Department Stores: A Feminine Oasis

“All women love shopping”—a cliché if there ever was one. Shopping in the mid-20th century was a way for women of all social classes to find a modicum of freedom in a male-dominated world as they casually socialized in chance meetings and exercised the power of economics often unavailable in their regimented day-to-day lives.

In Washington, D.C., many of the largest department stores were situated between the White House and the Capitol. Step into the past with your guide from A Tour of Her Own as you stroll between Pennsylvania Avenue NW and Metro Center, stopping along the way to hear stories of the iconic buildings of yesteryear like those housing Hecht’s and Garfinkel’s department stores and the stores’ role in advancing consumerism and civil rights. Explore the way a simple trip to the store was, in fact, so much more.

Know Before You Go

• Tour participants meet at the United States Navy Memorial Plaza located at 701 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004.
• The tour will also end at the United States Navy Memorial Plaza.

Additional Date Options for this Tour

• December 9
• December 10

General Information

• Registration for this tour will end by 2 p.m. ET on Friday, December 1, 2023.
• Smithsonian is a mask-friendly environment. Masks are strongly recommended to be worn on buses at all times and may also be required at various indoor sites.
• For additional tour information:
• Study Tour Policies
• Refund/Cancellation Policy