the gullah museum tours

The Gullah Museum of Hilton Head Island

Welcome   to hilton head island's  authentic gullah museum.

Customs, Traditions, and Stories is our culture!

' Our Journey'

'Our Journey' is the Gullah History on Hilton Head Island spoken in our own words. This film is our way of sharing our history and culture with you and showing you how important the Gullah Museum is for our future. We hope you enjoy our film and join our cause.  

The Story of Louise's Ancestors

Watch the incredible true story of how Louise's ancestors first came to Hilton Head Island.

Watch "Back in the Day" Historic Film

Through the Eyes of The Gullah Elders:

Groups of 10 or more have the opportunity to request now  a screening of the Gullah culture film. 

Learn and inspire today as your group will benefit from this historic film, press the request now button to set up a time and date.

Meet the Board

Founder & Executive Director

Louise Miller Cohen

Presentation

Hours of Operation

The Museum is accessible by appointment only.

This allows for the best experience.

12 Georgianna Dr. Hilton, Head, SC 29926

[email protected]

843-681-3254

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Lowcountry Gullah Heritage Tour

The Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor , a 12,000-square-mile, federal National Heritage Area, honors the remarkable story of the Gullah people, including those who lived in the Lowcountry and Sea Islands of South Carolina. Take a couple of days to explore their special place in South Carolina history through these culturally significant points of interest, museums, and tours.

Hilton Head Island

• Gullah Museum of Hilton Head Island: The Gullah Museum preserves the Gullah culture that existed on Hilton Head Island before the bridge to the mainland was built. Tour The Little House, built in 1930 by former slave William Simmons, which has been preserved by Simmons' great-granddaughter, Louise Miller Cohen, and gives visitors the experience of life on the island of the Gullah people during the 20th century.
• Gullah Heritage Trail Tours: These two-hour tours are led by native islanders and descendants of the first Gullah settlers. See the Gullah Family Campgrounds, one-room schoolhouse, tabby ruins and more.
• Mitchelville Freedom Park : The first post-Civil War settlement for freed slaves, Mitchelville established the beginning of freedom for the members of this community as they built homes, elected their own officials, developed laws and implemented mandatory education for their children.
• Lunch: Bullies BBQ, a Hilton Head hotspot for slow-cooked smoked ribs and pulled pork plates, makes a great stop for a late lunch on your island tour.

• Stay: The Rhett House Inn in nearby Beaufort , home of the annual Gullah Festival , is a classic Southern inn in the heart the historic district. Check out the nearby Rhett Gallery , owned by the family who built the inn, to see artwork reflecting local Gullah history. 
• Dinner: With an outdoor patio overlooking the Beaufort River and fresh seafood options, Plums is a local favorite and within walking distance of the Rhett House.

St. Helena Island

• Penn Center: Take a short drive on the Sea Island Parkway to St. Helena Island and the home of the campus of the former Penn School . Founded in 1862 as a place for the education of emancipated Sea Island slaves, the school operated through the end of World War II and was a sanctuary for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, marking it as a sacred place on the Gullah Corridor. Also see the Center's museum exhibits, three galleries and a shop featuring traditional and contemporary Gullah arts and crafts.
• Gullah Grub: Once you've finished the tour of the museum, stay on St. Helena Island for lunch at The Gullah Grub Restaurant . Owner and Head Chef Bill Green, known as the "Gullah Huntsman," has been featured on "Martha Stewart Living" and "Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations," and is nationally recognized as a source of authentic Gullah cuisine. He has been known to take a seat in the dining room and share stories from his incredible past with diners.

