Walking Tours

Martine Inn
Pacific Grove, California
We have 3 walking tours within 2 miles of the Martine Inn.  Monterey is the most historic city in California.  It was the capitol under Spain, and  Mexico.  It was also California’s first capitol.  Many of these 200 year old adobe buildings are available including the original furnishings.  Cannery Row was made famous by John Steinbeck and walking tours are available including Doc’s Lab.  Pacific Grove, which has an extensive rails-to-trails walking / biking path along the Monterey Bay, was established as a Methodist Retreat in 1875 and has over 120 buildings over 110 years old.  Walking tours of the Victorian Homes and Downtown are available. 

American Guest House Bed and Breakfast
Washington, D.C.
American Guest House Bed and Breakfast is a lovely and elegant Victorian 4 story row house built in the late 19th century in the heart of one of the greatest neighborhood in Washington DC: Dupont Circle. Not long time ago, the cultural Tourism Dc office created what we call Neighborhood Heritage Trails (official walking trails of Washington, DC).  Those trails give you a “ride into the Dc history and each trail sign combines stories, historic photos, and maps. From the Guest House, our guests can start by the Adams Morgan Heritage Trail. They will discover and learn about the area with 18 poster-sized, illustrated signs which combine storytelling with historic images places along the way of its Victorian row houses. As we said before, the tour doesn’t stop at Adams Morgan… In fact Neighborhood Heritage Trails is more than 10 destinations in the history of DC!

Camellia Rose Inn Bed and Breakfast
Gainesville, Florida
Fabulous cell phone tour in our bed and breakfast district as well as other places of interest here in Gainesville.  People visiting Gainesville can pick up the cell phone tour brochures at our visitors and convention bureau or right on our fence post at each of our lovely Inns. http://www.gainesvilletoday.com/2010/05/2292/Cell_Phone_Tours/

St. John’s House B&B
Jacksonville, Florida
You would be thrilled with the offerings in the Riverside/Avondale Historic District in Jacksonville, Florida.  RAP, our local preservation society, has a self-guided walking or biking tour that you follow on your i-pod.  I personally have put several together for guests at St. Johns House B&B.  Pick an architect, architectural style, or my favorite, mobile homes of the district – those houses that have been moved for one reason or another to a new site.  Guests start from our front door and work their way thru the neihborhood.  Jacksonville burned in 1901 and our district with its wonderful mix of architecture was created by the many young architects who came to the area after the fire to make their fortunes.  The result was a wonderful planned community, mixing private residences, apartments, shopping areas, city parks, a library and schools on tree-lined streets  along the St. Johns river.  The district has retained its charm, and is now a walkers’ and runners’ paradise.  You can see the more about the neighborhood and the RAP tour on its website, www.rap.org. 

The Roosevelt Inn
Coeur d’Alene,  Idaho
We at The Roosevelt Inn located in beautiful Coeur d’Alene Idaho situated on the north shore of the lake and recognized by National Geographic as one of the top 5 most beautiful lakes in the world. We have walking tours and beautiful parks and lake trails all within a couple blocks of The Roosevelt Inn, and we have our own wonderful grounds to walk through as well. We would be happy to talk with you about our great place, we are a summer paradise and a walkers heaven on earth. They do a couple of these walking tours guided or the more popular ones are the self guided so if you want you can spend more time at the locations, we are a historic location ourselves so we are on the history walk where guests and locals walk from one historic location to another in this downtown turn of the last century lakeside community, they will not only see and experience this original first built elementary school turned INN, but they will see equally beautiful architecture in buildings such as the county court house, the original city hall, the original Masonic Temple and the entire main street is pretty much the original buildings of the very early 1900’s plus the museum just a couple blocks away.. The parks walk takes you through the historic lake front city park, our location , Tubbs hill nature reserve park and the old Sherman avenue park, which is privately owned such as ours but is open to the public to enjoy, there is also lake front walks and historic homes walks all located down town and just minutes from our location. We have also helped guests create their own custom walks based on the interests they have expressed, a mixed walk is very diversified and makes it enjoyable and they can take it at a nice leisurely pace as well when they do these on their own.

