Be on the Streets Where It Happens! Broadway Up Close Walking Tours Return with HAMILTOUR

For the past seven years, Broadway Up Close walking tours have been treading the sidewalks of Times Square, unearthing Broadway's secrets and ghost stories. Having just welcomed its 10,000th tour-goer at the end of February 2017, the company now introduces a brand-new walking tour for all those obsessed with Hamilton: An American Musical or simply seeking to learn more about this cultural phenomenon and the man whose life inspired it.

Already a big success with tour-goers and student groups, THE UNOFFICIAL HAMITOUR invites guests onto Alexander Hamilton's 1700s sidewalks and explores his legacy and historical sites from the musical. Packed with never-before-heard stories and secrets from the creation of the record-breaking musical, the half-mile, 1 h 45 min "HamilTour" begins at Stone Street and leads tour-goers to Fraunces Tavern, Bowling Green Park, 26 Broadway, the NY Stock Exchange / Wall Street, Federal Hall and Trinity Church, culminating at the gravesite of Alexander and Eliza Hamilton. Each guide utilizes an iPad featuring rare photos that bring Hamilton's New York City to life. Tour-goers also watch exclusive video clips of original cast members sharing their experiences working on the show and have the opportunity to view rarely seen set designs and prop sketches bringing the artistry of the musical to life. All tour-goers receive a Broadway Up Close HamilTour souvenir and a high-definition photo as a memento.

Tickets for public tours on Tuesdays and Thursdays @ 1pm and Saturdays @ 11am (subject to change) cost $35 for adults and $30 for children age 12 or younger and can be purchased at www.BroadwayUpClose.com. The maximum group size is 12 people; reservations are required. Private tours are $75 per guest and can be arranged for any date and time. For group inquiries, email info@broadwayupclose.com.

Led by theater professionals who are also licensed tour guides - each one of them equipped with an iPad chock full of one-of-a-kind photos and videos on Broadway and theater history - Broadway Up Close Walking Tours Inc.'s. public, private and group tours offer theater lovers a unique look behind the scenes of the Broadway Theatre District and have won the TripAdvisor Certi?cate of Excellence every year since 2012. They are consistently rated in the top 15 highest-rated walking tours in NYC and have risen as high as the #1 position. In 2016, founder and CEO Tim Dolan moreover won a Luxury Travel Guide Global Award as Tour Guide of the Year for New York City.

The walking tours started seven years ago as a seed of an idea by actor Tim Dolan. While touring the country in a small bus and truck production of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Tim was fascinated by the ghost stories and legends told by local stagehands at di?erent Vaudeville and touring houses each night. Upon moving back to New York City, when the tour had ended, he started to explore the history and legends that have taken place in our current 41 Broadway theaters. Unearthing some truly fantastic stories from over 100 years ago, Tim felt compelled to start a walking tour of the Broadway Theater District, further detailing and sharing those ghost stories, anecdotes and wonderful stories with the theatre masses who journey to New York City to take in a show. Add to those stories the inner workings of the life of an actor, stage manager or other theatre professional, and you have a comprehensive tour that changes the way the general public experiences a Broadway show. Never again will they step foot in a theatre without thinking about those walls and velvet seats that have housed so many other theatrical memories before them, and that they are now linked personally to that individual theater's legacy.

In the past seven years the Broadway Up Close team has expanded from just Tim to a staff of 14 highly passionate tour guides. Their cumulative experience encompasses Broadway, Off-Broadway, national tours, regional theatre, and film and television both onstage as well as behind the scenes. In addition to their work in the theatre, each of the guides is licensed as a tour guide by the city of New York. For more information, visit www.BroadwayUpClose.com.

Originally from Detroit, Michigan, Broadway Up Close Walking Tours Inc. CEO Tim Dolan moved to the Big Apple 13 years ago to pursue a career in the arts. As an actor Tim was featured on Season Two of HBO's "Boardwalk Empire." Onstage Tim performed as Abraham in the long-running hit musical Altar Boyz. He has been a proud member of Actor's Equity for the past ?ve years. As an arts educator Tim is on faculty at Rosie's Theatre Kids, Rosie O'Donnell's arts organization, as well as Dream Makers Performing Arts. Having always wanted to pry open the Broadway history books and oral histories, Broadway Up Close Walking Tours Inc. has been a labor of love that has been sharing stories and smiles with theatre-goers for the last seven years on the busy sidewalks of the Broadway theatre district.