Think twice. It seems that our experience was not the norm for this tour company, so odds are you’ll do better. The description says, “and enjoy an educational narrated history of the nation’s capital.” I didn’t expect, nor did I want, someone droning on about history, however, I thought we’d get a tour with some light historic overview to start our trip as the description describes. I was disappointed. While I have been to DC several times, some in our party hadn’t.
I liked that our tour guide talked quickly and kept it lively. We drove by some monuments and got out at three. I think there was construction, which prohibited more stops. The monuments we did see were spectacular at night, but we had to listen to an unprepared guide. Our tour guide tried to be funny and sometimes he was funny, which I appreciated, but his narration during the tour lacked informational substance. It was like going to a great restaurant only to get a nervous, new waiter who tries to bluff through everything and makes senseless chatter.
While going by the Holocaust Museum his description was brief. He said (paraphrasing), “This is the Holocaust Museum. It is a really sad place. Some people say they come out feeling sad anyway. But, if someone comes out feeling happy, well, I’d say they aren’t a good kind of person”. That was it. He offered no sensible statements or basic factoids about the Holocaust Museum. I was rather shocked and frankly insulted by his flip remarks about such a profoundly significant museum. I wondered: Is this what he thinks or is it what all of his generation thinks of the museum? Btw, I am not Jewish. I am just a baby boomer who understands the history of the Jewish people. I have visited the museum in recent years.
Overall, historical information was thin on our particular tour, but the weather was exceptional and it was a great ride in an open air vehicle. I think this particular guide needs a supervisor to remind him what “educational narrated history” entails.