• The Gullah Geechee Gallery: One of the core exhibitions at The International African American Museum , the Gullah Geechee Gallery explores what it means to be Gullah Geechee and the contemporary issues facing their communities today. Featuring a full-size bateau (boat), a recreated praise house and multiple media experiences, the Gullah Geechee Gallery provides profound insights to their vibrant cultural identity.
• Charleston City Market: Jump back on the Sea Island Parkway and head north to Highway 17 and the city of Charleston, where you can stroll the Charleston City Market and see Gullah artisans weaving sweetgrass baskets and conversing in the beautiful blend of French, Creole and African languages.
• Gullah Tour of Charleton: The Charleston Visitors Center is the starting point of Gullah Tours , which features many stops including the Underground Railroad, Brown Fellowship Society and Catfish Row. Note: Reservations required. 
• Boone Hall Plantation: If you're looking for an authentic experience, don't miss Boone Hall Plantation, which offers a Gullah theater presentation, tours of 18th century slave dwellings and more on the grounds of the plantation that was founded in 1681.
• Hannibal's Kitchen: Before you head home, experience a meal from Hannibal's Kitchen , a no-frills operation serving up some of the best Gullah cooking around. Don't miss their signature dish, Crab and Shrimp Rice. You can also get your fill of soul food favorites like lima beans, okra soup, fried chicken, pork chops, and collard greens.

Articles | Itineraries

Origin Story: Tracing African Ancestry in South Carolina’s Gullah Community

Best Ways to Experience the Lowcountry’s Gullah Geechee Culture

Gullah Barbecue: Life, According to Taste

Gullah Culture: Then & Now

Gullah Tours Purpose

Saving gullah homes and cemeteries on daufuskie island.

Daufuskie Island Gullah Heritage Society is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that is working to help restore the old Gullah homes and look after Gullah cemeteries on Daufuskie Island.  

A percentage of the Gullah tour ticket is donated towards this purpose. 

Much love to all and many thanks for your support.

Sallie Ann Robinson

Ceo - daufuskie island gullah heritage society.

Celebrity Chef, Author & Preservationist 

Sallie Ann Robinson is a sixth generation native, enjoying life on Daufuskie Island where she grew up learning the tough love way of life. The Gullah people were and still are proud people that lives life off the land from their gardens, the woods and the ocean which were skills they learned at a young age and did things they would never forget. There way of life was simple yet sometimes hard meeting their day-to-day needs, not their wants. They were taught manners and respect for all, something Sallie is proud to still use to this day. Her childhood gave her treasures of a lifetime, thanks to her ancestors and folks that are gone, but not forgotten. Her experience about Daufuskie is a lifetime of knowledge as a native. She has given tours on Daufuskie for many years sharing the history of her family and what life was like then and now.

Sallie is the author of Cooking the Gullah Way and Gullah Home Cooking the Daufuskie Way

Beautiful Historical Sites

When you visit Daufuskie Island you will see the beauty and feel how peaceful it is. You will get to visit sites like the Daufuskie Museum and Library, the Oyster Hall, the 141-year-old First Union African Baptist Church, the Mary Field School built by the natives in 1934 and where Pat Conroy taught Sallie Ann Robinson during his 1969/70's school year experience and the Mary Field Cemetery that is the largest Gullah graveyard dating back to the early 1800*s.

Daufuskie Island still has many of its original winding dirt roads that intertwine all over the Island with beautiful large live oak trees draped in moss. You will also get to see and learn much more about other Daufuskie Island history while on the tour.

Many of the Gullah homes are deteriorating because families were not able to keep up their property while living elsewhere due to work and some with health issues. There is no boat service after 4pm which makes it quite challenging to have a job outside the island. 

Booking the ferry and the tour

Contact us when you want to a tour.  Once that's confirmed, reserve your ferry tickets for the chosen dates of the tour.  Buy your ferry tickets online .

Then purchase your tour ticket online.  You will receive a confirmation email for your records.  Please print this and bring it with you as your proof of purchase to take the tour.

The ferry will bring you to the Melrose Dock  15 minutes prior to the start of your 3-hour tour.  

To catch the ferry, go to CC Haigh Jr Boat Landing (also known as the Pinckney Island Boat Landing) on Hilton Head Island, SC 29926.

You will need to arrive at least 30 minutes before your ferry departure. It will depart at 10:00 am for your 11:00  tour or 1:00 pm for your 2:00 tour.

Don't miss the ferry !!!

Gullah tour hours and days of operation

Tuesday through Saturday

11am-2pm and 2pm-5pm 

Closed Sunday and Monday

*****Ferry Cost Is Not A Part of This Tour*****

This tour meets at the Melrose Dock on Daufuskie Island 15 minutes before your tour time.  You will meet at 10:45 am for the 11:00 tour or you will meet at 1:45 pm for the 2:00 pm tour.

