Tours in Manassas

Washington Walks offers a diverse list of walking tours, each lasting approximately two to three hours and led by passionate, knowledgeable guides. The Embassy Row tour, offered on Saturdays at 10 a.m., explores the highfalutin housing of the city's once-upper crust, and the nightly The Most Haunted Houses tour takes off Lafayette Park's shirt to expose its violent underbelly and stops at the highly haunted Octagon. Scholarly Sundays can be devoted to the Georgetown tour, which elegantly strolls through the Georgetown neighborhood to examine 200-year-old mansions and talks about the olden days when horse-drawn carriages were pulled by eagles. There's also a series of Saturday and Sunday tours dedicated to individual neighborhoods, providing locals with the opportunity to master their living zone.

For more than 20 years, the FAA-certified flight instructors at Washington International Flight Academy have safely guided pupils skyward and imbued them with the skills necessary for numerous licenses and certifications. Under an instructor's watchful eye, guests control a Cessna 172 on a 30-minute airborne trek during discovery flights, which can later be applied toward courses for a private or commercial pilot’s license with optional multiengine rating. A commercial pilot’s license qualifies more seasoned flyers for instructor certification, where they learn how to teach essentials, including how to tell the difference between a landing airplane and a diving roc.

Along with in-depth courses, Washington International Flight Academy accommodates patrons with rentals of its massive fleet, charts and piloting supplies from its fully stocked shop, and lodging for out-of-state students.

French-trained photographer E. David Luria loves many subjects, but he directs most of his attention toward Washington, DC's historic architecture. His images, which lovingly depict the city's landmarks, have been published in Time Magazine as well as several local Washington papers. Luria teaches tricks of his trade privately for the Smithsonian Resident Associates Program, but also through Washington Photo Safari's tours.

Luria, along with a team of 16 other instructors–many experienced independent photographers and photojournalists–shepherd small groups through the capital's streets, gardens, and halls, while teaching them photographic techniques. These include how to use selective focus, control F-stops and shutter speeds, and remove vampires from pictures taken at night. They then help participants practice these skills on expeditions through buildings such as the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington National Cathedral, and the National Building Museum. More seasonal tours let guests document the short-lived cherry blossom season, challenging them to capture striking tableaus of the pink petals from land or water. They also teach composition among the verdant garden landscapes and elegant buildings at Hillwood Gardens and the US Botanical Gardens to foster tourists’ appreciation for nature and their ability to heckle squirrels.

Lynford Morton doesn't like to be called an instructor. Instead, he prefers photo coach. To Lynford, coaching more accurately describes his process of giving advice and support and boosting confidence in photographers as they actively snap shots of their subjects. His teaching method sticks to this sports analogy, as he first forms a foundation of photography principles—a playbook of sort. Then during hands-on sessions, photographers practice using techniques and calling audibles to get clouds into the right position. Since Lynford keeps most classes at a ratio of 1 to 12 or fewer, he can guide students with tips or illustrate a point with a teaching app on his iPad.

Lynford has always loved to tell stories with pictures. His father, a self-taught photographer from a village on St. Kitts, fueled Lynford's passion at an early age—which he later bridged with a photojournalism college major and a career in public relations. Now, he walks the historic streets of DC each weekend with troops of eager photographers anxious to tell their own visual stories.

The combination of Capital Segway’s high-quality apparatuses and expert local guides make the touring establishment a go-to adventure for visitors to the D.C. area. The Segway PTs, or personal transporters, come outfitted with features such as noiselessness and off-road capability in case participants want to explore the White House’s backyard mud pit. Adding to the experience are the highly lauded guides, who fill the noggins of visitors with DC trivia on landmarks such as the FBI Building and the Air and Space Museum.

Monumental Helicopters’ fleet of choppers offers clientele breath-nabbing views of eastern Maryland and the sea beyond. The compact R44 Clipper comes equipped with floats for water landings into arch nemeses' swimming pools. The aircrafts’ routes fly around Baltimore, taking in the city's sites. Though not included in this Groupon, tours also zigzag between Baltimore, Washington, and Annapolis and even embark on custom tours that soar anywhere within 25 miles of Haysfield Airport.