Your coverage can inspire your routes

There’s practical and editorial considerations for a good walking tour route. It also might not be where you first expect. Justin Rivers, chief experience officer at Untapped New York, developed his first tour at New York’s notorious Penn Station as a guerilla marketing tactic for a play.

“That is not something anybody on the planet would have ever thought to give a tour of,” Rivers said. “It’s one of the worst public spaces in the world.”

A decade later, Untapped New York still offers a “Secrets of Penn Station” tour, so how did that work out?

Rivers’ play was about the 1963 demolition of the “much more beautiful” Penn Station and he identified visible remnants of that highly ornate historic building. This very niche tour held people’s interest, and kicked off his partnership with Untapped New York.

The tour he gives today isn’t the same either. He has to change the route about every six months, as the space keeps evolving.

Here are four places, found all around the U.S., that might work for a journalism-driven tour

1. Main Street/Downtown

For local news organizations focused on a specific town or city, look to the commercial hub. Many are walkable and are home to businesses and government agencies you may cover. They are also prime for partnerships, maybe with a downtown business association or other sponsors.

Pew Research found the majority of U.S. adults value local news and local journalists. Use your proximity to your advantage, adding a physical presence downtown (without the overhead of an office!).

Newsberg Founding Editor Branden Andersen used this approach for his pilot, making a loop around the downtown area of Newberg, Oregon. The route passed public spaces, local businesses, and cultural organizations.

2. Where development is happening

Communities are constantly changing, and that’s newsy. Is there a public park or space you can access that overlooks new development?

In Oakland, California, for example, there’s new housing and commercial spaces going up near the Oakland Estuary, which could be incorporated into a route along the nearby San Francisco Bay Trail.

Future Tides’ tour route in Seattle’s Lake Union Park includes two development projects. Over the past two years, we’ve observed one property complete construction and start adding new tenants, while the other finally broke ground (a bit behind schedule!).

Untapped New York’s tours feature historical development, like with Penn Station, but also sometimes provide access to abandoned buildings or spaces trying to raise funds for renovations.

3. A theater or performance space

Theaters and other arts spaces literally can offer a “backstage” experience. Untapped New York, for example, takes guests to the Metropolitan Opera House.

Not all communities have a Met, but most have a performance arts venue. In Seattle, there’s a dozen venues that might fit the bill. While in nearby North Bend, Washington, population 8,000, there’s a historic theater built in 1941 that continues to be a community hub.

From volatile ticket sales to a rapidly shifting grant landscape, arts organizations around the U.S. are also navigating uncertainty, making them prime partners for a tour initiative.

4. Attractions (but in the offseason)

Locals might avoid the “tourist destinations” in their own backyard, but these sites are often intertwined with the community through both history and economics. Consider how to tap into a nearby attraction during the offseason, and different angles to help your audience connect with a local landmark in a new light.

Offbeat attractions are also an opportunity. Untapped New York’s core audience are local New Yorkers whom they promise to help “discover the secrets of NYC.” What secrets can you help your community discover?

Final thoughts

Rivers also recommends news organizations look to their analytics for tour inspiration. 

“If you have a high performing piece on your publication, turn it into an experience,” he advised.

A route is a good starting point for crafting a tour, but it’s also like an outline, waiting for the right details and reporter to fill it in.

“Routes are important, but they’re still not as important as the enthusiasm and the passion of the guide,” Rivers said.

Find practical tour guide tips and more route recommendations in my RJI Fellowship project: A Tour Guide for Journalists (launching March 2026). Subscribe to receive occasional email updates about my work, including when the guide launches.

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Cite this article

Kuhlman, Cara  (2026, Feb. 17). 4 potential places for journalists to lead walking tours. Reynolds Journalism Institute. Retrieved from: https://rjionline.org/news/4-potential-places-for-journalists-to-lead-walking-tours/