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Historic Philadelphia announces 2013 walking tours

gtm-may13-philadelphia-cvb
Courtesy Philadelphia CVB

PHILADELPHIA – Drink a toast or see Colonial Philadelphia at night during one of the recently announced 2013 walking tours running spring through winter. Tippler’s Tour and Independence After Hours tours strive to transport guests into the past with History Makers, actors personifying characters of real 18th-century people.

Each actor goes through extensive training on their character’s time period and individual persona.

“Historic Philadelphia, Inc.’s tours truly are one-of-a-kind experiences,” said Amy Needle, president and CEO of Historic Philadelphia. “We produce a variety of programs, but the two tours are our marquis experiences, where visitors have fun, engage with real people of the 18th-century and walk in their footsteps.”

On the Trippler’s Tours, guests walk past Colonial and modern day watering holes while listening to stories, drinking traditions and songs. Each of the four stops offers drinks and snacks, including a locally brewed Yards ale made from a recipe by Thomas Jefferson at the Red Owl Tavern, which is a new stop for 2013. Groups also stop at Salon 401, National Mechanics and the Historic City Tavern.

Though subject to change, the current schedule of this tour runs on Thursdays from April 18 through December 26, except for November 28. During September 19 through November 7, the tour will run as Trippler’s Tour: Ghosts and Toasts for some additional ghost stories. A Christmas twist on the tour will run from November 14 though December 26 as Trippler’s Tour: Yuletide Cheers and Beers.

Guests can see some of the landmarks of Philadelphia’s Historic District on the Independence After Hours Tour. Groups will meet several historic figures on this tour, including Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin. The three Founding Fathers are encountered on a visit inside Independence Hall at night when guests eavesdrop as they discuss the Declaration of Independence.

The evening begins with a three-course meal at the Historic City Tavern. The nighttime trip to Independence Hall is an exclusive opportunity to see the building without crowds.

The tour runs from April 19 through June 8 on Fridays and Saturdays, June 11 through August 10 on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and August 16 through October 26 on Fridays and Saturdays at 5:30 p.m.

For more information, visit www.historicphiladelphia.org.