Guided African American History Tour with Reserved Museum Entry
Recommended by 92% of travelers
Washington DC, USA
- 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Overview
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 such as the MLK Memorial en route to the Museum of African American History and Culture.
- Perfect for travelers interested in learning about African-American history
- Stop at the MLK Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial
- Travel by bus from the US Navy Memorial Plaza, with live commentary onboard
- Reserved entry to the National Museum of African American History & Culture
What's Included
- Bottled water
- Live commentary on board by a local tour guide
- Live tour guide - on and off the bus
- Complimentary Reservation into the National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Lunch
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- US Navy Memorial Plaza701 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004, USA
US Navy Memorial Plaza
End point
- National Museum of African American History and Culture1400 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20560, USA
Operating hours.10:00 am
Itinerary
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.
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.
1
United States Navy Memorial and Naval Heritage Center
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
U.S. Capitol (Pass By)
Howard University (Pass By)
2
Lincoln Park
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
The White House
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
4
African American Civil War Memorial Museum
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Washington Monument (Pass By)
5
Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
6
Lincoln Memorial
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
7
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
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.7
based on 1,182 reviews
Nichelle_J, Mar 2026
This was our second tour with this company. The first tour was a couple of years ago and it was sooo good we booked it for this visit. The stops were a little different and it felt customized for our group. The next time I'm visiting DC I will do the tour a third time : )
Our tour guide, Dre was EXCELLENT! He was very informative and responsive to our needs. He has an eye for photo opps and took AMAZING photos of our group.
Sharon_M, Mar 2026
Highly recommended African American tour. Tour guide was very knowledgeable. Very nice trip. Tour is much better than driving or walking.
KamilahKeith_T, Dec 2025
ELVIS was an amazing guide! He was so knowledgeable and thoughtful to cater the guide to the interest and age groups from kids to seniors. He engaged my family in a dynamic experience through Washington DC and the insights about the city and our american history through the lens of black america was something I’ll never forgot. Praise to Gary our driver who also enriched our experience! This was top notch all the way!
Belinda_G, Dec 2025
Elvis was our tour guide and he was amazing. Very knowledgeable. The tour was a little over 3 hours but it didn’t feel like a long tour. I highly recommend even for families with teenagers; everyone will learn something.
Thank you, Elvis!
Cynthia_B, Nov 2025
Very knowledgeable tour guide. He was able to answer questions about obscure facts. It was very interesting!
Tony_B, Oct 2025
Dre was our guide and his passion and knowledge were inspiring. He really elevated the experience for us.
CHRISTOPHER_H, Oct 2025
Dre was our guide. Very cool guy, super knowledgeable about Black American history, Washington DC, and the interconnectedness of both.
Unfortunately, because of the government shutdown, we were unable to go to the Museum, but Dre made up for that with a drive-by tour of Howard University, that included a stop at Oohhs and Aahhhs soul food.
All in all, a great time was had by all. Well worth it.
Ivy_B, Oct 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I had the privilege of taking an African American history tour in Washington, DC with Dre as our guide, and it was truly unforgettable. Dre is not only deeply knowledgeable but also presents history with passion, nuance, and style.
The tour wove together well-known moments and hidden stories that don’t often make it into mainstream history books. We stood at Freedom Plaza, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. began his speech before leading the march to the Mall. We learned about the King Suite at the Waldorf Astoria, the complicated truth that Lincoln only freed certain slaves, and that Black men actually had to pay to serve in the Civil War.
Dre brought heroes like Robert Smalls, James Harvey III (the first Black Top Gun champion), Mary McLeod Bethune (the highest paid government advisor in U.S. history), and Benjamin Banneker (who redrew DC in three days) vividly to life. He connected the dots across eras—from enslaved Africans and Freedman’s Village at Arlington Cemetery, to inventors like Jesse Russell (who gave us the digital cell phone and 2G data), to the brilliance behind Hidden Figures at NASA.
He didn’t shy away from complexity—reminding us that “history is an incomplete statement,” and urging us to question why trauma is so often tied to Black success stories. We heard of forgotten Black surgeons who saved Lincoln’s life, of Archer Alexander (Muhammad Ali’s grandfather), and of innovators like Alice Ball, who cured leprosy.
What stood out most was Dre’s ability to connect past and present, showing how issues like redlining, eminent domain, and systemic exclusion shaped neighborhoods we walked through—like NoMa, Chinatown, and Georgetown’s Herring Hill. He reminded us that if you want something memorialized forever, put it in art; if statues are taken down without context, history risks being erased.
