Please wear comfortable shoes and dress for the weather. Slippers, high heels, tuxedos, and evening gowns might not be best.
Citibike stations are located at the park’s northwest corner, along the eastern edge, and on the south side on Thompson Street at West 3rd. Protective gear strongly encouraged. Beware of delivery drivers on bikes with NASCAR ambitions.
Car parking is unavailable in the park, although attempting it would probably not surprise anyone. There are local parking spaces on adjacent streets. Please allow an additional 24 hours for parking if you are driving.
Each tour is $39 per person. Animals are free.
You will receive a full refund if you cancel 24 hours in advance of your scheduled tour. Refunds are not available after the deadline unless you submit documentation of an emergency. Wanting to finish a Netflix series is not an emergency (unless it is really, really good). If you email me at info@epicwalkingtours.com before or after the deadline, I will be glad to reschedule you for another tour.
Life happens. If for any reason you need to exit the tour before it ends, please feel free to do so. I will not take it personally unless it was personal.
The tour will last about two hours and ends at the Washington Square Park Arch. The walk is about two miles from start to finish. If the group is walking slowly, bird watching in between stops, or striking up conversations with passersby, the tour could last up to 12 hours.
We meet at the Washington Square Park Arch at Washington Square Park N located on the north end of the park. It is a large white arch north of the fountain. WSP is located at the base of Fifth Avenue between MacDougal Street and University Place. I will be holding a flag and singing show tunes, so it will be easy to find me.
Media and undercover media are welcome on the tour. I am available for interviews about the Village and the tour. All information on the tour originates from reliable sources. Primary sources were used (e.g., original newspapers, historical records, autobiographies, interviews, etc.), whenever possible. No paparazzi, please.
Tours are limited to 20 amazing people.
Please contact me about tour donations for your nonprofit auctions and other fundraisers. You can find a link on the homepage. If you are doing good in the world, I want to help.
I am a licensed NYC sightseeing walking tour guide with a star rating from the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs for the depth of my knowledge about New York City’s history. I am in compliance with all of the legal requirements for leading walking tours in New York City, which is similar to completing medical school.
Photos are permitted on the tours, but I ask passersby to limit the amount of photos they take of us as it can be distracting.
Please email info@epicwalkingtours.com to request a private tour of the Village.
To keep the tour moving, please consider asking questions as we walk from one destination to another. If you ask too many questions, it is possible the other people on the tour might vote you off the island.
There are public restrooms on the south side of WSP. They are not clean, so please prepare yourself. Please use a restroom before the tour begins, if necessary. If you need to use the restroom during the tour, please let me know and we will find a spot (not on the street, although you might see people do that).
Video and audio recordings of the tour are not permitted. If you are caught recording the tour, you will be dunked in hot tar, splashed with feathers, and dragged through the streets like an 18th century tax collector.
Please arrive at least 15 minutes early. Tours will always begin on time unless something extraordinary happens, which is always possible in the Village. I am unable stop the tour to take phone calls unless it is a call from my mother, sister, relatives, friends, coworkers, neighbors, wrong number, or telemarketer, so you might miss the tour if you are late.
Your comfort and safety are my highest priority.
Take the A/C/E, B/D/F trains to West 4th/Washington Square, the N/R to 8th Street or the Q to Union Square, or the 4/5/6 to Union Square or the 6 to Astor Place. It is possible that you will smell things that you have never smelled while standing on the train platform. It is also possible that the train will stop frequently in between stops for inexplicable reasons. It is also unlikely that you will be able to understand anything the train conductor says over the PA system.
Please buy tickets on the website in advance of the walking tour. I will take attendance before we begin. Please raise your hand or say “here” when I call your name. Homework will be posted on the board.
Epic Walking Tours offers multiple Village walking tours because the Village is amazing. The tours offer different experiences and visit different areas of the Village unless you sign up for the same tour twice. Please read the tour descriptions for more information.
All of the tour information originates from reliable sources dating back to the 1620s. The tour will introduce you to some of the most remarkable and notorious people in American history who lived, worked, and performed in the Village. Stories include tales about heroes, pioneers, mobsters, murders, haunted houses, riots, revolutions, architects, painters, musicians, poets, inventors, and much more.
Village tour guides are welcome on the tour. However, much of the content on this tour is original and relies on considerable research and a particular style of storytelling. As a courtesy, please do not copy the material for another tour or take the tour to find new stops for your walking tour.
Please keep pace with me to ensure the group stays together while walking from one stop to another. This step will also allow us to stay on schedule, so we finish before midnight. It is easy to get lost in the architecture and wonder of the Village. Please keep an eye on your friendly tour guide. If you do not pay attention, you might wind up on a much better tour. You can stop paying attention once we reach each stop and I start speaking.
Tours occur in the rain and snow. Tours are only canceled if there is an extreme weather event like a tsunami, public health or safety issue, or tour guide emergency like if I break a toe nail or overcook my lunch. I will notify participants and issue a full refund if a tour gets canceled.
