Booked the Living History Tour which lasted ~70 minutes and was led by a costumed actor. Even…read morethough it was raining, we enjoyed this experience. Our actor/tour guide portrayed Katie, one of the servants in the house. She told interesting stories and facts about Mark Twain, his family and the house. Pictures were not allowed during the tour except at the last part/basement and outside the house. Parking was not a problem as there was a lot before entering the museum which can lead to Mark Twain's house. There's a 20+ minute introductory video (separate from the tour) that you can see in the museum. The gift shop has magnets, t-shirts, other clothes, books, toys, pins, snacks, etc. There's also a cafe in the museum. This house/museum is about 20 minutes away from Bradley International (Hartford) airport. Would recommend this tour!

Visited the adult home of this famous child of the Mississippi River, during the final days of our…read moretrip to Connecticut. It was a very enjoyable experience. My wife and I were flying out of the Hartford airport (Bradley International) to go back home, so decided to spend the day before in the area. A popular tourist attraction is the Mark Twain (two fathoms or 12 feet deep) House & Museum, so decided to center our day around that. Maps will take you right to it, passing by large and beautiful homes from the turn of the (19th) century. The end destination was a large parking with plenty of spaces on a Friday afternoon. Daily hours are 9:30 - 5:30, with seeing the house only available through guided tours, so it was recommended to pre-reserve slots online. There are two versions of the tour, both guided but with the less frequent Living History Tour being led by a cosplay actor. We arrived at 11:20 and was able to get tickets for the 11:30 normal tour (on this day, the normal tour had hours at 9:45, 10:30, 11:00, 11:30, 12:00, 1:00, 1:30, 2:00, 3:00, 3:30, 4:00, and 4:15). Because the tour lasts about an hour, there were multiple groups in the house at the same time, but it is big enough to absorb the three concurrent groups, all seeing different parts of the home. The entire home is maintained only by ticket admission ($28 adult, $26 senior, $15 children). This was the home where he spent the most productive 17 years of his life, raising his three daughters with his wife, and writing his classics, including Huckleberry Finn. The house tour included all four stories of his home, with complete restoration being just completed in 2016. Rules: no photos or videos inside the house; don't touch anything, stay in same room as guide at all times, and no food/drink. The house was built with forced air vents, and the AC was working well within the house this day. Upstairs on the second floor was the living area, and the 3rd story attic was where Twain had his offices. The basement were the servant quarters. The entire house was fully furnished with either originals or faithful reproductions. We later learned that much of it had been given away initially, but the restoration brought much of it back. There are no elevators in the Twain home. In the visitor center, anybody could enjoy a 20 minute version of Mark Twain documentary by Ken Burns. The most celebrated Mark Twain actor was Hal Holbrook (he played a mean Lincoln too), and his very familiar voice could be heard quite a bit throughout. The souvenir shop in the visitor center had a variety of things related to his life, but to the hobby of reading for pleasure in general. There were distinctive wallpaper patterns inside the house (our favorite was that of a honeybee colony), and the same patterns could be purchased as paper in the gift shop. Because the main house is on elevated ground, one story above the visitor center, there are two parking areas. The main one near the visitor center is what Maps will guide you to, whereas the much smaller one south of the house at the same elevation is meant for handicapped spots and being much smaller, will fill up. We did see if we could walk from this parking area via local roads, but found it was much easier to just go back from where we came. We spent about 2 hours here, and saw what we wanted to see. We both felt it's well worth visiting.

Absolutely loved our small group tour through Chelsea art galleries. Merrily is delightful and the…read moreperfect guide - knowledgeable, prepared, and totally up to date on the ever-changing art scene in NYC. We had art novices in our group as well as those with more arts experience and we all had a great time. She shared interesting info about each artist, including previous work and info on future shows/exhibits. I am already looking forward to my next trip to New York and will book tours with her again and again, including the Chelsea tour as the exhibits change often.

Had a great small group tour today with Merrily. The galleries had each had different styles of…read morework and some really major artists. She also told us about interesting buildings along the way. Merrily 's style is informative, relaxed and knowledgeable, I never felt like we were in a "lecture". I'm so glad I went!

