Visiting Washington DC with groups

Every year 22 million visitors come to Washington DC. The spring is perhaps the busiest time of the year for school groups. If you can the fall would be better for your school than the spring for several different reasons.There  are less people . Second hotel rates and airline rates are cheaper .It is much easier to get into government building . For example if you bring your group in the spring you will need tickets for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing , Washington Monument, Fords Theater and the Holocaust Memorial museum . If you come in the fall you will not need tickets for any of them.

If you do visit Washington DC in the spring here are some tips. If you  would like for your group to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier it is a very easy way to do it.

 Wreath Laying Ceremonies: (Requests must be received in writing)

(703) 607-8559

*For school and civic organizations coming to Washington, D.C., that wish to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns.  A representative of the requesting organization must write to Arlington National Cemetery, Attn: Public Wreath Ceremonies, Arlington, VA 22211 on organizational letterhead.  The sender should indicate on the outside of the envelope that it is a "wreath-laying request."  The letter should indicate when the group is visiting, its schedule limitations, and complete contact information.  A representative of Arlington National Cemetery Public Wreath Coordinator will thereafter call to make further arrangements and provide further instructions should the date appear open.No fax or email accepted
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 National Archives. If you ever waited in the national Archives this link will help you.http://www.blogger.com/goog_1682204785

 national archives

This link will help you reserve a space for a self guided tour of the Archives building. You will be able go into the special events entrance which is on the Constitution Avenue entrance.


The tickets for the the Capital can be obtain at www.aoc.gov. You will be able to order up to 10 tickets . I would advise you to allow at least 2 hours for the tour , going through security and picking up your tickets. You will be shown a video and a walking tour of the Capital.

The Supreme is across the street from the Capital. The tours of the Supreme are every half an hour beginning at 9:30am. Keep in mind during the spring the court will be meeting on Monday , Tuesday, and sometimes on Wednesday. When the court meets , tours are not conducted but you can you can see a hearing.

Washington dc is a great and interesting city . Come see for yourself

Anacostia/ The first suburb of Washington

In early 1850's some of the men who worked at the navy yard wanted their on neighborhood . In their neighborhood if you were black, of Irish decent or if you boiled soap( it seems boiling soap smelled really bad) you were not allowed in their neighborhood. The neighborhood was called Uniontown. Three men John Fox, John Van Hook and John Dobler bought a 240 acre farm from a blacksmith name Enoch Tucker. Uniontown was laid in a 17 block grid. At first selling of the lots was going well . The recession of the 1870's put an end to the good fortune of three John. In the fall of 1878 Frederick Douglass bought a home in Uniontown. John Dobler needed money . For the sum $6,700 Mr. Douglass acquired from Dobler. The house had 14 rooms. The house was later enlarged to 21 rooms . Improvements to the house between the 1878 to 1888 were a two story addition in the rear of the house.
Next to Uniontown was the neighborhood of Barry Farms. General Oliver Otis Howard was in charge of finding housing for newly freed blacks. Howard obtain a farm near Uniontown. Blacks were allowed to purchase lots 24 feet wide 130 feet deep . The lots were purchased for $3 per month over 25 months. The neighborhood was self sufficent. The neighborhood of Barry farms had its own schools , churches, doctors, lawyers and printers. The neighborhood was bright at night because many people would work on their houses at night . Many people would work during the day and work at home at night

The man behind the Memorial

As a tour guide of Washington DC I was courious about the men our memorials are named after. The first person I choose was Thomas Jefferson. I started with the election of 1796. In the beginning of theUnited States Presidential election history the person who came in second became the Vice President. I was very courious how Jefferson who was a Democratic Republican became Vice President when John Adams who won the election was a Federalist. It seems Alexander Hamilton tried to get John Adams running mate elected President . Back in those days in the southern states chose presidential electors to the electoral college by direct vote. The northern states delegates were elected by the state legislatures.. Hamilton tried to got the South Carolina delagation to with hold votes for Adams . Hamilton hope the votes intended for Adams would go to Thomas Pinckney and Pickney would become President . Because of his tampering Adams became President and Jefferson vice president.
In the election of 1800 Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr each had won 73 votes in electoral college. It took 35 ballots to break the tie. The Congress was dominated by the Federalist. Once again Alexander Hamilton played a part in the election. He asked some federalists not to cast their vote on the 35th ballot for Burr thus that enabled Jefferson became President.

