What we’re about
The Association of Philadelphia Tour Guides holds monthly meetings which feature a guest speaker on a topic of historical significance in Philadelphia or a field trip for a behind-the-scenes tour of a local historic site. Meetings are open to aspiring and working tour guides as well as anyone with an interest in Philadelphia-focused history. Attend one meeting for free and then it is $50 to join the association for the year or $10 per monthly meeting event. The association also organizes a low-cost weekend intensive every March with comprehensive lectures on Philadelphia's history from colonial times to present day and the '12-Hour, River to River, Vine to Pine GREAT TOUR' every fall which is free to members and open to the public for a low fee. If you love and want to learn more about this amazing, vibrant city of 'firsts' - the birthplace of the United States - please join us!
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Love History? Tour Guide Fall Training ProgramNeeds location
If you love history and Philadelphia and would love to share them both with guests to the city - consider working as a tour guide! There is a need for guides now with the big anniversaries and sporting events coming up in 2025 and 2026.
The Association of Philadelphia Tour Guides (APT) is holding a Fall Training Program Saturday-Monday November 16-18, highlighting step-on bus guiding along with basic walking tours of Old City and Center City. All are invited! All of the training tours are great for historical content even for those not interested in becoming a guide, and who knows - you might be inspired to share your passion for history as a guide after all!
All of the information about the training program is here. You might want to join APT - there is an early bird discount through December 31 for 2025 membership and then you could get the membership discount for the training price. Complete packages are available as well as tickets for individual sessions.
Please email Marianne at [email protected] with any questions. We'd love to see a lot of you there!
- November Book ClubNeeds location
The Association of Philadelphia Tour Guides (APT) will hold its next book club meeting on Tuesday, November 19, at 7 pm. All are welcome to attend. The selection is Philadelphia Stories: People and Their Places in Early America. In 286 pages, author C. Dallett Hemphill tells the stories of famous Philadelphians from the colonial period to the time just before the Civil War. Included are Anthony Benezet, Deborah Norris Logan, Stephen Girard, Francis Johnson, and more. It provides a collection of biographical essays that could help to inform tours and discussions of early Philadelphians.
APT members will find Zoom details in the newsletter the week of the meeting. Non-APT members who would like to participate in the November book club should email APT Secretary Pam Covey at [email protected] no later than 5 pm the day of the meeting to receive the Zoom link. Please join us!
- Philadelphia's Semiquincentennial: A Monumental Birthday CelebrationPhilly's Gourmet Steaks, Philadelphia, PA
NOTE: The usual second Wednesday meeting has been rescheduled to the third Wednesday, November 20.
The Association of Philadelphia Tour Guides (APT) will hold its next monthly meeting on Wednesday, November 20 at 7 pm, featuring Jennifer Nagle, Vice President of Special Projects with the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau (PHLCVB). Jennifer will share how the PHLCVB is working closely throughout the region to coordinate, support, and communicate efforts in raising Philadelphia’s national and international profile through 2026 and beyond.
The meeting is held at 114 Market Street on the 2nd floor of Philly's Gourmet Steaks. Come early for dinner and drinks! The meeting will be in-person and livestreamed on Zoom.
As America’s birthplace, Philadelphia will be the centerpiece of the United States’ 250th birthday celebration. Few cities celebrate July 4th like Philadelphia, but in 2026, every day will be Independence Day as the city celebrates America’s Semiquincentennial – the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. As America’s birthplace, Philadelphia will be the centerpiece of this monumental birthday celebration. But the action doesn’t stop there. In 2026, Philadelphia will take center stage for some of the world’s greatest events.
Philadelphia will be the center of the sports universe in 2026, and the only city in the country that will host the World’s Game and the all-stars of America’s Game. Major national and international meetings and conventions set for 2026 also make for a remarkable year.
The Zoom link will be shared in the APT Tour Talk newsletter the week of the meeting. Non-members should email APT President Marianne Ruane at [email protected] no later than 5 pm the day of the meeting to receive the Zoom link. A recording will be available on the APT YouTube page for a month following the talk.
APT meetings are open to aspiring and working tour guides as well as anyone with an interest in Philadelphia-focused history. Attend one meeting for free and then it is $60 to join the association for the year or $10 per monthly meeting in-person event. (Early bird pricing is in effect through December 31 for membership in 2025.) Zoom meetings are free.
Please join us for convivial company, good food, fascinating presentations, and lively discussions.