A fantastic Friday night at the MET thanks to Lauren Kaplan!…read more The tour, Hidden Spaces at the MET, was engaging and educational. Lauren weaved the group through the museum with ease and a great deal of knowledge. A highlight for me was in the Astor Chinese Garden Court learning about it's history, how it came to be and wandering on our own before a vibrant group discussion. What an awesome way to experience this (or any) museum. Can't wait for the next one!

Walking through a world-class museum you may see and marvel at amazing, famous works of art. Or…read moreyou may see very new, contemporary works of art few have had the opportunity to enjoy. In both scenarios, Lauren Kaplan will help you understand and appreciate the art you are looking at by a multiple of ten thousand. You will be amazed and floored by her explanations, her breadth of knowledge and art history, the background of each artist, and the meaning the artist has infused in every work. She will help the entire art experience come alive in ways you do not expect. And you will wonder how you ever walked a museum or gallery without her. For us, she brought alive the Biennial at the Whitney and turned a simple museum visit to a huge learning experience. Am I recommending Lauren? More than that, I am suggesting you hire Lauren to make your art experience awaken and come alive in ways you could never predict.

I don't know who put this all together, but it was a genius move. Spectacular way to display Van…read moreGoghs work, even if you don't know another about him, you will get all you need heretic room where everything definitely wakes up is so beautiful, and the VR was really cool too. Look up the immersive experience in your town and go!!!

It was great when it WAS here!…read more This must be very out of date as Van Gogh exhibit closed more than a year ago!

Little Italy's at downtown IS OPEN located in the same building…read more 114 State St Springfield MA 01103 Come check us out vintage jewelry, clothing, collectibles. Gretchen's area in the shop with the oddities is closed. Jennifer Tatro Owner of little Italy's at Downtown

Absolutely LOVED this tour!…read more I read about it recently as it was mentioned in O Magazine which is Oprah Winfrey's Magazine and I knew that I HAD to do a short trip from Chicago to NYC to take this signature and insightful tour lead by Professor Andrew Lear! Dr. Lear is the Founder and Master Guide of the Shady Lady Tours and is a leading scholar in the area of the history of sexuality. There were seven people in my group and we met at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET) in front of the Giant Pharaoh in the main lobby. Dr. Lear then distributed the entrance tickets and the Nasty Women of the MET Tour commenced. The Nasty Women of the MET focuses on the "[f]eisty, path-breaking women--women who had more power and/or independence than we usually think women in the past had." (According to Dr. Lear's Web Site). I saw many works of art that I probably would not have spent a lot of time exploring on my own..but Dr. Lear provided "the backstory" of each painting, sculpture, vessel, statue, and cultural artifacts that were explored. I have to admit that my favorites included the Gertrude Stein painting in which she was painted by Pablo Picasso and it took about 90 sittings to complete! I find her intriguing. I also was fascinated by the Female Pharaoh Hatshepsut of Egypt who ruled 1500 years before Cleopatra....in the Egyptian Wing. Hatshepsut's statue shows her dressed in female attire, "[b]ut she wears the nemes headcloth, a royal attribute usually reserved for the reigning king." (As listed in the MET's formal description of her statue sitting on the throne). The final stop was the John Singer Sargent portrait of a young woman Edith Minturn from the mid 1860s. While the artist's choice was a request that Ms. Minturn dress in an evening gown during the sitting she showed up in a two piece outfit in which her skirt did not touch the floor-but her shoes were readily seen. Her husband stands behind her and she smiles vibrantly as if she "knows" that she has clout, class, and authority as well as individuality. FYI-her husband stood in for Ms. Minturn's Great Dane when the dog became unavailable to sit for the portrait. The stories and featured art that is/was explored on this tour were exceptional and as diverse as the "Nasty Women" that were peppered throughout the MET. I would like to return to attend the "Shady Lady Tour." Truly impressive tour, well paced (2 hours) with an entertaining and educational experience provided by Dr. Lear.

Finally went on a tour with them again today. I was fortunate to have Andrew Lear be the guide. The…read moretour was educational, fun, and interesting. I say this as someone who doesn't really like art, but does in the way that he teaches it. It's amazing to me hearing about who the paintings or sculptures are actually of and the story that goes with them. Cool tidbit: The goddess Aphrodite was supposed to be executed but her lawyer pulled her top off exposing her boobs and then they acquitted her LOL. The Paris tour looks amazing as well but don't think I would ever be able to do it. In any case, if you want to go to the MET because you feel that you should but find art zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, take this tour. Two hours of showing you interesting pieces. Great way to spend a rainy, cold day in NYC.

