THIS TOUR IS SOLD OUT.

As part of its 2025 Fall Training Program, 19th Century Growing Pains or We The People… Now What?, the Association of Philadelphia Tour Guides (APT) is offering a day-long Bus Trip through Fairmount Park on Friday, November 14 from 8:15 am-4:15 pm, beginning and ending at the Independence Transportation Center behind the National Constitution Center.

The bus trip is $50 for members and $70 for non-members. There are no free tickets for the bus tour. Please only select the ‘package’ price of $0 if you already purchased a complete package, which can be done in the APT Store. Thank you!

8:15 am: Bus leaves from Independence Transportation Center (ITC) behind the National Constitution Center

— 9 – 11 am: Tour of Laurel Hill East Cemetery and Its Residents
In the early 19th century, European and American cities outgrew the space available for church graveyards. In 1804, outside of Paris, Pere Lachaise Cemetery begain what would be known as the rural landscaped cemetery movement. In Philadelphia, in 1836, John Jay Smith charted the Laurel Hill Cemetery, along the Ridge Pike, as Philadelphia’s first such cemetery. Today, Laurel Hill East, as it is known, occupies approximately 78 acres of landscaped land that contains the graves of some of the city’s most prominent and important 19th century citizens, including industrialists, financiers, Civil War generals, mayors, and architects. Names like Baldwin, Disston, Widener Elkins, Meade, Pemberton, Henry, McMichael, Notman, and MacArthur can be found on gravestones and mausoleums. Join us for a tour of 19th century history!
By: APT member Jim Mundy, certified tour guide and former historian of the Union League; and Steve Maurer, APT member and certified master guide at the Powel House and Laurel Hill Cemetery.
At: Laurel Hill Cemetery East, 3822 Ridge Ave.

— 11:30 am – 12:30 pm: Drive by Strawberry Mansion, Mount Pleasant Mansion, Smith Memorial Playground, and stopping at the Memorial Arch and whispering bench. APT member and certified guide Jim Mundy will talk about the arch and we’ll have time to explore the whispering bench. From there we’ll walk over to the Please Touch Museum.

— 12:30 – 1:15 pm: Docent Barry Becker will talk to us during a private viewing of the Centennial Exposition model (part of “Centennial Innovations” exhibit) at the Please Touch Museum, the former Memorial Hall. Read about the Centennial to prep for the day.

— 1:15 – 2:15 pm: LUNCH on own at the Please Touch Museum’s Garden Grille Cafe
Please look over the list of grab & go sandwiches available as well as the grab & go salads. (These lists take precedence over the online menu.) This menu lists the hot food that is made on site. Let us know by Monday November 10 what you will be ordering. (If you end up changing your mind, that’s fine, but the cafe would like to be prepared for our visit.) If you have a special request, let us know, and we’ll see if they can accommodate.

— 2:15 – 3 pm: Outside Exploration
Michael Burch of Fairmount Park Conservancy will talk outside the museum about the Centennial Exposition grounds and the transformation of the Parkside neighborhood over the years. Then we will walk to the Catholic Total Abstinence Fountain, about 1/2 mile. (Those who do not wish to walk can wait at the museum and ride with the bus to pick everyone else up there.) At this massive fountain across from the Mann Music Center, APT member and certified guide Charlene Mires will invite us to consider how guides can use monuments to provoke new insights into the past. What are the figures on this fountain telling us about the nation in 1876, especially the concerns of American Catholics?

— 3 – 3:45 pm: Continue on bus past the Ohio House to Belmont Mansion with a quick stop for photos at the amazing view of the Belmont Plateau.

4:15 pm: Arrive back to Independence Transportation Center (ITC) behind the National Constitution Center

Check out the complete training program description to figure out the best combination of events and pricing for you. The full package of a possible 9 events PLUS a full day bus tour to Fairmount Park is ($100/$150/$270), or you may prefer to choose individual tour or lecture events ($15 member/$25 non-member) with or without the full bus day ($50/$70).

This is a unique opportunity for APT – be sure to join us!