Please make sure you have with you the printed email that you received after the purchase of your ticket(s). 

After the 3 hour tour, you will be returned to Melrose Dock where you will take the ferry back to Bluffton, SC where you started.

Please note that food is not allowed on the tour bus but you may have water.

No smoking or vaping is allowed on the bus.

This is the board of the Daufuskie Island Gullah Heritage Society.

Connie Brackett

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Jim Brackett

Jermaine A Robinson

Board member.

Carrie Hirsch

Advisory board member.

Dr Kelli Spencer

Prof Tiffany Player

Prof Chad Thomas

Prof Elizabeth West

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Prof Stephanie Yvette-Evans

Donate to Support Our Work

Daufuskie Island Gullah Heritage Society is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that is working to help restore the old Gullah homes, clean up and maintain Gullah cemeteries on Daufuskie Island. 

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‘I Gullah Geechee, too’: the educators keeping a language of enslaved Africans alive

Sunn m’Cheaux and Akua Page teach Gullah language and culture from juvenile incarceration facilities to Harvard

I n 2019, Akua Page was invited to a juvenile incarceration facility in Richland county, South Carolina , to give a presentation about the Gullah Geechee language, an English-based creole created by enslaved Africans. When the teens walked into the room, Page recalled, they seemed hardened, angry and annoyed. Undeterred, she began her lesson.

“I told them: ‘Hey, I understand y’all are Gullah Geechee ,’” the 30-year-old educator said. “I validated them first, and said: ‘Y’all are bilingual. You’re not dumb, you don’t have a learning disability – you’re just bilingual, and here’s what you can do to navigate the system you’re in.’”

The kids, direct descendants of Africans who were enslaved on the Sea Island cotton plantations in the US, had a total change of demeanor. Instead of eye-rolling or irritation, Page said she saw smiles and giggles, and they began eagerly participating in the conversation.

Getting people – even Gullah Geechee folks themselves – to appreciate and understand the importance of perpetuating Gullah Geechee culture is not always this easy for educators like Page. Preserving the Gullah Geechee language, in particular, has had its own set of challenges, especially since decades of stigma have rendered the centuries-old dialect “endangered”, as categorized by linguists.

A type of American creole, the language was formed by enslaved Africans who lived on islands along the country’s south-east coast. Because they were isolated from the rest of the region, they were able to create a unique dialect and culture. According to the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission , Gullah began as a “form of communication among people who spoke many different languages, including European slave traders, slave owners and diverse, African ethnic groups”.

Since emancipation, though, there has been an effort to forcibly assimilate Gullah Geechee people into the American mainstream, in part through the attempted eradication of the Gullah Geechee language. Many people, including teachers, considered the language to be “broken English” or “improper English”. Gullah Geechee children were encouraged to speak standard English in school, and were penalized for talking in their native tongue.

“For a long time, it was considered negative to be Gullah, though we didn’t grow up feeling negative about ourselves,” Delo Washington of St Helena Island, South Carolina, a retired professor, said in a 2005 report on Gullah Geechee culture. “But we were considered strange people with a strange language. You couldn’t get a job speaking that way.”

Gullah is still spoken today by some people in North Carolina , South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, the states that make up the Gullah Geechee region, but it’s much rarer than it once was. Page and a growing contingent of Gullah Geechee people are working to revive the language. Through their promotion of the dialect, they are shepherding it into the future, ensuring that the first documented language created by people who would go on to become Black Americans is maintained.

‘Wait a minute, we still say that’

Though “Gullah”, “Geechee” and “Gullah Geechee” are often used interchangeably to refer to a single language, Page said that there are differences among the three, both in etymology and meaning. Gullah is the “mother tongue”, she said, because it developed while Gullah Geechee ancestors lived on the Sea Islands, largely shielded from outside influences. It was created because enslaved Africans from different cultures and backgrounds had to learn how to communicate with each other. The isolation allowed the language to flourish, and it is distinct for its African influences.

Geechee evolved from Gullah, Page said, once mainlanders and Gullah Geechee people started to interact more. They began learning English, and via syncretism, or the amalgamation of two distinct languages, created a new linguistic path. Gullah Geechee, then, was born of two hybrid languages that were created by linguistic influences from a variety of African cultures and countries.

