very educational, and we visited many interesting sites. I have 2 issues. 1. We did not stop at the King Memorial. I was extremely disappointed, as this is one of the main reasons I booked the tour. The itinerary stated we would stop there for 20 minutes, but we just passed by it and were told to look back. I was barely able to see anything through the trees but, even if I were, that would not have been sufficient. I walked there the next day, and that took time away from my other plans. We should have stopped. There were other sites on the itinerary that we didn't see, and I was barely able to see anything on the Howard campus tour, but the MLK Memorial was the biggest issue for me. 2. The tour guide was extremely kind and knew a ton about the city. The problem is, sometimes he would speak in a very low tone and mumble into the microphone; this made it difficult to hear some of the things he said unless you were sitting in the first or second row. That may be something he wants to consider in the future. Overall, I did enjoy the tour. I just wish we'd hit all the stops as stated. I would still recommend it.

The rich history that was...

Lisa_S, Mar 2023

The rich history that was told. But I requested a refund for one ticket after speaking to one your representatives on Sunday morning and I still have not received the refund. I told the representative that one person could not make it to D.C.

Family

olga_l, Mar 2023

The tour offered excellent history and insights of the contributions of African Americans in the American story.

Very informative

Sachania_P, Mar 2023

My family and I learned alot of new things. It was very informative and thank you for building a museum for the next generation to know what happened. Blessed be!!

Great over all experience...

Kimberly_E, Mar 2023

Great over all experience Would love to do it again. Learned a-lot from the guide. He was very knowledgeable

Memorable and valuable.

Carol_M, Mar 2023

Dion passionately provided us with a great education. I learned a lot that I will share with my friends when I return home.

Best Tour ever

Yvette_M, Feb 2023

Dre was our guide. omg! he was excellent. he really took us to parts of the tour we never knew. we had visited DC before but his knowledge was incredible. I loved this tour I wish it wasn't over. Thank you Dre

Dre was an excellent tour guide

Darren_H, Feb 2023

I really enjoyed the wealth of knowledge Dre, our tour guide had. He was great! I was impressed with the stories told about the different statues, etc. Down to the detail of the positioning of Abraham Lincoln’s hands and the meaning behind it. I would love to come back and do it again. Darren-Orlando FL

A great day!

Michela_v, Feb 2023

Dre was a great tour guide and so full of information! We got to see & learn so much about the past & present history of DC. We ended with the African American Museum which was incredible!

Informative

Mark_W, Feb 2023

Great trip, but i wouldn’t recommend it for solo travelers. The tour guide (Dre) was very informative, give that man a raise! Amazing insight into American history that is often overlooked. No order your like it in DC

A unique experience of D.C.

Janel_W, Feb 2023

Excellent tour with Dre! It took us to areas outside of the usual tourist spots and a history of D.C. that you wouldn’t normally hear. I highly recommend adding this to your itinerary!

Tour Guide a Great Asset

AnnPhillips_M, Feb 2023

The tour itself was great and made better by our guide Christopher. He was native DC and knew historical facts as well as interesting tidbits from having grown up in the area. A good mix of serious history and humor as well. Was good with giving you time on the stops, but keeping things moving. There was an issue at the beginning with our bus which delayed the tour starting by almost 45 minutes and having to stand and wait. They told us we would receive a refund which has not happened as of this review, but we will see. The biggest perk was having the time entrance to the National Museum of African American History & Culture. With the delay it was very crowded when we arrived, but we were still able to see a lot. Christopher was indeed the greatest asset.

Our history is important

Marva_P, Feb 2023

The Dr. Martin Luther King monument and speaking with his family. Our guide Dre was polite and knowledgeable about our history.

A-Must-Do-Tour—Extremely Informative and Fascinating

Shaundra_L, Feb 2023

The most memorable parts were visiting the African-American Museum, the MLK Memorial—really the entire tour was outstanding. Our tour guide, Dre, was especially exceptional. I highly recommend the tour.

Extraordinarily!!!

Linda_B, Feb 2023

Our tour guide Dre was extremely knowledgeable and his presentation was extraordinary. He is a true historian! Kudos

Two from Tennessee

Latisha_J, Feb 2023

Our drivers knowledge of the tour, his humor and his professionalism. He felt like a old friend. Thank you. Our tour started a little late but it turned out to be amazing.

Best tour ever great experience

Christal_L, Feb 2023

Great experience I learned a lot of things about my culture I didn’t know the tour guide was amazing and friendly his stories and the way he explained things took me back in time he was very passionate about his job you can tell he loves doing what he do best experience ever we really enjoyed our tour in DC

Fun, knowledgeable, and experience!!

Willie_G, Feb 2023

The whole tour was outstanding. It was a great experience. our tour guide Dre was very knowledgeable and witty made us feel very comfortable, and expanded on all assets of the tour.

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Thanks for the kind words! Be sure to share your memories with us on social media @usaguidedtours!

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African-American History Tour with Museum Admission

From USD 89.00

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