Private tour in Hartford Bernie W
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Bernie W.
4.5
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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. Know why Connecticut is the Constitution State? Because America's first formal plan of government was written here. Heard of the Charter Oak caper, when shrewd locals contrived to keep their "independence" as British colonial politics shifted? Or about Hartford's role in a key event of the War of 1812? Remember the Amistad? Hartford is part of that story, too. Hartford was home to some big time - and lesser - authors and entertainers, even the first president of baseball's National League. Check out Mark Twain's magnificent yet quirky house. Or that of his neighbor, Harriet Beecher Stowe. Noah Webster, the word guy, lived nearby. And Katharine Hepburn was born here. A 19th and 20th century industrial powerhouse, Hartford's factories turned out products from horsenails to airplane engines. See what's become of the Colt armory complex. Then there's insurance. The professional golf tour used to call its Hartford stop the Insurance City Open.
We begin on Main Street in downtown Hartford, where Hartford itself began. Among the sites here are: * Old State House * First Church * Ancient Burying Ground * Stone Field Sculpture * Bushnell Park * Travelers Tower * Wadsworth Atheneum * Stegosaurus * City Hall * Butler-McCook house * Goat Yard Then we relive the Charter Oak incident on the way to the Colt armory plus Sam and Elizabeth Colt's residence; * call the roll of some Hartford historical luminaries at Cedar Hill Cemetery * pass Nook Farm, where Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe lived, among other cultural notables * view several places associated with Katharine Hepburn * ride by the Connecticut state Capitol building and the Governor's Residence * stop for a spell at Noah Webster's house * learn more about Hartford's colorful industrial history * explore your choice of a historic home or the Wadsworth Atheneum
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.
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