Spies, Lies & Dead Drops
How Washington became the most paranoid city on Earth — and earned it. Walk from Ford's Theatre to the Soviet Embassy through the ugliest building in America, a hotel that smuggled a president, the most bugged address on Earth, an apartment complex where five men got caught with consecutive serial numbers on their bills, a spy's mailbox in Georgetown, and a tunnel that cost hundreds of millions and produced nothing.
What You'll Experience
Plan your walk
Know the route before you buy
- Starts at
- Introduction
- Ends at
- The Reveal
- Walking plan
- 2h 30m · ~3.9 miles
- Schedule
- Start, pause, and resume anytime
Included in the app
- Professional narration
- GPS-triggered stops
- Downloadable tour audio
- Ask the Historian Q&A
- Optional end-of-tour reveal
- All 9 story stops
A taste of what you'll hear
9 stops, each with its own story. Here's a preview.
"April fourteenth, eighteen sixty-five. The President of the United States signs a piece of paper creating a new federal agency — the Secret Service. Its job — catching counterfeit money. Half the currency in America is fake. Something has to be done."
"The White House. You know exactly what it looks like. What almost nobody knows is that it's the most surveilled residential address on Earth. Not because of the Secret Service outside. Because of the president inside."
"OK. You made it. Seven stops. An assassination, a blackmail empire, a smuggled president, a self-bugging White House, the worst burglary in history, a mailbox, and a tunnel to nowhere. Time to come clean."
Tour itinerary
Every stop on this walk
Explore the route before you go. Each stop has its own story preview, location details, and place in the larger tour.
- 11IntroductionApril fourteenth, eighteen sixty-five. The President of the United States signs a piece of paper creating a new federal agency — the Secret...38.8966, -77.0255 Read this stop
- 22Ford's TheatreFord's Theatre. Red brick. Arched windows. Looks like a perfectly nice place to see a show. On April fourteenth, eighteen sixty-five, they...38.8966, -77.0255 Read this stop
- 33The FBI BuildingLook at this building. Really look at it. The J. Edgar Hoover Building. Two point eight million square feet of Brutalist concrete.38.8939, -77.0247 Read this stop
- 44The Willard HotelThe Willard Hotel. Look at those columns. That Beaux-Arts facade. Two blocks from the White House. It's been here since eighteen eighteen.38.8963, -77.0325 Read this stop
- 55The White HouseThe White House. You know exactly what it looks like. What almost nobody knows is that it's the most surveilled residential address on Earth.38.8977, -77.0365 Read this stop
- 66Watergate ComplexThe Watergate Complex. Designed by Italian architect Luigi Moretti. No right angles anywhere in the building.38.8994, -77.0555 Read this stop
- 77The Georgetown Dead DropSee that mailbox? The blue one. Standard U.S. Postal Service collection box. Nothing special about it. No plaque. No marker.38.9117, -77.0718 Read this stop
- 88The Soviet EmbassyLook up the hill. That large white building with the narrow windows running top to bottom. That's the Embassy of the Russian Federation.38.9218, -77.0674 Read this stop
- 99The RevealOK. You made it. Seven stops. An assassination, a blackmail empire, a smuggled president, a self-bugging White House, the worst burglary in...38.9218, -77.0674 Read this stop
Stories first
Every stop is built around people, conflict, ambition, and consequences—not a plaque read aloud.
Most of it is true. The extra mischief is just a wink at the end, but the story is what carries the walk.
Have questions? Just ask.
Curious about something you heard? Want to know more about a place? Ask us anything — we have a lot to say. It's more fun when it's a conversation.
Ready?
Download the app, head to the starting point, and press play. The stories start themselves.
Get the AppBefore you go
Quick answers
How much is this tour?
$9.99 as a one-time purchase in the iOS app. The Washington DC city pack is $14.99 and includes every currently available tour in the city.
Can I use it with spotty cell service?
Download the tour audio on Wi-Fi before leaving. Cached narration plays without streaming; map tiles and other online features may still need a connection.
Do I have to start at a specific time?
No. Start when it suits you, pause for a detour or meal, and resume later. Check the opening hours of any venue you personally plan to enter.
Are admission tickets included?
The purchase covers the Bad Historian audio experience. Transportation, food, and admission to third-party attractions are not included.
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Spies, Lies & Dead Drops
$9.99 · one-time