Washington DC Tours

A step on guide is a person who gets on a bus to give a tour to people he or she do not know. I am a step on guide. As a step on guide you never know what kind of group you will get. Some groups are great. The great groups usually are people that ask questions , are not talking while I am giving the tour, keep their cell phones vibrate and the bus driver has a good knowledge of where the sights are.The middle of the road group trends to take their time getting off the bus, getting back on the bus late, people not staying with group and the driver do not have a clue how to get anywhere. The worst group is no one seems to be in charge, no discipline with students, adults on school trips talking to their husbands back home or talking to their office about work that they haven't done yet.

Here are some do and don't about group touring.

• Make sure everyone is physically able to take a tour
• Plan your trip (be very detailed)
• Pick the bus company carefully. (if the bus breaks down will they have one to replace it soon. How well does the bus driver know the city you are traveling to . Have the bus driver check the microphone to see if it is working
• Have people make all phone calls before the tour starts.
• Hire a professional tour guide
• Reseach the places you will be visiting.

The don'ts

• Wait in line for tickets for the Washington Monument (get them online)
• If you have a group of students do not go to the National Archives at 10am (wait later )
• Wait line for a tour of the Capital (try to get your Senator or Congressman to get you a tour)
• If you do not like crowds do not come to DC in the spring

Washington is a great place to visit with a group.

Check out my Slide Show!

Visting the Capital building

Over two million people a year tour the United States Capital building. The tour is done by Capitol Guide Service or by a Senate or Congressionial intern. If you have a private tour the tour is done by an intern.Before you leave home check the Capital website for prohibited items. http://www.aoc.gov/ You will meet the intern at the Congressman office or Senators office. You should be in the office a little before your schedule time. It is always better to be early than late.If you bring any of the prohibited items you will have to leave them in the office.You will leave the office and go directly to the Capital. If you are leaving from the Senate side of Capital hill you probably ride over on the little subway system. If you are on the House you will walk through a maze of coridoors and buildings.
Depending on what time of year you come the tour can take from 30 minutes to two hours. The reason for the difference in time is the volume of people in the Capital and security. In the spring there are thousands of school kids from all over world here. The security at the Capital is very tight . You must remain with your guide at all times. If you leave your guide a Capital hill police might find you and escort you out of the capital. The tour starts in the Rotunda. It is very hard to hear in the Rotunda because sound bounces off walls. The next stop will be Statuary Hall. The final stop will be cyrpt where George and Marta Washington were almost buried .
If you are in the public line for tickets , be in line at 7:45 am in the morning. Each person taking the tour must have their own tickets. In the spring time many bus loads of people try to get tickets early. The public tours are every 10 minutes. The ticket you recieve has a time on it. you should be in line 10 minutes before the time on the ticket. From the time you get line to the time the tour ends is about 2 hours.

Lincoln Memorial

As I was giving a group of young students from New York city a tour of the Lincoln Memorial I realized they had very little interest in what they were seeing or what history had taken place there. One of the most important speeches in American history was made on the steps of a memorial to a man who keep the union together. The step on which the speech was given is engraed in the mable steps. As the group stood over the engraving it seem to me most of the students had little excitement at what they were looking at.
We walked up a few more stairs weaving between the 36 colums each 44 feet high. As the group walked into the chamber they saw the 19 foot statue of our 16th president. Lincoln statue has the american flag drapped over the the left side of the chair Lincoln is sitting in.

As the group faced the southern wall of the chamber the students had an opportunity to read one of the greatest 100 speeches in American history, the Gettysburgh Address. Above the speech the group noticed the Mural of Truth. The Mural of Truth on the southern wall depicts the freeing of the slaves by President Lincoln. On the northern wall written in stone Lincoln's second inaraugal address plus the Mural of Angels of truth. The second inaraugal address has been high rated as one of the best speeches in American history