Hawaii is generally looked at as a single destination, so the last of our 6-part series on walking tours will look at walking tours that are offered around the islands.
Rent a timeshare just about anywhere in Hawaii, and you'll find many walking tours to enjoy.
- Honolulu, Oahu
Ohana Walking Tours will bring Hawaii's wonderful history and culture to life for you on its tour of Hawaii's capital city, Honolulu. Expert tour guides are eager to impart their graduate level knowledge of Hawaii's past and current issues. This tour includes several of Honolulu's premier landmarks and attractions.
You'll discover 1842 Kawaiahao Church, called the "Westminster of the Pacific," built from coral reef rocks that were hand carried from the ocean. The Mission House is a National Historic Landmark and has been turned into an interpretive museum. And, no Honolulu tour would be complete without a visit to Iolani Palance (see photo), another National Historic Landmark, where two monarchs, King Kalakaua and Queen Lili'uokalani, governed.
- Lahaina, Maui
A walking tour of this historic town is conducted by Maui Nei tours. A knowledgeable guide will take you into hidden areas and tell you little-known stories about Lahaina's remarkable past. You'll visit the Brick Palace of King Kamehameha I and explore Luakini Street where the immigrant plantation workers lived. And this tour has a little surprise for you - the hospitality of Pastor Laki, who will guide you through his garden of native plants and serve you fresh fruit and banana bread in his hale (thatched house).
This tour also gives you the opportunity to visit Moku'ula, the home and final resting place of Hawaii's royalty. A Hawaiian character out of the past will explain the significance of this revered site. "Maui Nei" is a cultural tourism company in partnership with the "Friends of Moku'ula," a nonprofit organization dedicated to the restoration of Moku'ula.
- The Big Island
Here you can enjoy a big walking tour just like you'd expect on this big island. Hawaiian Walkways Tours offers a hike called the "Waipio Waterfall Adventure." With exclusive access to a private trail, this tour company will take you through lush, exotic forests and past sparkling waterfalls. After learning the history of the trail, and hearing stories that the forest tells, you're rewarded with a majestic view of Wai'po Valley - the ocean and the valley floor are 1000 feet below.
It's an enjoyable hike as you pass through rain forests and fields, cross streams on foot bridges, and the real treat is - you'll be able to stop and enjoy the many waterfalls and pools, so be sure to bring your swim suit and towel!
Walking Tours – Part 1: New York CityWalking Tours – Part 2: San FranciscoWalking Tours – Part 3: San DiegoWalking Tours – Part 4: MiamiWalking Tours – Part 5: New Orleans(Photo credit: hawaiiforvisitors.com)
Many adjectives are used to describe New Orleans, from magical to mysterious. There's no doubt that this grand lady of dark bayous, filigreed garden courtyards, and voodoo is one city where a walking tour is a must if you want to really know her.
Rent a timeshare and choose from the New Orleans walking tours listed in Part 5 of our 6-Part series on walking tours and timeshare vacations.
- Le Monde Creole Tours. There are many different tours of the French Quarter (see photo), but this one has a twist. It's based on the diaries kept by Laura Locoul a Creole woman and plantation mistress who wrote a journal of her family's life in the old French Quarter. Amid the tangled beauty of inner courtyards you'll learn about the remarkable lives of five generations of this Louisiana dynasty, including its European and African branches.
On this French Quarter tour, which National Geographic Traveler called the best tour in New Orleans, you'll see where Locoul family members lived, from grand townhouses to slave quarters, learn about medicinal courtyard gardens, and even visit Laura Locoul's tomb.
- New Orleans Music Tour. On this walking tour you'll get to explore "the world’s richest musical city," starting with the Legends Park statues of Louis Armstrong, Pete Fountain, and Fats Domino. Along the way you'll visit Congo Square, considered the "well spring" of New Orleans music. This historic site of African slave gatherings is the only place in North America where pure West African religious ritual and musical traditions were performed that wove themselves into iconic New Orleans jazz. Your tour guide is happy to give you advice on where to catch the greatest musical talent in New Orleans.
- New Orleans Oyster Crawl. Among the many culinary tours available in New Orleans, this walking tour is one of the most popular, offered through New Orleans Culinary History Tours.You'll visit historic restaurants including Antoine's, where the world-famous dish, Oysters Rockefeller, was created. Samplings at other restaurants include Oysters Bienville, Oysters Thermidor, oysters on the half shell, and of course oyster po'boy and barbecued oysters.