The Gullah Geechee language has influenced the development of African American Vernacular English (AAVE), larger Black culture and, more broadly, American culture, Page said – but with little recognition or acknowledgement.

Highlighting that connective tissue is what the educator Sunn m’Cheaux said helps his students see the similarities between their current-day speech and the Gullah Geechee language. M’Cheaux, a Gullah Geechee expert from Mt Holly, South Carolina, has taught Gullah Geechee in the African language program at Harvard University since 2016. He said that for his students, some of whom are Gullah Geechee or have Gullah Geechee ancestry, learning the language helps them develop pride and a new sense of self.

As children, some of the students who grew up in the Gullah Geechee region or had family from that area wondered why they “talked a little bit funny” or why their parents or grandparents sounded different. M’Cheaux’s class helps them feel closer to their family. “In presenting Gullah, it’s allowing a lot of people to say: ‘Wait a minute, we still say that,’” m’Cheaux said. “Once you break it down for them, they’re like: ‘I am still maintaining certain parts of my language.’”

Even though there are courses across American colleges that teach about the Gullah Geechee language, m’Cheaux’s classes are different because they teach students how to actually speak the language. “[Students] aren’t really sure what to expect,” m’Cheaux said. “They may be somewhat familiar with AAVE, but when you break it down, some of these elements have existed for generations, hundreds of years.”

M’Cheaux, who spoke Gullah exclusively until he learned English in middle school, said the notion of teaching Gullah to outsiders would have been laughable when he was younger. According to Page, some Gullah Geechee elders were physically beaten for speaking the language by educators who traveled south to teach them standard English, as recently as her grandparents’ generation.

Students were put into speech or remedial classes – contributing to a stigma that has lasted for decades. Growing up in Charleston, South Carolina, which has a high concentration of people of Gullah Geechee descent, Page said she remembers a time when saying someone “sounded Geechee” would be considered a provocation, or “fighting words”. As a result, some Gullah people only used the language privately, opting to code-switch in public, or stopped speaking it entirely, preventing their children from learning it as a means of protection.

The suppression led to a knowledge gap, and though the language is still spoken in places, educators like m’Cheaux and Page are a crucial part of ensuring that younger generations learn about the culture. “The influence of Gullah being taught at Harvard … helps increase the visibility,” m’Cheaux said. “With the old guard in the community, many of them were satisfied to keep the language insulated, with the logic being: it’s for us, by us, nobody else needs to have access to it. But in time, people die. People get old. Generations don’t speak to one another as much as they used to, so kids aren’t exactly learning the language.”

A Gullah Geechee renaissance

Last autumn, Ebony Toussaint invited Ron and Natalie Daise of the groundbreaking 90s-era children’s television show Gullah Gullah Island to the University of South Carolina to give a talk. Toussaint, a 34-year-old southern studies postdoctoral researcher and author of the children’s book G Is for Gullah, teaches Gullah Geechee history and culture at the university.

During her speech, Natalie Daise spoke about the concept of cultural preservation. “She talked about keeping something stagnant, versus how … our culture is still growing and expanding and dynamic,” Toussaint recalled. “Social media has connected many of us in so many beautiful and brilliant ways. I always tell people, I think we’re in the midst of a Gullah Geechee renaissance.”

Gullah Geechee culture has garnered some level of mainstream popularity in recent decades. Cities across the corridor offer tours of Gullah Geechee sites, shops and restaurants (Page runs one such tour in Charleston). Popular food shows such as Netflix’s High on the Hog and Max’s Chasing Flavor with Carla Hall explore the Gullah Geechee influence on southern and Black culinary traditions. In 2019, Ranky Tanky, a Gullah Geechee band, became the first Gullah Geechee musical group to win a Grammy award. And museums such as the International African American Museum in Charleston offer exhaustive views into Gullah Geechee history and contemporary life.

In addition to his courses at Harvard, m’Cheaux has a robust social media presence – some 180,000 followers on Instagram and nearly 16,000 on X – and teaches online Gullah workshops to his followers. He creates lesson plans for some videos, in which he discusses the social linguistics, history and evolution of language. His online audiences, he said, are often as enthusiastic as his Harvard students.

