Off The Mall Tours

Off The Mall Tours See full description of tours and prices at www.otmdc.com. To get to know Washington, you have to Get Off the Mall!

Off the Mall Tours is a woman-owned small business that brings you unique walking tours that offer fascinating glimpses into DC's history.

Announcement! OTM is happy to welcome a new guide to our tiny team. Please give a shout out to Ashley Bamfo .pitou who...
04/29/2025

Announcement! OTM is happy to welcome a new guide to our tiny team. Please give a shout out to Ashley Bamfo .pitou who will be sharing responsibilities for leading the History of Black Georgetown tour, starting this Saturday, May 3rd at 2pm.

Here's a bit about Ashley:
Ashley Bamfo is a community historian, storyteller, and cultural organizer who has called the DMV area her home since she was 3 years old. Ashley has a passion for uncovering the rich, often-overlooked stories of Black and LGBTQ+ communities. As a tour guide with Off the Mall Tours, they bring a decade of experience in public history and cultural programming to every walk, blending archival research, lived experience, and heart.
Since 2024, she has co-led engaging tours across Washington, DC, spotlighting neighborhoods shaped by resilience, artistry, and activism. Whether guiding guests through Black Broadway, tracing q***r resistance through historic landmarks, or honoring community spaces that no longer exist, Ashley invites guests to see the city—and its layered histories—with new eyes.
When not leading tours, Ashley is working on community archives, developing educational curricula, and dreaming up new ways to make history feel personal and alive.

Come support Ashley on her inaugural tour and grab a ticket today! Available through link in bio or at www.otmdc.com.


In partnership with , Off the Mall Tours is thrilled to participate in a program offering FREE walking tours to Feds du...
04/28/2025

In partnership with , Off the Mall Tours is thrilled to participate in a program offering FREE walking tours to Feds during Public Service Recognition Week. From May 3rd to May 11th, Off the Mall Tours, Washington Walks, and are all offering selections of tours free to Feds to show our love for some of our greatest supporters. And they sure need some love in these difficult times. OTM specifically will be offering an off-schedule night of Madams of DC on May 9th at 7pm, and an additional time for Socialites and Spies of Georgetown on May 11th at 5pm. Feds can enter the promo code "free" at checkout. Check out the full schedule through the link in bio. Come take advantage of this awesome initiative!

What a great weekend! Thanks everyone who attended the Madams of DC tour on Friday, the History of Jewish Washington tou...
04/21/2025

What a great weekend! Thanks everyone who attended the Madams of DC tour on Friday, the History of Jewish Washington tour with Sunday morning and the Historic Alleyways tour Sunday afternoon. These tours always make me feel like we're building such a wonderful community of history lovers, and it gives me hope in these dark times. Off the Mall Tours is taking a break next weekend, but a packed May schedule is on the horizon. We have some announcements coming soon, including the introduction of a new guide! Stay tuned for more information.

Is it Spring yet? It's going to feel like it this weekend with warmer temperatures finally gracing us with their presenc...
04/18/2025

Is it Spring yet? It's going to feel like it this weekend with warmer temperatures finally gracing us with their presence. Get outside and enjoy it on one of our fascinating walking tours exploring the lesser-known stories of DC history. We start on Friday night at 7pm with Madams of DC, recently featured in the documentary by the same name! Then, on Saturday at 2pm, we have the History of Black Georgetown, exploring the diverse history of one of DC's oldest neighborhoods. We're ending the weekend with History of Jewish Washington with guest guide on Sunday at 10am, just in time for Passover, and then Historic Alleyways at 2pm, exploring the Naylor Court Historic District. Full descriptions and tickets available at www.otmdc.com, or through links in bio. See you on a tour soon! *xworkhistory

The full documentary of The Madams of DC is out! I finally got the courage to watch this work by (I have phobia about ...
04/16/2025

The full documentary of The Madams of DC is out! I finally got the courage to watch this work by (I have phobia about seeing myself on video) but I have to say that it's very well done. Two Madams that I mention on two different tours are featured. On my Madams of DC tour, we discuss Mary Ann Hall, who had the largest brothel in Civil War Washington. That tour is next happening THIS FRIDAY April 18th at 7pm. The second Madam is Odessa Madre, featured on the Q***r Black Broadway tour, which Off the Mall Tours is offering with for on May 25th, May 31st and June 7th. Odessa was a black, gay mob boss who transcended labels and limitations applied towards black women in pre-Civil Rights America. Both were strong figures of their time, and their success was due to s*x work. All tours can be booked at otmdc.com, and for some more background, watch the documentary The Madams of DC, available here: https://youtu.be/Y-o4ugEDDwk?si=AQwMc_ci_i9P0BMW. *xworkiswork *xworkhistory

On Page 3 of the April 16, 1862 edition of the Evening Star, Washington's largest newspaper, a small article announced ...
04/16/2025

On Page 3 of the April 16, 1862 edition of the Evening Star, Washington's largest newspaper, a small article announced that President Lincoln had signed and returned a bill officially Emancipation the enslaved of the Nation's Capital. This announcement came 9 months before the Emancipation Proclamation that would free all enslaved people (with delays in some states taking as long as until 1865, see Juneteenth). This year marks 20 years of this day being honored as a holiday in the District of Columbia.