This tour wasn’t just informative—it was transformative. Dre challenged us to “choose your own hero, or they will give you one,” and left us with a deeper understanding of how African American history is woven into every corner of DC, and every corner of America.
I can’t recommend this experience highly enough. If you want a tour that will expand your mind, stir your heart, and leave you thinking long after it ends—take this one.
VIKKIE_W, Sep 2025
Our guide Dre' was great! Professional and personable. He painted a great tapestry of our history in DC. Ending at the museum is perfect!
Paula_M, Sep 2025
Tour time does not include time spent in the museum. Make sure to allow time for lunch. Many good restaurants in the neighborhood.
Anita_J, Sep 2025
The tour provided an exceptional experience, with our guide, Dre, offering insightful information that significantly broadened my understanding as an African American.
I highly recommend this tour for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of African American culture, as it is designed to be enriching for individuals of all backgrounds.
The concluding visit to the African American museum served as a powerful culmination of the experience.
I strongly encourage anyone visiting the DC area to consider this tour; it represents a worthwhile investment.
Leo_C, Sep 2025
It's informative and educational. Dre is an exceptional tour guide!I gained knowledge about historic events and figures
Haywood_T, Sep 2025
The information was informative interesting and the tour guide was very knowledgeable and very familiar with history. He answered all our questions and asked if we had more. He introduced us to history we were not familiar with and gave us a great insight.
nancy_m, Sep 2025
This tour is a must for anyone who really wants to understand the history of DC as well as the African-Americans that are honored here. Our tour guide was a wealth of knowledge.
Jose_G, Sep 2025
The African American Bus Tour of. Washington DC was very educational.
The tour guide DRE was very informative and able to answer all questions.
Carolyn_L, Sep 2025
Our tour guide Dre made this tour one of the best I have been on. His knowledge of the African American history of D.C. and the nation made this an informative, memorable and insightful tour. Take this tour while in D.C and ask for Dre.
Natacha_J, Sep 2025
It was an amazing experience to learn about the history of DC and how life changing it has been. Definitely worth it.
CHARLES_D, Sep 2025
Our tour guide was very informative, knowledgeable and awesome about the history of black African American . Driving was very safe. His name is Dre. We learned a lot! I really enjoyed it! Thank you
Cynthia_B, Aug 2025
Maggie was an excellent driver and very cordial. She made sure we got on and off the bus safely.
Jeff was very knowledgeable, humorous and cordial. He really knew the history and was very detailed.
LaTonya_P, Aug 2025
Me and my family had the best experience on the DC African American tour. Dre was ver knowledgeable. He gave us a lot of information we didn’t know about African American history and its history in DC. I will recommend this tour to all my family and friends.
Pamela_F, Aug 2025
It was a very moving and profound experience for me. I was blown away by this experience.
Very good experience. I highly recommend it.
Walter_P, Aug 2025
Dre is a very good tour guide. If all of the guides are as knowledgeable as he is then every tour is great and worth anyone’s time.
Elton_B, Aug 2025
Great tour very informative . Dre our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the role African Americans played in DC.
Bridgett_W, Aug 2025
very informative the guide was funny and so knowledgeable saw things I would have never seen. it was absolutely wonderful and I will recommend to anyone I know traveling to DC. I would take it again!!!!!
Shamita_H, Aug 2025
This was truly an amazing experience! Our tour guide, Dre, was very knowledgeable and friendly. I highly recommend this tour!
Earl_B, Aug 2025
Great tour guide. Very knowledgeable. Enjoyed the small group experience.tour went to locations described. In the bulletin.
Deborah_E, Jul 2025
Great tour. If you want history from a different perspective and learning what was not taught in school. This is your tour.
This tour will teach you, if you don't see you reflected n the history books. They’re hiding it.
Rick_M, Jul 2025
Antonio and Dre’ are a great team. Very spontaneous, knowledgeable, and funny. He is not easily thrown off track. Even when someone interrupts with a dumb question.
Carla_R, Jul 2025
Enjoyed the company of the guide/driver as well as the travelers on the tour, very nice and welcoming
Soraya_M, Jul 2025
De’Andre gave my family and me an unforgettable experience! His tour was rich with history, culture, and fascinating trivia. He brought every landmark to life with stories and insights you won’t find in most textbooks—especially when it comes to African American history. I highly recommend him to anyone who wants the real history, the kind that truly matters. Perfect for families, friends, and anyone ready to be enlightened and inspired.
From $89.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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