Similarly, Page created a YouTube video in 2019, Geechee 101 , in which she and a friend share the meanings and usages of Gullah Geechee words. The video has garnered almost 200,000 views and serves as an introduction to the language for many people. It also led some Gullah Geechee people to begin openly and proudly speaking the language.

“After that video, it felt different,” Page said. “People I did not know were Gullah Geechee would come up to me and start greeting me with the Gullah Geechee language saying: ‘Oh, yeah, I Gullah Geechee, too.’ I feel like it was a weight lifted off so many people’s shoulders. They were like: ‘I’m reclaiming this, this is nothing to be ashamed of.’”

Despite pushback from some people who think that Gullah Geechee language and culture should remain behind closed doors for Gullah Geechee people only, Page, Toussaint and m’Cheaux all pointed to broad community support.

“We moved away, but all of us are back home now doing this cultural-preservation work,” Toussaint said, referencing other Gullah Geechee educators, such as Sara Daise, one of Ron and Natalie Daise’s children, and Jessica Berry, who also work to promote the language and culture. “It’s still a community effort. I couldn’t do this work alone.”

The ongoing resurgence aims to remedy what centuries of Gullah Geechee cultural repression have wrought. Preserving the language, for these educators, is paramount. “Some people are under the impression that they’ve lost more than they actually have,” m’Cheaux said. “There’s a lot more that’s still there.”

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Gullah Museum of Hilton Head Island adding new renovations and attractions

Keeping the Gullah culture alive in the South Carolina Lowcountry.

In this week's "Lowcountry Living," we're showing you how a Hilton Head woman is doing just that by expanding the Gullah Museum.

The little blue house at 12 Georgianna Drive has been on Hilton Head Since 1930 and is now the only restored Gullah home on the island.

It was restored in 2010 and turned into the Gullah Museum, attracting visitors from all over the U.S. and Canada.

“What I’m trying to do, I’m trying to keep it alive here on Hilton Head. That’s my calling," Louise Cohen, founder and director of the Gullah Museum of Hilton Head Island, said.

After having to shut down for two years during the pandemic, Cohen is now working to expand the museum with renovations and new attractions, one of which is a wooden, handmade, flat-bottom boat.

“That is how my ancestors escaped from slavery from Rose Hill Plantation. My great-great-grandparents escaped in a little old bateau. So that’s the story that that’s telling," Cohen said.

The museum has a replica of the bateau, handmade by a Bluffton man.

“I’m so proud of them, with the skills that they have, because they brought it with them from Africa. When they came to America, they brought Africa to America. So they brought all that knowledge. All that came over on the ship with them," Cohen said.

She hopes every visitor who comes to see the little blue house leaves with a new appreciation for the Gullah culture.

“What I want people to take away from here is the knowledge of the people, what the people stand for, what life on Hilton Head Island means to these people," Cohen said.

If you would like to visit the Gullah Museum or make a donation, click here .

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The 2-hour tours are conducted on our 25-passenger air-conditioned bus and reservations are required.

Do not use the reservation form if the tour you want to take is within the next 24 hours. Instead, please call 843-763-7551

The tour leaves from the Bus Shed at the Charleston Visitor’s Center at 375 Meeting Street (See Map) 

Tours can be arranged to suit the needs of your group and “step-on” tours are also available. Please feel free to call anytime if you have questions.

Gullah storytelling is available upon request. The true stories focus on Gullah Language, culture, and music. They are entertaining in nature, with bits of humor, yet remain sincere and accurate in their history and portrayal of the Gullah people.

Monday – Friday 11:00 A.M. and 1:00 P.M. Saturdays 11:00 A.M., 1:00 P.M.

Gullah Tours appreciates any feedback you may have concerning our website and our tour.

• Please do not use this form within 24 hours of the tour you wish to take. Instead, please call 843-763-7551
• Please take into account the following when making a reservation: 1)   The tours are about 2 hours long, and bringing babies and toddlers on the tour may be too taxing for them. Thus, in consideration of the other passengers on the tour, and in respect of the tour guide, passengers with babies/toddlers who inconsolable may want to consider first finding appropriate childcare during your tour or consider voluntarily leaving the tour once it becomes apparent the child can not be settled. 2. Please be sure you arrive 15 to 30 minutes before your tour is set to begin. Please consider traffic and parking restrictions in downtown charleston as you make plans to attend the tour.

