Tours in Washington, D. C.

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.

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.

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.