KICKOFF SUMMER WITH A HISTORICAL WALKING TOUR
ARCH Inc., the Fort Wayne area’s historic preservation organization, will offer a variety of walking tours every Thursday evening June through October, with bonus tours on the second and fourth Saturday afternoons of each month. Four bicycle tours are also planned. Online ticket sales began June 1 on the ARCH website, archfw.org.
The series begins with the exciting debut of three new tours, with more new tours to come later in the series.
The tour schedule will visit downtown and six different neighborhoods through the summer and includes both historic and architecture tours and haunted tours. Four new bicycle tours are also planned. In addition to ARCH’s popular, free Three Rivers Festival event, Dearly Departed, July 15 at Lindenwood Cemetery, two additional Lindenwood walking tours (each with different content) are scheduled, for which admission will be charged.
The tours will use a smartphone app, LiveTours, so the tour guests can easily hear the tour guide via their smartphones and also to make social distancing easier. Tour guests should download the free app onto their phones before they arrive at the tour meeting place, and using ear pieces to hear is recommended, too. Masks are recommended for unvaccinated tour guests and optional for anyone who is more comfortable wearing one.
Tickets purchased online in advance cost $15 for adults and $10 for children 12 and younger. Tickets purchased the day of the tour can only be purchased at the tour meeting spot and will cost $20 for adults and $10 for children 12 and younger, cash and correct change only.
Here is June’s tour schedule:
June 10: Haunted West Central. This popular tour includes some of Fort Wayne’s best ghost stories along with some of its most delightful architecture. Meet on the Wayne Street side of Library Plaza. 7 p.m. Admission charged.
June 12: History of Downtown. New tour for 2021! Learn to see the city’s origins from the sidewalks of today’s downtown. Meet on the One Summit Square plaza at Calhoun and Wayne streets. 10 a.m. Admission charged.
Also June 12: Bicycle tour of West Central. New tour for 2021! Visit the built heritage of West Central on wheels for a combination of learning and light exercise. 10 a.m. Meet on the Wayne Street side of Library Plaza. 7 p.m. Admission charged.
June 17: Built Heritage of West Central. New tour for 2021! Dive deep into the styles and stories of Fort Wayne’s signature historic district. Meet on the Wayne Street side of Library Plaza. 7 p.m. Admission charged.
June 24: Haunted Wells Street. New tour for 2021! Much mystery, more than a touch of tragedy and plenty of thrilling stories are packed into the few blocks of this pleasant commercial street. Meet at the corner of Wells and Fourth Streets. 7 p.m. Admission charged.
June 26: Jazz Age. This tour debuted in 2020, so if you missed it then, now’s your chance! Skyscrapers, movie palaces and speakeasies lined these streets back when jazz was all the rage. Meet outside the Grand Wayne Center on Jefferson Boulevard. 7 p.m. Admission charged.
The July tour scheduled will be announced and posted on ARCH’s website later in June.
For more information, go to the Events/Tours page of ARCH’s website, archfw.org, or call the ARCH office, 260-426-5117.
ARCH Tours will be cancelled if storms with thunder and lightning or dangerous winds are happening. Otherwise, dress for the weather and bring an umbrella, if necessary.
For more information, contact ARCH at (260) 426-5117 or director@archfw.org. Or contact Executive Director Connie Haas Zuber at 260-750-2951
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