The Black History Behind Independence Hall, Block by Block
A guided Saturday walk from the President's House to Congo Square and Mother Bethel, on Black Philadelphia in the founding years.
The Black Journey walks the same few blocks around Independence Hall that most visitors cover for the Liberty Bell, and tells them through the Black Philadelphians of the colonial and founding years. As of October 16, 2026, the listing sells one departure a week, Saturday at 2:00 PM, as a two-hour guided tour in English. The operator's own page says the walk runs 1.5 to 2 hours, depending on group size and pace.
The listing's description runs from an introduction at the Independence Visitor Center to the President's House, then Congo Square, then Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, with Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell and Congress Hall seen from the outside along the way. The guide also points out sites that no longer stand, among them the old Philadelphia prison and a Quaker meeting house.
Raina Yancey owns the company, which began running tours in 2019, according to a Philadelphia Sunday Sun profile from April 2026. The same profile names Mijuel K. Johnson as lead guide; he holds a degree in history and political science from La Salle University, and the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia gave him its 2026 Preservation Education Award. Reviews of this tour name other guides too, so the person holding the sign can change.
The booking covers an in-person guide, and that is the whole inclusions list. Gratuities are listed as extra. One mobile ticket covers the booking, and confirmation is instant.
The listing has four age bands: adult (12 to 64), senior (65 and up), child (5 to 11) and infant (4 and under, at no charge). Cancel at least 24 hours before the 2:00 PM start for a full refund; inside that window there is none. Online sales close two hours before departure.
The Black Journey: An African-American History Walking Tour of PhiladelphiaGuided walking tour of about two hours from the Independence Visitor Center, Saturdays at 2:00 PM. In-person guide included; gratuities extra.www.viator.comNine Enslaved People at the President's House
The first timed stop is the President's House, about 15 minutes on the listing. It is the house where the first two presidents lived, and the listing says the group hears about the nine enslaved people held there. The stop also covers Martha Washington's handmaid, who ran away to escape slavery.
From there the route passes the Liberty Bell, which the listing notes became a symbol for the abolition movement, and Congress Hall. The operator's page says the tour shows where the Fugitive Slave Act was passed in 1793.
Congo Square, Then Mother Bethel
The second timed stop, about 10 minutes, is Washington Square, which the listing calls Congo Square: a place where people of African descent held celebrations, and a potter's field where free and enslaved Africans are still buried. The operator's page describes the stop as a visit to the unmarked graves of free and enslaved victims of the yellow fever epidemic. The National Park Service says the Congo Square name comes from oral tradition, and that William Penn patented the square in 1706 as a potter's field; more than 1,300 yellow fever victims filled the remaining ground in 1793, and the city closed it to burials in 1794. The Tomb of the Unknown Revolutionary War Soldier, also named on the listing's route, stands in the same square.
The listing then names Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church as the next stop. It also marks Mother Bethel as a pass-by with no set time, and nothing in the listing says the group goes inside. The same description adds the story of a woman whose enslaver tried to abduct her back into slavery, and the trial of the people who rescued her. The church's Richard Allen Museum lists public hours on select Saturdays from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, the time this walk sets off, and every Sunday from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM, at USD 10 a person; it books guided tours by appointment on weekdays and on Saturdays when it is closed to the public.
A Moderate Walk Through Heavy History
The operator puts the distance at roughly 1.5 to 2 miles at a moderate pace with frequent stops, on a route it calls mostly flat and paved. The listing asks for at least a moderate level of physical fitness and does not recommend the walk for travelers with poor cardiovascular health.
The listing marks the tour wheelchair and stroller accessible, down to all areas and surfaces; the operator is more careful, saying most routes are wheelchair-friendly, Philadelphia sidewalks may be uneven in some areas, and travelers with accessibility needs should contact it ahead of time.
The operator also flags the content: enslavement and systemic racism come up, and it advises parental discretion for children. Its owner told the Sunday Sun the tours are appropriate for children from age five and up. One traveler from Britain wrote in 2025 that "a slightly more than basic understanding was needed to fully follow many of the historical references, jokes and cultural nuances."
Restrooms, Heat, Rain and the Tip
There are no scheduled restroom stops, per the operator. The Independence Visitor Center, where the walk begins, has restrooms; use them before 2:00 PM.
Summer afternoons run hot on these open blocks: travelers have written about the heat, and one in September 2026 credited the guide with keeping the group in the shade as much as possible. The operator holds tours in light rain or shine, except in severe weather, and a weather cancellation on this booking comes with another date or a full refund under the listing's terms.
Gratuities are extra. The operator says tips are not required, and Venmo or cash both work. It also asks guests to keep video to no more than 5 minutes in total.
📍 Meet outside the Market Street entrance in front of the Independence Visitor Center, 599 Market Street, and look for the guide holding a "Black Journey Tour" sign. The operator recommends arriving 10 to 15 minutes early. One traveler in 2025 missed the opening after waiting at the wrong meeting point; the Market Street side is the one to find.
The finish is looser than the start. The listing's end-point field points to the Commodore John Barry statue in Independence Square, but its own stop list closes at Mother Bethel on South 6th Street, and the Sunday Sun reporter who took the tour in April 2026 wrote that it ended at the church. The President's House site and the Liberty Bell Center both sit within about two blocks of the meeting entrance, for more time at either before or after the walk. Per the National Park Service, the President's House Site is a free outdoor exhibit open daily from 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM, and the Liberty Bell Center is open daily from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.