BEYOND THE POSTCARD
with your own private tour
Tour privately with the Celebrity Historian:
1. 300 TV appearances on ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC stations nationwide
2. Professor at Harris Stowe State University, HBCU in St. Louis
3. Author of 3 Amazon best-selling books on American history
4. Producer and Host of Clio The Muse TV show on AppleTV
5. Former Park Ranger at the Gettysburg battlefield, NPS Richmond Civil War sites, and MLK home
6. Former Educator at the birthplace of the atomic bomb for the Los Alamos Historical Society
7. President of the St. George Tucker Society, scholarly organization on the study of the U.S. South
8. Judge for National History Day in state competitions (MO and NM) and nationals in D.C.
9. Public Speaker at universities, humanities councils and historical societies (i.e. U.S. Capitol Historical Society), and regular presenter at academic conferences
10. Multiple master’s degrees in history and historic preservation
Private Tour Menu
Defining the American Dream: Star-Spangled Banner to Gettysburg Address
Engage with the defining moments of the American Dream by people like Francis Scott Key, John Brown, and Abraham Lincoln at the iconic battlefields, towns, and rivers that created and contested freedom, slavery, and religion.
Witches and Pirates: Maritime New England from Salem Witch Trials to the Boston Tea Party
Sink or float with pirates, witches, and tea swimming in shipping, black magic, and rebellion.
Founding Presidents: Washington, Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe
Welcome to Presidential homes to get to know the earliest leaders of the most idealistic nation in the world.
Cajun and Creole: French Colonial in the Northern Caribbean
Taste the colorful multicultural past of Louisiana positioned at the edge of the "white gold" sugar empire.
In The Footsteps of Freedom Fighters: Landmarks of the Civil Rights Movement
Walk the grounds consecrated by legends like Martin Luther King Jr. who overcame Jim Crow in the Deep South.
Atomic History: Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project
Reflect immersed in the place that changed the world at the birthplace of the atomic bomb.
Manifest Destiny: Westward Expansion with Lewis & Clark
Explore the natural and historic wonders of the Missouri River through the eyes of Sacagawea and Jefferson's Corps of Discovery.
Origins of We The People: Creating and Selling the Constitution
Debate the many perspectives of the Founding Fathers about the validity, shortcomings, and necessity of the Constitution by learning its origins, opposition, and campaign for approval.
Before the Pilgrims: Spanish Colonial Empire
Surprise yourself in the most powerful and sophisticated European colonial empire generations prior to the Mayflower.
Becoming American: English Colonial from Pocahontas to Patrick Henry
Transform from England to the United States in the Chesapeake region with Disney lore and "Liberty or Death!"
Ancient Civilizations: America before Columbus
Discover the advanced America reminiscent of the ruins of Rome that neither you nor Columbus knew existed.
International Trade: El Camino Real and the Santa Fe Trail
Travel from Missouri to Mexico on the ancient American Indian routes that later became engines of growth for the Spanish, Mexicans, and Americans.
The Rise and Fall of the Confederacy
March through the capital of the Confederacy of Richmond that carried the dreams of a nation at the war machine's industrial hub, heart of political power, and influential cultural center that is surrounded by battlefields still in pristine condition today.
St. Louis: Centuries of Cultural Crossroads
Meet the generations of people coming together in the most American city on earth, located at the confluence of the rivers: from Cahokia's ancient empire to modern immigrant destination, always a continental transportation hub foundational to major industry headquarters, and architectural beauty reflecting culturally rich heritage.
Missouri: Epicenter of the American Dream
Find every aspect of the American Dream here: the nation of landowners imagined by the Louisiana Purchase, the fight for freedom by Dred Scott, the development of an American music genre by Scott Joplin, and the underdog victory by President Harry Truman.
Frontier Adventures in the Badlands: Rough Riding with Teddy Roosevelt at Mount Rushmore, Withstand at Custer's Last Stand, and Playing Poker with Wild Bill Hickok
Survive the Wild West gunfights and gambling of the mining towns, rugged ranches, and vast landscapes of the old Dakota Territory.
Your Tour, Your Design
You choose the tour!
You choose the dates!
You choose who comes!
Any size party: solo travel, special anniversary, milestone birthday, family or friendcation, weekend getaway, extended excursion, field trip, leadership lessons, team development, reward travel - any occasion.
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We customize itinerary around your interests.
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We provide special access unavailable to the public.
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We design around your preferences of places to stay.
"Thank you for helping me to stretch my brain!"
"I love that you are bringing history into people's thinking as a living thing that relates to who and what they are doing now."
"You presented a treasure trove of information and helped us see its significance from multiple perspectives."
“You rock in presenting hard and confusing concepts with simplicity.”
"You always bring the energy and that is why we LOVE having you. Today was such a fun topic."
"You tackled an explosive subject but got people talking instead of yelling. Not easy to do -- easier to inflame people."
"Raffi had brought experts in each area to make it a dream tour, in addition to his vast knowledge of history."
"You immersed yourself in the research and it shows."
"Raffi is a deeply knowledgeable, enthusiastic, extremely generous, and fun leader, and he's genuinely open to questions and other viewpoints."
"I'll sign up in a heartbeat for any future offerings from Raffi."
"Unbelievable presenters and you're guiding it toward the overarching themes throughout. It comes down to dedication and preparation."
"His leadership... was truly collaborative."
"You have energy, good voice, you hold your audience’s attention, great timing, humor, and command of your information."
"Caused me to reassess my own beliefs and ideals."
"What a wonderful trip it was and the main reason it was so great was you and your colleagues who joined us all along the way couldn't have been better."
"I came away with a whole different view."
"Your style is amazingly mind expanding and I’m so happy you have the question time because you are so good at reacting thoughtfully in the moment!"
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"Very valuable, opened my eyes."
"I learned so much from you and our guides on this tour. It changed my thinking in many ways... I understand so much more now."
"You are a rockstar demonstration of let your best shine... [You] don't strategize or think yourself into the 'too cool' 'too poised' box. Rather, share, be alive, give useful, fun, accurate info and content.”
“Both fun and educational."
"Phenomenal Raffi. Truly. You do have an unbelievable ability to synthesize historic events in a meaningful way so that even the TV and smartphone bite size attention span of today's audience will walk away more knowledgeable."
"Help me somebody, why did my history classes not teach me this good stuff?"
"It was amazingly thought provoking and added so much to my day and gave me some thoughts on a project my company is working on."
"It was so educational and unlike any tour I’ve been on before."
"Raffi I just can’t believe how you know all these different subject matters like you have been studying them all your life. You really are amazing."
"The subject matter was extremely well prepared and presented."
"Thought provoking, bias challenging, and make me consider other's thoughts and opinions versus my own."
"An eye-opening experience."
"Raffi, thanks a million for everything. What a grand week it was, and all thanks to you... And then there's the treasure trove of resources you sent us -- it's better than Christmas!"
"I don't have the words to express my gratitude, enthusiasm, and even delight for my experience."
"A dreamy journey for sure! I enjoyed every minute."