- Ghosts, Haunts, Voodoo Tour. No list of walking tours of New Orleans would be complete without a ghost tour. One of the best is offered by Magic Tours, who put it this way, "Since its founding, New Orleans has suffered more disease, disasters, destruction, and death than any other American city. Spirits are taken for granted here!" Priding itself on presenting accurate historical information, Magic Tours gives an in-depth look at some of the most well-known hauntings in New Orleans, including St. Louis Cemetery, "home" of New Orleans' most famous Voodoo Queen.
Walking Tours – Part 1: New York CityWalking Tours – Part 2: San FranciscoWalking Tours – Part 3: San DiegoWalking Tours – Part 4: MiamiWalking Tours - Part 6: Hawaii(hoto credit: roomstoraveabout.wordpress.com)
The walking tours of Miami are as wonderful and varied as is this jewel of a city.
Rent a timeshare, and learn how to explore the fun aspects of Miami in Part 4 of our 6-part series on city walking tours.
- Miami Beach Art Deco Walking Tour. A local historian is your guide on this tour of Miami's renowned Art Deco District (see photo). Also known as South Beach, this fun area is a national historic district, and a prime example of "how Art Nouveu fused with early twentieth century industrial modernism."
You'll see the magnificent architecture and colorful buildings inside and out, and learn about the many Art Deco, Mediterranean Revival, and Miami modernist styles that make up the Miami Beach Architectural Historic District.
- Miami Celebrity Tour. It's always fun to get to see how the rich and famous live, and they certainly know how to do it up right in Miami. This tour was developed by Kevin Doran, a long-time Miami resident, certified heritage tour guide and president of the Professional Tour Guide Association of Florida.
Your guide will take you along Ocean Blvd where you'll be introduced to the cafes and shops that can find celebrities rubbing elbows with tourists, and learn about the many locations in this area that served as backdrops for TV shows, movies, music videos, photo shoots and fashion magazines.
- Miami Culinary Tour. There's no doubt about it that Miami is a melting pot of nationalities, and this tour gives you the chance to not only taste the cuisine of different countries, but learn about each culture at the same time. You'll hear the story behind the dishes and be introduced to the people who make them.
Try Cuban Mojitos and Peruvian Ceviche, American Lobster Chili and French Cognac Crepes. Your tour works its way through delightful food offerings like a progressive dinner on a grand scale.
- GoCar GPS-Guided Tours®. Okay, this isn't technically a walking tour, but it's so fun it had to be included on the list. Touted as The Original Storytelling Car, these cute, bright yellow two-seater GoCars allow you to take a "self-guided" tour, with a guide. The on-board GPS directs you to lots of fun and exciting things to see and do, while a talking voice gives you interesting bits of information about each place. You can do this tour at your own pace, stopping and re-starting whenever you like.
Multi-national Miami dances to its own lively beat, and a
Miami timeshare rental will put you in the middle of the party with walking tours to take you just about anywhere in the city you want to go.
Walking Tours – Part 1: New York CityWalking Tours – Part 2: San FranciscoWalking Tours – Part 3: San DiegoWalking Tours - Part 5: New OrleansWalking Tours - Part 6: Hawaii(Photo credit flickr.com)
In Part 3 of our 6-part series on the wonderful world of walking tours, we'll look at the great ways to explore San Diego. A
timeshare rental in the San Diego area not only gives you a perfect vacation destination year-round, but also the opportunity to really investigate some of this city's best-kept secrets.
San Diego is made up of many quaint neighborhoods, and walking tours are a fun way to get to know them on a personal basis. Urban Safaris offers walking tours to just about every San Diego neighborhood you're likely to want to encounter.
- Point Loma
You might as well begin at the beginning. Point Loma (see photo) is where it all started for San Diego when the Portuguese explorer, Cabrillo, came ashore in 1542. The first real residents on this long finger of land were Chinese and Portuguese fishermen. Today Point Loma will show you everything from Navy installations to yacht clubs. From here you also get incredible views of downtown San Diego, and the Harbor.
- Gaslamp Quarter
Registered as a national historic district, the Gaslamp Quarter is where you'll encounter San Diego of the 1860s. During that raucous time prostitutes and gamblers abounded. Did you know that Wyatt Earp even ran gambling parlors here? On this walking tour you'll relive a part of San Diego's past that you might find hard to believe.
