In 2009, between my junior and senior years of college, I took a trip with my dad to Washington, D.C. Having been born and raised in Illinois, I had never been to the nation’s capital before. As good Midwesterners, we had taken family trips to places like the Mall of America in Minnesota, Mackinac Island in Michigan, and even to parts of Canada to see Niagara Falls. However, our family vacations never extended to the East Coast (except for Disney World in Florida).
Thus, it was exciting when Dad and I flew to D.C. in May of 2009, just after college let out for the summer. As the youngest of my siblings and the only one still living at home, this was a nice, intimate trip for two (my mother opted out of this particular excursion). We visited all the iconic locations in and around the nation’s capital, including the Smithsonian museums, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, Ford’s Theatre, Arlington National Cemetery, the Capitol Building, the Library of Congress, and more. We had the typical D.C. tourist experience and enjoyed it all.
But, in addition to seeing the “normal” D.C. sites, my dad and I also went off the beaten path a bit. This was primarily because, since around my freshman year of high school, I had become increasingly interested in the subject of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. I had devoured many books on the subject as I quickly became fascinated with this event in our history. While reading the books was gratifying, I felt drawn to visit and see some of the places mentioned in the books firsthand.
Although it cost us a bit more to rent a car, my patient father indulged my obsession, and near the end of the trip, we headed south out of Washington. Dad drove while I tried my best to be the navigator, armed with printed MapQuest directions. We visited and toured the Surratt House Museum in Clinton and the Dr. Samuel A. Mudd House Museum in Waldorf. We then went to the cemeteries containing the graves of Edman Spangler and Dr. Mudd. Then we hit the long haul down to the site of the Garrett farm, where John Wilkes Booth died. The median strip where the Garrett house once stood was still open to the public in those days, so Dad and I parked on the side of the highway and trekked in. When we got to the small clearing that marked the area where the assassin died on the Garrett porch, Dad took this photograph of me.
While we had witnessed and toured many iconic sites during our visit to D.C., my favorite part of the whole trip was standing in that nondescript wooded median strip in Virginia. Millions flock to D.C. each year to experience the majesty of the memorials, but how many people would ever stand where Dad and I stood, knowing the history that occurred at this otherwise forgotten patch of land? Reading about a historical event is one thing, but nothing can replace the power of visiting a historical site firsthand, especially one that is off the beaten path.
Fast forward to 2015. I’m living and teaching in Maryland, while devoting my free time to my interest in this history. Just before the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, I became the newest guide for the John Wilkes Booth escape route bus tours organized by the Surratt Society. This was after a year of training and taking the tour with the two other bus tour guides at the time, the late John Howard and Bob Allen. Becoming a narrator for the bus tour was incredibly exciting for me. I had moved to Maryland to be closer to where it all happened and to experience even more off-the-beaten-path history. As an educator who adores public history, guiding folks along the route used by the assassin became my favorite activity. People loved taking my tours, and I loved giving them. I loved discussing the history with other interested folks and seeing them marvel, as I once did, at being transported to the actual sites they had previously only read about. It truly was the perfect role for me, and I always looked forward to my turn to narrate the next tour. From 2015 to 2019, I narrated 20 bus tours for the Surratt Society (along with several other small group tours). After completing my last tour in September 2019, I couldn’t wait for the next season in April 2020.
With historian and author Ed Steers, who took my tour in April 2019.
We all know what happened right before that next season of tours was slated to start. The COVID-19 pandemic shut everything down, and it was clear that it would be a long time before any bus tours would start up again. Progress was made with the COVID vaccine, and in time, life returned to normal for many. However, even as other tour companies resumed their efforts, the Surratt Society’s bus tours never returned after this shutdown. The reasons for this are as complex as the tour itself, and it has not been due to a lack of desire on the part of the Society. In the end, however, the organization has just been unable to restart the tours, despite its best efforts.
However, that drive in me to help people experience this monumental event in our history firsthand has not diminished. I know there is still a demand to explore this history beyond the pages of a book or website. That is why I am announcing the start of a new, personal venture. I am launching Lincoln Assassination Tours, a tour business designed around educating a new generation about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln by taking them down the escape route of John Wilkes Booth.
Lincoln Assassination Tours offers an approximately 10-and-a-half-hour chartered bus tour in which participants join the manhunt for Lincoln’s assassin. On a scenic, 170+ mile round-trip journey, guests will learn about the plot against Lincoln and his cabinet members by retracing the assassin’s escape route firsthand. The tour includes entry and visits to three museums (including the soon-to-be-opened museum of Rich Hill) and two private properties. All participants will also receive their choice from 40 catered box lunch options, included in the ticket price.
Whether you are like me in 2009, yearning to visit the sites associated with his history for the first time, or a seasoned veteran of escape route tours, I hope you will check out Lincoln Assassination Tours to learn more about us and our tour. At Lincoln Assassination Tours, we adhere to the same historical standards established by the Surratt Society over its decades of tours, while offering an updated and brand-new experience for everyone. Although this tour is not affiliated with the Surratt Society, I feel fortunate to have their blessing and support in this new venture. I wouldn’t be the historian I am today if they didn’t take a chance on me as their guide back in 2015.
Lincoln Assassination Tours is currently booking for our inaugural escape route tour on Saturday, March 14, 2026. This debut tour will be followed by two more tours, being offered on Saturday, April 18, 2026, and Sunday, April 19, 2026. To celebrate the launch of this new endeavor, we are offering a special $20 discount on our March tour date.
For those who won’t be able to make our first set of tours in the spring of 2026, fear not. We are planning future tours for the fall of 2026 (and possibly more before then). The best way to stay up to date on new tours is to sign up for our email list. Near the bottom of the Lincoln Assassination Tours homepage is a box labeled “Join Our Email List.” By entering your email address in that box and clicking submit, you will receive an email every time we post a new update to the site. You can also keep up to date with us on social media. Lincoln Assassination Tours is on Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky.
I’m very excited to start this new venture, helping folks experience the history behind Abraham Lincoln’s assassination firsthand. Our initial focus for the time being will be the John Wilkes Booth escape route tours, but I have several ideas and plans for other tours as well. Sometime in the near future, we hope to offer walking tours, cemetery tours, and even some unique, one-off chartered tours.
I invite you all to take a look at the Lincoln Assassination Tours homepage, About page, and Frequently Asked Questions. When the time is right, I hope you’ll Register for a tour with us. I can’t wait to see you following in the manhunt for Lincoln’s assassin.
– Dave Taylor
LincolnConspirators.com 
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