For immediate tour availability/confirmation, please call 843-763-7551. You may fill out the form below to reserve and pay in advance for the Gullah Tour.  

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• Pricing All Seats - $25 Step-On Tours (Charter Bus) - $625 Private group booking all 25 seats on bus - $625
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North Miami’s contemporary art museum just got a $3 million check from the government

The Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami is looking to update it’s nearly 30-year-old building. A $3 million grant from Congress will make it happen.

Congresswoman Frederica Wilson, who represents parts of Northern Miami-Dade and Southeast Broward, presented MOCA board members with the sizeable check Wednesday morning during a small ceremony at the museum. The $3 million Housing and Urban Development grant is part of the $35 million package Wilson secured for several South Florida organizations and cities last fiscal year.

READ MORE: Opa-locka chosen as potential site for Florida's first Black history museum

“Through this new HUD grant, we have the opportunity to continue our journey by enhancing MOCA facilities to help meet the needs of our expanding audiences and prepare for the continued growth of our institution and its many offerings,” said Chana Budgazad Sheldon, the museum executive director, during the event.

The $3 million check mirrors a similar gift from 1995 that helped the museum grow from a modest single gallery to a 23,000-square-foot facility. A $2.5 million HUD grant secured by the late Congressman William Lehman funded MOCA’s construction in 1996.

Though $3 million certainly isn’t enough to build a new museum these days, MOCA Board Chair Dr. Rudy Moise said the money is greatly appreciated and needed to renovate the building. The museum plans to use the money to update its bathrooms and lighting as well has enhance the space it currently has to better serve the community, he said.

Moise, who was recently appointed as the museum’s first Haitian-American board chair, thanked Wilson for her support.

“This is huge. As you can see, it’s not easy to get money from Congress, but she’s a fighter,” Moise said. “She went on and fought for us, and here we go! We got $3 million.”

Wilson’s signature cowboy hat served her well as she stepped on the sunny stage to present the check. She recalled the story behind why she prioritized securing funding for the museum.

MOCA Chair Emeritus William Lehman, the son of Congressman Lehman, asked Wilson to help the museum in its efforts to expand and she asked how much the museum would need. When he responded with $3 million, she pursed her lips. “Hmmmmmmm,” she said.

When it came time to appropriate congressional funds to local groups, Wilson said, she put MOCA at the top of her list.

“Make sure that you continue the outreach, the wonderful art exhibits and sharing it with the community. The community has changed,” she said. “The community has changed greatly, but the mission of MOCA should never change.”

When asked why it’s so important to financially support the arts, Wilson expressed gratitude for the museum’s efforts to serve and represent the diverse North Miami community. “The arts is the one thing that pulls the community together,” she said. “We can have many differences on many issues and platforms, but all of us are united in music, dance, art and crafts. It’s a uniting force for Miami-Dade County.”

This story was produced with financial support from individuals and Berkowitz Contemporary Arts in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners, as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.

Maritime Museum's flagship "Friends Good Will" to give tours at Tulip Time Festival

by Donny Ede | News Channel 3

HOLLAND, Mich. — History will be sailing into a popular festival next month.

The Michigan Maritime Museum's flagship "Friends Good Will" is returning to Holland for the 2024 Tulip Time Festival.

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"Friends Good Will" is a replica of a topsail sloop built in 1811 for a Detroit merchant, which was captured by both British and American forces during the War of 1812, according to the museum.

Attendees of the Tulip Time Festival can tour the ship's above and below deck, while learning how to sail and maintain the historic vessel.

Tours will be available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. between May 4 and 11, and are $8 per person.

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"Friends Good Will" will be docked behind Boatwerks Restaurant, and museum personnel recommend getting to the ship early.

Tickets can be purchased ahead of time online , or at the gate, availability permitting.

Moscow Metro Tour

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Description

Moscow metro private tours.

• 2-hour tour $87:  10 Must-See Moscow Metro stations with hotel pick-up and drop-off
• 3-hour tour $137:  20 Must-See Moscow Metro stations with Russian lunch in beautifully-decorated Metro Diner + hotel pick-up and drop off. 
• Metro pass is included in the price of both tours.