- Banker's Hill and Balboa Park
This walking tour gives you the opportunity to see some of the gracious homes that were built beginning in the 1890s, above the canyons west of Balboa Park. The pedestrian suspension bridges that were constructed during that time allow you to see this neighborhood from high above the canyons. This tour also gets you up close to gardens designed by Kate Sessions, and you get to actually go inside one of the magnificent homes. You'll also explore a part of beautiful Balboa Park.
- The Urban Art Trail
San Diego's East Village neighborhood is an artsy community with an urban flare. On this walking tour you'll discover how an old warehouse district has transformed itself, and is now modern with the San Diego Padres ballpark, and timeless as an art colony with an eclectic mix of warehouse lofts and Victorian architecture.
- Hillcrest
San Diego's first suburb, this neighborhood retains a small village feel, but is also a thriving community of eclectic theater, restaurants and shops. What you won't find here is strip malls. This is also an area showcasing some of the finest examples of Irving Gill's early 20th century minimalist architecture.
These are just a few of the many fascinating neighborhoods San Diego has to offer. Rent a
San Diego timeshare and take a walking tour - and become friends with a fascinating city.
Walking Tours – Part 1: New York CityWalking Tours – Part 2: San FranciscoWalking Tours – Part 4: MiamiWalking Tours - Part 5: New OrleansWalking Tours - Part 6: Hawaii(Photo credit walkingtoursofsandiego.com)
San Francisco is a fascinating city, and a
time share rental here will give you the home base and the time to explore this grand old lady. In Part 2 of our 6-Part series on cities with great walking tours, we'll take at look at what San Francisco has to offer.
- San Francisco Architecture Walking Tour. One of the things that makes San Francisco such a charming city is its unique architecture. It's because the architecture is so iconic - and so picturesque - that many television shows and movies have been filmed on location here.
On this tour Rick Evans gives you not only an introduction to some of San Francisco's most famous downtown buildings in the financial district, including the TransAmerica Pyramid, but you'll also learn about such hidden treasures as rooftop gardens and unique open spaces. This is a fascinating way to learn about San Francisco's history through its buildings.
- Barbary Coast Trail. San Francisco had an exciting past that began with the California Gold Rush of 1848. On this tour you'll see such historical sites as a saloon where sailors were once "shanghaied," a national landmark building that survived the 1906 earthquake and fire, and an amazing "graveyard" of Gold Rush ships buried beneath the streets.
The Barbary Coast was a red-light district in old San Francisco that arose from the massive infusion of treasure-seekers. The area quickly gained a reputation for rowdy behavior, gambling, prostitution, thievery, and murder. The Barbary Coast Trail walking tour has a lot to offer!
- Victorian Home Walk (see photo). Offered by San Francisco Historical Walking Tours, you might want to consider this tour if you don't want to climb San Francisco's famous hills. On this tour you'll explore hill-free Pacific Heights, where you'll see beautiful Victorian row houses, famous mansions, and lovely gardens. You'll even get the chance to peek inside a period "Queen Anne" Victorian home. This is your opportunity to really get up close to some of San Francisco's most charming and alluring homes.
- All About Chinatown Walking Tours. No exploration of San Francisco would be complete without a look at the city's most famous neighborhood. The largest and most culturally significant "chinatown" outside of mainland China, this city within a city is exciting and lively. You'll see buildings of historical and architectural interest, including an authentic Buddhist Temple; you'll visit a fortune cookie factory; and you could even join a hosted 10 course dim sum luncheon.
Many
San Francisco timeshare rentals are available, including
Nob Hill Inn, and
The Suites at Fisherman's Wharf. Give yourself the opportunity to really get to know this fascinating city through its walking tours.
Walking Tours – Part 1: New York CityWalking Tours – Part 3: San DiegoWalking Tours – Part 4: MiamiWalking Tours - Part 5: New OrleansWalking Tours - Part 6: Hawaii(Photo credit victorianwalk.com)
Posts
Hawaii is generally looked at as a single destination, so the last of our 6-part series on walking tours will look at walking tours that are offered around the islands. Rent a timeshare just about anywhere in Hawaii, and you'll find many walking tours to enjoy.
