Jaunted

Tour Guides

Ye Old Final Exam: Philly Tour Guides Get Schooled

May 31, 2007 at 12:00 PM | 0 Comments

Philadelphia is working to lay down the law with, arguably, the most benevolent group out there -- tour guides.

"Bring it on," said Jill Lawrence, a Colonial re-enactor. She said she often corrects tourists' misinformation -- like whether Betsy Ross, the flag-maker who was a three-time widow, killed her husbands. Not true.

Tired of mixed-up dates and embellished biographies of historical figures, City Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown introduced a bill that would require all guides to take a test and pay additional licensing fees, The Times reports. Washington, D.C., New Orleans, and Charleston, S.C., implemented similar regulations years ago.

Forget about the city's public school budget cuts and its failing healthcare for underprivileged children, some retiree might be telling a group from Des Moines that Ben Franklin had 69 illegitimate children. Stop the madness!