Private tour in Hartford Bernie W
4.5
(2) reviews
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Bernie W.
4.5
Guide rating
2
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2 hrs
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I've been showing sights and sharing stories with travelers for over twenty years. Conducting tours is an elegantly appropriate capstone to an eventful career in marketing and advertising, during which I learned that the very definition of marketing is telling engaging stories about the products being promoted. On tour, stories -- about what we're doing and the locations we're visiting -- are what add life and color to travel. They are what make touring different from merely trudging from place to place. I love to tell those tales; when my wife says I talk too much, I remind her that people pay to hear me talk. For me, the sites on the itinerary are cues to explore and explain who did what at each stop, and why they did it. I go beyond "what you learned in school, " adding fascinating, often obscure anecdotes and facts that broaden my visitors' understanding and appreciation of what they're seeing. Drawing on a deep knowledge of the rich yet not widely known history of Hartford -- political, commercial, and cultural -- I deliver an expertly crafted touring experience tailored to the interests of my guests. A senior level marketing executive in my "first life, " I understand the importance of giving my customer what he or she wants. I'm comfortable modifying the plan, and taking my guests where they want to go. And I know that travel is inherently stressful, even when it's a vacation, so I do what's necessary to smooth the occasional rough spots. American English is my native (and only) language. Having traveled broadly and lived in several areas of the US, east and west, I'm always amazed and often amused by the variety of regional speech patterns I hear. My tours of Hartford involve riding in hired vehicles with professional drivers. A modest amount of walking enables us to fully savor the character of the spots at which we stop. I adjust the extent of walking to suit my guests' preferences. 23 years of guiding experience none
Have a question or want to customize this tour? Message Bernie W.
History has been made in Hartford since 1636 when it was founded by English migrants from the Boston area. (Of course, what's now Hartford was populated by several Native American tribes long before Europeans "discovered" it. ) Hartford witnessed more than a few noteworthy political incidents through its history. . . the Fundamental Orders, the Charter Oak caper, the Hartford Convention, the first Amistad trial, to name a few. But Hartford was also home to some big-time - and lesser - authors and entertainers, even the first president of baseball's National League. Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe were neighbors who shared a lawn. Noah Webster, the word guy, lived nearby (his house is across the street from mine), as did poets Lydia Sigourney and Wallace Stevens. Turn of the 20th century theatrical star William Gillette was from Hartford. And Hollywood legend Katharine Hepburn was born here. The oldest public art museum in the US, the Wadsworth Atheneum, is in Hartford.
We begin on Main Street in downtown Hartford, where Hartford itself began. Among the sites here are: * Old State House * Ancient Burying Ground * Stone Field Sculpture * Bushnell Park * Soldiers and Sailors Memorial * Travelers Tower * Wadsworth Atheneum * Stegosaurus * Goat Yard * Richardson Building Then we head for Nook Farm, where Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe lived, with Charles Dudley Warner, William Gillette, and Katharine Hepburn at various times nearby. Along the way, we view places associated with: * Wallace Stevens * Lydia Sigourney * Noah Webster * the house in which the macabre events that inspired "Arsenic and Old Lace" occurred Finally, explore your choice of a historic home or the Wadsworth Atheneum This tour can be customized upon request, please message me for more details
Tell your guide which places matter to you, skip what doesn't, and tailor the experience for your group's needs. Not finding what you want? Message your guide to build something unique.
Vehicle suitable for two guests with professional driver; for parties larger than two, please request vehicle and pricing information.
Hartford, Connecticut, United States
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