Scottish Bed & Breakfast
Bremen, Indiana
Every year our Amish community in Bremen, Indiana, has a “garden walk” with eight Amish families participating this year.  The third annual “Rentown Garden Walk” is June 18th from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.  They ask for a donation ($7.00) which the money helps the Amish school. I have attended it every year since it started and I always suggest it to my guests.  One year I found an Amish guy who beautifully carves clocks in his shop.  Never knew the shop was there, I was never in their back yard before.  So my guests now visit this unique shop and can purchase a grandfather clock or a small alarm clock in different types of woods. The garden walk starts in the Amish school house and they sell bake goods and have a dessert snack and beverage for all of us to enjoy.  As we walk to the different Amish gardens, the Amish grocery store gives out “FREE” homemade ice cream.  I enjoy the beautiful landscape, their farm animals, vegetable gardens and flower gardens…with NO weeds.   And we are all helping their Amish children learn by donating to their school.

Americus Garden Inn B&B
Americus, Georgia
Our City has self-guided historic walking tours of both the residential and commercial historic districts.  The entire historic district of Americus is listed on the National Register.  The Americus Garden Inn is the oldest site-built house on the tour which consists of more than 50 structures. With the United States commemorating the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, Americus is located less than 10 miles from the most infamous Civil War Prison, Andersonville which is now a National Historic Site.  They offer guided tours of the prison and cemetery and the National POW Museum is located there.

Inn at the Park B&B
South Haven, Michigan
Imagine walking on the streets fifty years ago in the north beach community of South Haven in the area known as the “Catskills of the Midwest” complete with Big Bans playing on the Pavilion, tourist boats arriving from Chicago with families ready for summer vacation, dinner buffets, billiards and a bit of alcohol served in basement speak-easy’s during prohibition. The Jewish resort era in South Haven extended from about 1910 until the late 1960’s. The Historical Association of South Haven has compiled a walking/driving tour guide to highlight a representative group of the Jewish resorts that defined summertime in South Haven for those 50 years. The Jewish resort industry grew from simple farm resort and boarding houses to large full-service operations that compared favorably to any resort in the nation. They provided kosher and non-kosher meals, nationally known entertainment, and an atmosphere unique to a small Midwestern town. The tour lists the resort and provides an overview of South Haven as a glimpse into the excitement and bustle of that era. A pictorial of the current and former resorts and a description of their history are included in the Guidebook. Additionally, each address has a laminated picture posted in the yard of that address for easy location and identification. It is truly an awesome look into yesteryear of South Haven and its booming Jewish influence to this area.
The Firelight Inn on Oregon Creek Bed and Breakfast
Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth Minnesota’s Historic East End was developed at the turn-of-the-last century when lumber, railroads, grain, iron ore, milling and shipping created the wealth that is still very much evident in our architecturally rich and historic  neighborhood.  The Walking Tour was developed in 1993 by the Duluth Preservation Alliance and invites walkers to explore Superior and First Streets from 24th to 21st Avenues East and is just a small part of the entire East End Historic District.  Printed copies of the tour are available for our guests at The Firelight Inn on Oregon Creek.

Isaiah Jones Homestead Bed & Breakfast
Sandwich, Massachusetts
For the Upper Cape section of the article on historic Cape Cod, the writer may like to know that Sandwich is the oldest town on the Cape, founded in 1637 and incorporated in 1639.  The Isaiah Jones Homestead Bed and Breakfast is located in the heart of Sandwich village, within easy walking distance of numerous historic sites and places of interest.  Some of these include the Dexter Grist Mill, circa 1640, and the Hoxie House, said to be the oldest house on the Cape, circa 1637.  Sandwich was also home to the naturalist Thornton Burgess, whose stories about the animals living in and around the Briar Patch have entertained children for many generations.  Numerous museums in town illustrate its historic importance, namely, the Sandwich Glass Museum, the Heritage Museums and Gardens, the Wing Fort House and the Benjamin Nye Homestead. The Isaiah Jones Homestead was built in 1848 and purchased by Isaiah Jones in 1861.  Isaiah Jones was a prominent businessman in Sandwich, one of the pricipal owners of the Sandwich Tack Company.  He also served as a member of the town’s governing Board of Selectmen.  He and his wife, Hanna, raised eight children here, and subsequent generations of the Jones family lived in the house until 1954.

