This is the best way to skip-the-line and save time, to explore the experiment that is the United States of America! Start with the original handwritten “Charters of Freedom” housed in their spectacular Rotunda. Your guide will narrate the extraordinary circumstances that brought this nation into existence. No trip to the US Capital city is complete without a visit to the National Archives. Surround yourself with documents and paintings that offer both depth and nuance to the period that founded the United States of America. And at Babylon we take it a step farther. In the Rubenstein Gallery, go even deeper into the philosophical foundations by viewing a 1297 copy of the Magna Carta. Your guide will encourage you to explore the concept of citizenship, what it means and how the criteria for those included have evolved from a declaration which stated “all men are created equal”.
After a break to ponder the complexity of history (and grab a bite) your guide will lead you to the Smithsonian American History Museum. This museum is a caretaker for an incredible blend of scholarly history and pop culture whose memories create a unique bond among the people who experienced them. Your guide will introduce you to the most famous items in the collection, like the flag that flew over Ft McHenry inspiring the poem that was eventually adapted into the National Anthem. Featured too is the most visited exhibition in the history of the Smithsonian: the First Ladies exhibit. While you’re there, see why the most requested artifact is Dorothy’s Ruby Red Slippers — displayed not too far from the top hat Abraham Lincoln wore that fateful night to Ford’s Theatre. Your guide will provide stories and background to expand on the reason these items (out of hundreds of thousands in the collection) serve as living touchstones for the concept we call the United States of America.
Had a fascinating afternoon learning about American History. Our guide was great, showing us all the main features that the museum has on offer. I would highly recommend this tour
This tour is a very informative overview of the National Archives. We heard so many additional facts and stories than we would have without our tour guide. The American History Museum tour was equally as informative. Our tour guide was exceptionally well versed on American History. She gave us so much more information than we could have ever had by just visiting the museums. Ask for Kate! She is phenomenal.
Annemarie Johnson provided us an exceptional tour of the national archives. Knowledgeable, approachable. I’m very thorough responding to our questions. A real pleasure.
Our guide, Brenda, was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Her energy and enthusiasm made the museum come alive for us.
Our Tour Guide, Meghan, was just fantastic! She was so informative and humorus. My wife and I really enjoyed ourselves on both parts of our tour. I particularly liked how professional she was! Meghan was full of additional information that was not shown by simply looking at the exhibit
Our tour guide, Paul, was fantastic! Made it all come to life!!!
Tour guide knew her mateti was sensitive to her customers asked questions of the group for clarification and needs etc. Made everyone feel comfortable.
Guide was very knowledgeable & informative lots of inside information about the various exhibits.
Annemarie did an amazing job with our family which included 4 kids aged 8-14. Even after 6 hrs and two museums, the kids were fully engaged with her great stories and background on everything they saw. I would highly recommend Babylon Tours and Annemarie.
Awesome tour! Great balance in showing the group some requested exhibits, as well, showing us hidden gems that would have never thought to look for!
Our tour guide, Annemarie, was kind and detailed. We visited the two museums where I admired the history of the U.S.. I would recommend this to anyone visiting the National Archives Museum and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
Annmarie is a great guide! It was an informative and enjoyable day. Annemarie was friendly, engaging and she taught me a lot.
Maribeth was an outstanding tour guide! She showed us some amazing things and her explanations were memorable. We appreciate her getting to know us so that she could show us what we wanted to see.
We had a private tour with Annemarie. She really made an effort to make it a personal experience with a lot of facts and ‘Easter Eggs’ you normally don’t get to know. I absolutely recommend Annemarie dor this tour!
Annemarie was a phenomenal tour guide. She was knowledgeable , friendly, and efficient. Annemarie knows her stuff. Both museums are packed with eye popping exhibits.
Annemarie was an excellent tour host. She was very knowledgeable and interesting speaker. I would definitely hire her again.
Brenda was absolutely excellent! An incredible wrath of knowledge delivered in an engaging and interactive way. She was endlessly flexible when my teenagers wandered off, digging deeply into areas of history that the adults wanted and provided a wonderful 2+ hour experience. The time flew by! I will definitely request her on future visits!
Marybeth was wonderful really enjoyed it. It would be very difficult to see this museum with out a guide. Very large museum
We had a guided tour with the wonderful and knowledgeable Donna! She was super nice, entertaining, and really kept us engaged in all the history she was telling us. If we book another tour, we can only hope to get her again!
Annemarie was a wonderful guide who shifted things around to accommodate our shortened timeline and got us in to see exactly what we were hoping to see. She is super knowledgeable and a great guide for any group. Company itself was also responsive and accommodating. Highly recommend this company and this specific tour.
