Private tour in Washington Stephen P

Pricing Details
Base cost of tour
  • $ 336 USD

The fascinating but forgotten Smithsonian - Private Tour of the U.S. Postal Museum

Tour #1410129
5 (1)
Pricing Details
Base cost of tour

Includes all fees

Book with a 20% deposit

up to 6 people

2 hours

walking

Party size:

1

Contact the Guide

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Overview of your Washington tour:

If you’ve visited Washington once or even lived here a decade, chances are high you’ve never visited the U.S. Postal Museum! This tour isn't intended for stamp collectors; it's a narrated walk through the U.S. history no one teaches. You'll learn how the U.S. Post Office shaped America by making possible (among other things) the mail-order catalogue business (which let western homesteaders directly buy & receive goods without travelling far or using expensive middlemen), the passenger railroad service (which let everyone move about & made the Great Migration possible), & regular airplane service (and American Airlines among other private companies). It also created savings accounts, and the ability to securely send money (or anything of value, including the Hope Diamond!). For those who are interested, the Smithsonian has a world-class collection of stamps (and I'm happy to also give a tour of the collection for anyone with philatelic interest).

Your Washington tour itinerary

·We'll start in the beautifully restored lobby of the capital’s former main post office where you'll learn about getting mail before home delivery. ·Next we'll take an escalator to the museum’s main hall. ·Then walking through the reconstruction of the colonial “Boston Post Road,” you'll learn about our earliest communication system & “letter sheets.” You'll find out how the expansion of the US went hand-in-hand with postal innovations & be able to climb into railroad post office car. ·Afterwards, you'll discover how the Post Office kick-started the airplane industry & how U.S. Postal Inspectors (the earliest federal law enforcement agents) caught the Unibomber among other brazen criminals. ·We'll proceed to see an exhibit about letters & packages for U.S. service men & women during war. ·Then we'll finish upstairs, seeing a few of museum’s philatelic gems—including the world’s first stamp, the “Inverted Jenny” & a letter mailed from the Titanic. My tours can be customized to your interests.

Customize your tour

Contact your local guide to know more!!

Transportation Details
Type: Walking

Walking.

What's included
  • Private Guide
  • Tickets: Admissions to Smithsonian
0
Meeting location

2 Massachusetts Avenue Northeast, Washington, District of Columbia, 20002 United States

Enter through the door at the corner of 1st Street NE and Massachusetts Ave, go through security & meet me at the second marble "Lion" table, in the middle of the lobby just past the information desk and in front of the William H. Gross Stamp Gallery.

Other details
Tour categories
Languages
Fluent

English

Conversational

Spanish

Basic

Japanese

Basic

French

Activity level
Light
Accessibility

Kid Friendly

wheelchair Accessible

5

Traveller reviews for private tours in Washington

(1)

    Includes all fees

    Book with a 20% deposit

    Size:

    up to 6 people

    Duration:

    2 hours

    Transportation:

    walking

    Party size:

    1

    Select tour date
    Select tour start time

    View our cancellation policy

    Includes all fees

    Book with a 20% deposit

    Size:

    up to 6 people

    Duration:

    2 hours

    Transportation:

    walking

    Party size:

    1

    Select tour date
    Select tour start time

    View our cancellation policy

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