Amy Elizabeth Thorpe (pic 1) was a DC native who married a British diplomat, and became a spy for the British in the 193...
04/11/2025

Amy Elizabeth Thorpe (pic 1) was a DC native who married a British diplomat, and became a spy for the British in the 1930s. After she and her husband moved back to DC, at 3327 O Street NW in Georgetown (pic 2), she worked for the Office of Strategic Services as a spy during WWII. Her method was seduction. She seduced Charles Brousse, the Press Attache at the Nazi-controlled Vichy France Embassy, which is currently the Embassy of Macedonia on Wyoming Avenue (pic 3) . Through her relationship with Brousse, she was able to sneak in a safe-breaker who obtained photos of critical intelligence information. Her actions contributed to victory for the Allies. But that's not the whole story. Learn more on the upcoming Socialites and Spies of Georgetown walking tour at 2pm on Sunday. A few tickets remain, so get yours now at link in bio or through www.otmdc.com!

We have a music-tastic lineup of tours coming up this weekend, plus a nod to Georgetown's sneaky spy history. First, on ...
04/08/2025

We have a music-tastic lineup of tours coming up this weekend, plus a nod to Georgetown's sneaky spy history. First, on Saturday we explore DC's 1980s HarDCore scene, where venues like d.c.space and the original hosted DC's best Punk talent, including Minor Threat, Scream, and Bad Brains. Then, we shift gears and neighborhoods, heading up to U Street to check out its illustrious Jazz history. Did you know April is Jazz Appreciation Month? And did you know that famed jazz composer Jelly Roll Morton (first picture) used to manage a jazz club called the Jungle Inn, which was above where is today(second picture)? Jelly Roll Morton spent a few years in DC in the 1930s, as he was helping usher in the era of Swing. Finally, on Sunday at 2pm, we're in beautiful , exposing the Spies and Socialites of the Cold War era. Find more info at book your tickets at www.otmdc.com or through links in bio! history

Our first tours of April are coming up this weekend! We start with Madams of DC tour, recently featured in the documen...
04/03/2025

Our first tours of April are coming up this weekend! We start with Madams of DC tour, recently featured in the documentary of the same name, by Aysha Arif! That tour is almost full tho, so get your tickets NOW! Then on Saturday we have the History of Black Georgetown, where we explore the people and places that made Georgetown's Black community so notable. Finally, we explore and the Naylor Court Historic District in Historic Alleyways on Sunday at 2pm, learning about the alleyways'official functions but how they played a role in protecting escaped enslaved people and communities of DC's working class. All tickets available at www.otmdc.com or through links in bio. Join us! #

Obligatory 🌸 Appreciation Post! After last night's storm I thought many of the cherry blossoms around the basin would ha...
04/01/2025

Obligatory 🌸 Appreciation Post! After last night's storm I thought many of the cherry blossoms around the basin would have been blown off, but there are still a few dozen trees that have maintained the iconic snowy puffy flowers. This may be an unpopular opinion, but I've always preferred the pink magnolia flowers anyway. Pictured here are a few from Lafayette Square, Soldier's Home, and Congressional Cemetery. What are your favorite spring blossoms in DC? 🌸 🌸

I am proud to announce that I am featured in this documentary of Madams of DC by ABC 7's Aysha Arif , coming out on Apri...
03/31/2025

I am proud to announce that I am featured in this documentary of Madams of DC by ABC 7's Aysha Arif , coming out on April 3rd! The documentary covers the history of s*x work from the early days to recent memory. The trailer is available on YouTube here https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1H4NtGSfYu/?mibextid=xfxF2i. If you're interested in this history, I am offering the Madams of DC tour this Friday, April 4th at 7pm. A few tickets are still available, and you can get yours at the link in bio or at www.otmdc.com. *xworkiswork

And that's a wrap for March! Thank you to our guests who took the Women of Congressional Cemetery tour on a gorgeous Sun...
03/24/2025

And that's a wrap for March! Thank you to our guests who took the Women of Congressional Cemetery tour on a gorgeous Sunday morning, and thanks for hosting us. Women's History Month may be almost over, but we celebrate women making history all year round. Coming up is our April schedule, when you'll have more opportunities to do just that. Plus, we'll be offering some special tour opportunities in the next couple of months. Stay tuned for more! #

Thr first Madams of DC tour is in the books!! Fantastic turnout and fantastic weather made for a great start to the week...
03/22/2025

Thr first Madams of DC tour is in the books!! Fantastic turnout and fantastic weather made for a great start to the weekend. Next up on Sunday the 23rd is the Women of Congressional Cemetery tour. Tickets still available, so grab yours now! *xworkhistory *xworkiswork

It was a beautiful morning for a walk through! I'm preparing for Sunday's Women of Congressional Cemetery walk, and was ...
03/20/2025

It was a beautiful morning for a walk through! I'm preparing for Sunday's Women of Congressional Cemetery walk, and was thrilled to see the Okame cherry trees already blooming near the 9/11 memorial walking path. Nearby are magnolia trees getting ready to pop. I can't wait to take you through this beautiful burial ground where we'll visit the graves of Presidential candidate Belva Lockwood, abolitionists Lucy and Ann Bell, and 19th century writer Ann Royall, just to name a few. Tickets still available but they're going fast, so get yours today! .

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