The antidote to the big, white-building tours
Constitutional Rambles is your personalized, historical walking tour of Washington, DC. It is my pleasure and honor to tailor a tour of my hometown to your specific needs and interests.
My inspiration for Constitutional Rambles
Progress requires compromise, and compromise leads to paradox. That is the beautiful and rich complexity of the history of Washington, DC, from inception to the present day. And it’s the fascinating stories of the people, places and events behind that history which we will uncover during our time together.
Our tour will introduce you to an array of heroes and villains - I’ll tell the stories and it’ll be up to you to decide which is which. This city is so much more than presidents and politicians.
Who is your guide?
My name is Nigel Hughes and I’ve been living in the DC area for the last 15 years. During my career, before guiding, I had the pleasure to work in and visit more than 100 countries around the world. This gave me a fascination for the richness of culture, which makes DC, with its more than 170 nationalities and ethnicities, the perfect place for me.
As a family we love to travel, and I created Constitutional Rambles to pay forward some of the wonderful experiences we’ve been privileged to share with guides around the world. We always found that we enjoyed and learned the most from guides who took an active interest in us and what we wanted to see, rather than a “one size fits all” tour model. That is my mission now, as a guide myself showing visitors my hometown. I want to create an experience where every tour is different.
Why is Constitutional Rambles a different type of tour?
Pre-tour intro call
Pickup service
Designed around your interests
You will see some suggested tour itineraries listed in this website, however my commitment is to offer you a truly tailor-made walking tour of DC. I recommend half-day guided tours for a number of reasons. For one, there is a lot to cover and visitors to DC also need free time to explore the many other things the city offers. Once you have an idea of what you may like, we can then jump on a Zoom call to figure out any modifications or add-ons.
On the day of your tour, Constitutional Rambles offers a door-to-door service. I will meet you at your hotel and from there we’ll walk through the day and plan what to cover. Depending on the itinerary, we may take Metro (the best way to get around the District) but mostly we’ll be walking. Tours typically last around 3 to 4 hours, covering up to 4 miles at a leisurely pace.
Tour frameworks
Everyone knows DC for the Mall but there are fascinating stories behind the locations, the subjects and even the meaning of this unique place.
This tour will cover all the main monuments and memorials, but we'll also visit some of the more obscure outlying memorials and understand the stories behind the history.
We are still waiting for our first female president, but we will hear about many women who have impacted the well-being and prosperity of the nation.
This tour will include the architectural gems of 16th Street, the Lincoln Memorial and the Headquarters of the Red Cross.
No matter how good the plan, things never run smoothly and never moreso in DC. We will hear about the gaffes, the blunders, and the conmen that made the city.
This tour will include the Capitol, the White House, the oldest houses in the city in southwest DC and the Federal Triangle.
Washington, DC has an extremely rich and complex racial history. We’ll share stories on how this has impacted local, national and international perspectives.
This tour will include the site of the Yellow House, Blagden Alley, the Lincoln Memorial, the MLK Memorial and the U Street and 14th corridor.
D.C. on the silver screen
Few cities have appeared in more movies and TV shows. We'll visit locations, from fan favorites to the obscure.
During this tour we'll visit the Exorcist Steps in Georgetown, the Watergate Hotel, the Tidal Basin and the Kennedy Center, among others.
Tour frameworks
Everyone knows DC for the Mall but there are fascinating stories behind the locations, the subjects and even the meaning of this unique place.
This tour will cover all the main monuments and memorials, but we'll also visit some of the more obscure outlying memorials and also understand the stories behind the history.
We are still waiting for our first female president, but we will hear about many women who have impacted the well-being, impact and prosperity of the nation.
This tour will include the architectural gems of 16th Street, the Lincoln Memorial and the Headquarters of the Red Cross.
No matter how good the plan, things never run smoothly and never moreso in DC. We will hear about the gaffes, the blunders, and the conmen that made the city.
This tour will include the Capitol, the White House, the oldest houses in the city in southwest DC and the Federal Triangle.
Washington, DC has an extremely rich and complex racial history. We’ll share stories on how this has impacted local, national and international perspectives.
This tour will include the site of the Yellow House, Blagden Alley, the Lincoln Memorial, the MLK Memorial and the U Street and 14th corridor.
D.C. on the silver screen
Few cities have made more cinematic appearances than Washington DC, from political thrillers and histories, to horror and comedy — all the genres are covered.
We will visit famous sites around the city and relive those scenes. During this tour we will visit the Exorcist Steps in Georgetown, the Watergate Hotel, the Tidal Basin and the Kennedy Center, among others.
Why guests love Constitutional Rambles
"We were really surprised about how much we learned about African-American and U.S. history in just half a day! We loved the funny and curious stories behind the buildings, the remarkable citizens, and the origins of words. Thanks for helping us better understand the essence of the city and the nation."
— Elisa G
"Nigel brought DC history to life through his masterful storytelling. What's more - he completely customized the tour to the topics of the most interest to me. I walked away with many new insights into the complex history shaping our nation's capital."
— Liz C
"As a native of DC, Nigel infuses every moment with unparalleled passion for the city's rich history, weavng together narratives that captivate and educate. Prepare to be enthralled, enlightened, and deeply moved as you uncover layers of DC's past and present, gaining a newfound empathy for its people and their stories."
— Alyson G