Philadelphia: Black History Walking Tour & President's House

★★★★★★★★★★

4.92

(99 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

The first thing I noticed was the way our guide, Marcus, paused in front of the President’s House. He didn’t rush. He let us stand there, right where nine enslaved people once lived—just steps from Independence Hall. I could hear a busker playing jazz somewhere nearby, which felt odd at first, but then made sense; this is Philadelphia after all. Marcus pointed up at the brickwork and told us about Oney Judge running away. I’d read her name before, but hearing it spoken out loud, with traffic rolling by and someone’s lunch cart sizzling onions down the block—it just hit different.

We moved on through Washington Square Park, where he said free and enslaved Africans are still buried beneath our feet. I kept thinking about that as we walked over the grass—how many stories are literally underfoot here? The air smelled like wet earth (it had rained that morning) and someone nearby was feeding pigeons. There was this moment when Marcus asked if anyone wanted to try saying “Congo Square” in the old way—Li laughed when I tried it and probably butchered it, but nobody seemed to mind. That loosened things up a bit.

Mother Bethel AME Church was quieter than I expected. Inside, you could almost hear your own footsteps echo off the old wood floors. Marcus told us about a woman who fought for her freedom here—and about her rescuers’ trial. It wasn’t some polished museum story; it felt raw and unfinished, like so much of this history still is. We passed Congress Hall and the Liberty Bell Center too (the bell itself has that crack everyone knows), but honestly it’s those smaller moments—the hand on old stone, or a stranger nodding at you—that stick with me most.