Very informative tours by Annemarie. Her background stories were so interesting!! She has an amazing amount of knowledge and the answers to any questions. Perfect selections of archived pieces to review! We would definitely recommend touring with Annemarie!
Annemarie was amazing! Extremely knowledgeable, easy to understand with lots of good stories. My family and I would definitely recommend.
Amazing tour guide. She really knows her stuff and she goes at your desired pace! Her knowledge is really deep of the little nuggets that aren’t in pamphlets.
Christina was very friendly and accommodating. We were a handful but she handled it with grace. Enjoyed the photographic exhibit.
Donna was an incredible guide - learned so much & enjoyed every minute of the tour! Would recommend this tour for an educational experience to ppl of all ages. History is an important subject for a many citizen or visitor of this Great country…
Donna was wonderful. Extremely knowledgeable and kind. This was a great tour and we covered a great deal of ground in 90 mins.
Truly amazing. Richard was beyond excellent. My family and I had a wonderful time. Richard made it very engaging even for my 10 and 12 year old.
Donna was a great tour guide. Although the archives are undergoing a remodel set to last six months she made the most of the in-progress condition with good stories and facts
Excellent tour by Rebecca, she tailored the visit to match our preferences and never failed to know the answer to our questions. Pleasant and knowledgeable guide. Very enjoyable day, thanks. Only negative point was in the pre tour information that gave two different meeting points so I had to call them to sort it out
Richard brought history alive through storytelling! His connections and personal experiences around DC made this tour! I spent 7 days in DC and he was by far the best guide. Richard went above and beyond and sent me information for my daughter and to share with her school.
Visiting Arlington, viewing the changing of the guard, visiting the grave site of President Kennedy and reading the tombstone names if so many American heroes is sobering but also generates a visceral sense of gratitude. We are reminded why we remember and honor all of the men and women who serve and defend our democracy.
Donna was the best tour guide, so knowledgeable and inspiring! Arlington Cemetery was unbelievable! Plan on walking a lot, wear comfortable shoes. Highly recommend!
We had Richard! He was incredibly knowledgeable and a delight. 10 out of 10 would recommend to a friend!
I would highly recommend Doug as your tour guide. He knew so much history. It was a great experience.
Brenda was an excellent guide and knew the history very very well! Her attention to detail and concern for all members of our group was excellent. Favorite parts of tours were the changing of the guard which included a wreath ceremony and the early wars of independence in the museum.
Bess was our guide and she was sweet, knowledgeable and interesting. We loved the extra details she shared with the exibits.
Donna was excellent - so knowledgeable. She told many stories at the Arlington cemetery. My kids (ages 16, 14 and 12) were engaged the whole time. She was fun to eat lunch with too...we asked her many questions. Finally, we were able to maneuver through the American History with ease thanks to her guidance. She showed us the highlights and lingered on the things that we would be interested in. Donna was wonderful, highly recommend!
I took my son on a DC trip. Our tour guide Tony did an amazing job keeping my son interested and engaged for the entire day. He tailored some of the tour to our interests which we really appreciated.
Donna was extremely knowledgeable. She customized the tour to our interests. The tour was excellent and exceeded our expectations.
We had a wonderful tour with Brenda at the Arlington National Cemetery -- she was knowledgeable and communicated well. Definitely would recommend!
Meghan was a remarkable tour guide. She was knowledgeable, enthusiastic and very good at communicating. I highly recommend this tour.
Our guide Leigh was phenomenal. She was extremely knowledgeable and engaging. She took the time to show us sites we would otherwise have missed.
Brenda, the tour guide was very knowledgeable and allowed us to add a stop onto the tour! She also toured the museum with us and pointed out the highlights!!!
My family & I have just enjoyed a wonderful private guided tour in Washington DC. Douglas was our guide & we would like to thank him sincerely for his excellent tour. Douglas guided us skillfully through Arlington Cemetery, bringing history alive in a very respectful, engaging and knowledgeable way. His knowledge on the American Civil War is remarkable. The second half of the tour at the American History Museum was also well guided and informative, allowing us to negotiate a huge body of work in a short amount of time. This personal guided tour was a highlight for my family & I can’t recommend it more highly
Our tour guide Scott made our day - he was knowledgeable and fun - and he adjusted the tour as we went to make sure we saw things that would be of most interest to us. The museum would have been overwhelming on our own but Scott curated everything so well that we had a really satisfying visit. All of the history he shared with us as we walked around Arlington made this a really special visit as well. All in all we couldn’t have asked for a better day.
We had a great guide (Donna) that did a great job in showing us both Arlington cemetery and Smithsonian Museum of American History. Even if the weather was not the best it was a great time and if/when we will come back we hope we can get the same guide :) Take your best shoes and enjoy the visit.
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