If you are looking for art tours in NYC, you can stop looking -- you've found the best one. I…read morefound Emily a few months back while looking to give my wife several art tours as a gift. Emily helped me pull together a special gift and we had the first tour today. Emily is a remarkably talented guide, combining both incredible knowledge with a gift for storytelling. We spent several hours today at the Met with Emily and she was able to make the tour interesting and engaging for both my wife, who has background in art history, and myself, an art novice. Emily deftly crafted an itinerary based on my wife's favorite types of art while also bringing to life pieces that we'd previously have walked by without any second thought. Truly cannot recommend Emily more highly enough. We have two more tours with her and are so, so excited.

We recently had the pleasure of taking 2 private tours with Emily at both the MET and the MoMA…read more She is highly knowledgeable, and had interesting insights into the art and the artists. If you want an informative focused tour through these enormous collections with someone who knows their stuff, I highly recommend visiting them with Emily. Thank you Emily - for 2 unforgettable days!

Jody is a fantastic guide. She not only knows the best gallery shows, but she is very knowledgeable…read moreabout art and artist. We had an amazing tour of the best NY galleries.

From the owner: Art Gallery Toursread more

We went on a Lower east side tour with Marian and had such a great time! She was personable and the…read morecompany was extremely accommodating to our schedule. The immersive art was interesting and something we never would have found on our own. Such a great experience for New Yorkers and tourists.

Great value for the money! Took a chance on a tour with these guys and really enjoyed it. Heart for…read moreArt Institute is a new and unique concept in a sea of culture that is New York City. Tour guide Gabi was excellent in her delivery of concise and interesting information and structuring an engaging tour. Our tour was on surviving the intrigues of the court of Henry VIII and was set up to mirror a Game of Thrones like storytelling based on various Metropolitan pieces relating to said time period, which I thought was very cool. Will definitely take another tour with this company and possibly write an updated review as they expand their offerings.

Tour American Parks of the West 08/25/2024 through 09/01/2024…read more We were greatly disappointed with the organization of this trip through Tours of Distinction. Here are the reasons: (1) Tour was booked in January 2024. Primary small group 25 or less. Actual number of clients: 80 with two large busses with no WiFi - False advertising on the web site. (2) Lack of Organizational skills and poor communication from Tours of Distinction. With 4 weeks before trip departure, I had to call Tours of Distinction 3 times for information of forthcoming trip. (3) Free airfare was included. We purchased upgraded seats because of the cheap seats from Tours of Distinction. (4) Bus number 1 had one representative (contractor) from Tours of Distinction Our bus number 2 had one representative from ToD and one from Southwest Adventure Tours. (5) Confusing was monumental for the first two days for the agenda was changed on the fly. (6) Bus number one (40 people+-) always arrived at stops before us in bus number two which we were on. We endured long waits for bathrooms, food etc. I was told 3 weeks before the scheduled trip that the number of travelers had jumped to two busses and 80 +- tourist. My wife and I were extremely upset. I was told by a rep at ToD that although there would be two busses, they would not travel together. A flagrant lie from a rep at ToD. The two busses became a caravan. (7) On a positive note the food and accommodations were acceptable. However, as seniors, 2 motels did not have any elevators and accommodations were on the 2nd floor. For future considerations, seniors should always have a room on the first floor. (8) We left the hotels generally by 07:00 and did not arrive at our next hotel generally after 21:00. For all of us, seniors, it was an exhausting daily schedule. (9) The scenic sites made this trip. ( 10) Our driver Mike Wilhelm, Tour Director Ginny Sample and Step on Guide Wayne Parker were OUSTANDING and were focused on the needs of bus number 2 NOTE: Mike, Ginny and Wayne, covered up the unprofessionalism of Tours of Distinction Hdq. (11) My wife and I will never recommend Tours of Distinction to our family and friends. I will also be submitting this review on Yelp.

Well, Not sure how I can even give them a 1!! I had a lovely trip planed with them to go to…read moreCanada leaving my home on September 19. 2026. The day after Labor Day September 8th 11 days before my trip they called and cancelled the entire trip and did not want to reimburse us for the airfare. So if you want to tie up your money and not go anywhere... then this is your company!!