Bliss Bungalow Inn 
Carson City, Nevada
A 2.5 mile path marked by the “blue line” in historic down town Carson City is a beautiful walk on a spring day! Even can get an “app” on your iphone for the walk! http://www.visitcarsoncity.com/tours/kitcarson_talkinghouses.php

Coppertoppe Inn & Retreat Center
Hebron, New Hampshire
There is a historic walking tour in Bristol, NH, the anchor town for our Newfound Lake region. The walking tour brochure can be accessed via the website for the Town of Bristol’s Historic District Commission: http://www.bristolhdc.org/walking_tour.  There is also a paved walking trail along the river on the east side of Newfound Lake. The Pasquaney Garden Club maintains a butterfly garden behind the public library in Bristol. Two Audubon sanctuaries in Hebron have easy walking trails.  There are many free or inexpensive activities in our region, with abundant opportunities to explore history, nature, culture, food, music, poetry, architecture…classic New England!

The Lafayette Inn
Easton, Pennsylvania
We provide a walking tour brochure to our guests that starts from the inn and covers the College Hill National Historic District of Easton, PA. There are 32 of the 34 extant architectural styles represented here on College Hill. In additional there are self-guided and guided walking tours of downtown Easton (1 mile from the inn). Easton is a charming historic town set at the confluence of the Delaware and Lehigh rivers, officially established by Thomas Penn in 1752.  It is one of only three locations where the Declaration of Independence was read in the public square just days after its adoption. We also have the 31st annual Easton House Tour taking place on May 14 and a “Garden Treasures of Easton” tour taking place June 11 & 12.

McKay House Bed and Breakfast
Jefferson, Texas
HERE IS THE MOST POPULAR WALKING TOUR IN JEFFERSON.  THIS IS THE 12TH YEAR FOR THE TOUR.  IT IS A YEAR ROUND TOUR KNOWN AS THE HISTORIC JEFFERSON GHOST WALK.  FOR INFORMATION YOU CAN GO TO THE WEBSITE AT www.jeffersonghostwalk.com   Come Discover Jefferson’s Historic Haunts!  Wander by lantern light through narrow alleyways and courtyards of this river port town listening to a narrative that is steeped in legend.  You will encounter Jefferson’s most haunted tales.  The tour is filled with stories of resident ghosts, haunted saloons and Inn’s, and assorted other stories of this town’s history.  You will hear vivid accounts of Historic Tragedy, murder and ghostly encounters.

Apple Blossom Inn
New Market, Virginia
Dr. Betty Karol Wilson, owner of the Apple Blossom Inn B&B in New Market, VA.  I am also the owner of The New Market Walking Tours company.  We give a Civil War tour of the town to get the civilian story of the Civil War ( New Market is known for the New Market Battlefield and the VMI cadet story). Our tours tell the story of the women who lived in our town, including Northern sympatizers, Confederate nurses, and African American heroines.  We also give overview tours of the historic town of New Market. for more info www.new-market-virginia-walking-tours.com or www.appleblossominn.net. I am one of the tour guides and a local public school librarian is the other.

Clay Corner Inn
Blacksburg, Virginia  
The Town of Blacksburg has an historical 16-square walk, and the Virginia Tech campus is one of the prettiest, most walkable, largest contiguous college campus in the country. Smithfield Plantation at the edge of the campus is a delightful tour for history buffs, while the Hahn Horticultural Gardens is loved by gardeners. The Town was founded in 1798 and is a thriving small college town in southwest Virginia. The 6.5 mile Huckleberry Trail lies on the old railroad bed that brought cadets to Virginia Tech at the turn of the previous century. And, the best part? It’s all outside the front door of Clay Corner Inn! 

Holladay House Bed and Breakfast
Orange, Virginia
The Holladay House B&B is an 1830s inn located in the Historic Downtown Commercial District, a quinntessential Main Street town in Orange, VA.  The inn is one of two of the oldest remaining structures on Main Street (ca.1830), both great examples of Federal-style Flemish-bond brick architecture.  A free walking tour by historians of TourGuide Ltd. start at our front portico and trace the history of the Town of Orange from the Town’s founding (1700s) through today.  Much of the tour focuses on the multitude of architecturally significant building examples along Main Street and the effects the railroad had on this booming town.  The tour concludes mid-Main Street among restaurants, antique shops and art galleries, so folks may spend the rest of their time browsing or dining on Main Street.  This tour is a great story about Main Street America!