Highlight of Metro Tour

• Visit 10 must-see stations of Moscow metro on 2-hr tour and 20 Metro stations on 3-hr tour, including grand Komsomolskaya station with its distinctive Baroque décor, aristocratic Mayakovskaya station with Soviet mosaics, legendary Revolution Square station with 72 bronze sculptures and more!
• Explore Museum of Moscow Metro and learn a ton of technical and historical facts;
• Listen to the secrets about the Metro-2, a secret line supposedly used by the government and KGB;
• Experience a selection of most striking features of Moscow Metro hidden from most tourists and even locals;
• Discover the underground treasure of Russian Soviet past – from mosaics to bronzes, paintings, marble arches, stained glass and even paleontological elements;
• Learn fun stories and myths about Coffee Ring, Zodiac signs of Moscow Metro and more;
• Admire Soviet-era architecture of pre- and post- World War II perious;
• Enjoy panoramic views of Sparrow Hills from Luzhniki Metro Bridge – MetroMost, the only station of Moscow Metro located over water and the highest station above ground level;
• If lucky, catch a unique «Aquarelle Train» – a wheeled picture gallery, brightly painted with images of peony, chrysanthemums, daisies, sunflowers and each car unit is unique;
• Become an expert at navigating the legendary Moscow Metro system;
• Have fun time with a very friendly local;
• + Atmospheric Metro lunch in Moscow’s the only Metro Diner (included in a 3-hr tour)

Hotel Pick-up

Metro stations:.

Komsomolskaya

Novoslobodskaya

Prospekt Mira

Belorusskaya

Mayakovskaya

Novokuznetskaya

Revolution Square

Sparrow Hills

+ for 3-hour tour

Victory Park

Slavic Boulevard

Vystavochnaya

Dostoevskaya

Elektrozavodskaya

Partizanskaya

Museum of Moscow Metro

• Drop-off  at your hotel, Novodevichy Convent, Sparrow Hills or any place you wish
• + Russian lunch  in Metro Diner with artistic metro-style interior for 3-hour tour

Fun facts from our Moscow Metro Tours:

From the very first days of its existence, the Moscow Metro was the object of civil defense, used as a bomb shelter, and designed as a defense for a possible attack on the Soviet Union.

At a depth of 50 to 120 meters lies the second, the coded system of Metro-2 of Moscow subway, which is equipped with everything you need, from food storage to the nuclear button.

According to some sources, the total length of Metro-2 reaches over 150 kilometers.

The Museum was opened on Sportivnaya metro station on November 6, 1967. It features the most interesting models of trains and stations.

Coffee Ring

The first scheme of Moscow Metro looked like a bunch of separate lines. Listen to a myth about Joseph Stalin and the main brown line of Moscow Metro.

Zodiac Metro

According to some astrologers, each of the 12 stops of the Moscow Ring Line corresponds to a particular sign of the zodiac and divides the city into astrological sector.

Astrologers believe that being in a particular zadiac sector of Moscow for a long time, you attract certain energy and events into your life.

Paleontological finds 

Red marble walls of some of the Metro stations hide in themselves petrified inhabitants of ancient seas. Try and find some!

• Every day each car in  Moscow metro passes  more than 600 km, which is the distance from Moscow to St. Petersburg.
• Moscow subway system is the  5th in the intensity  of use (after the subways of Beijing, Tokyo, Seoul and Shanghai).
• The interval in the movement of trains in rush hour is  90 seconds .

What you get:

• + A friend in Moscow.
• + Private & customized Moscow tour.
• + An exciting pastime, not just boring history lessons.
• + An authentic experience of local life.
• + Flexibility during the walking tour: changes can be made at any time to suit individual preferences.
• + Amazing deals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the very best cafes & restaurants. Discounts on weekdays (Mon-Fri).
• + A photo session amongst spectacular Moscow scenery that can be treasured for a lifetime.
• + Good value for souvenirs, taxis, and hotels.
• + Expert advice on what to do, where to go, and how to make the most of your time in Moscow.

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The Coastal Discovery Museum was established in 1985 with a mission to teach the public about the natural history and cultural heritage of the Lowcountry. The Museum makes learning about Hilton Head Island and the surrounding region a fun filled experience for the whole family.

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