As the old adage goes, money doesn’t buy happiness. And this was definitely the case along “Millionaire’s Row,” as Massachusetts Avenue in Embassy Row is known, where big homes were often filled with bigger troubles. On this walking tour, you’ll quickly learn that the rich and famous have problems of their own as I share stories of failed marriages, family feuds, infidelity, and the curse of the Hope Diamond necklace.

Starting at DuPont Circle, you’ll make your way down Massachusetts Avenue and back, taking in the mansions and embassies that line both sides of the street. I’ll show you the homes of famous folk like Jeff Bezos and former presidents Herbert Hoover and Woodrow Wilsons, as well as socialites Evalyn Walsh McLean and Alice Roosevelt. Along the way, you’ll see:

• The Spanish Steps leading to the elite area of Kalorama
• Sheridan Circle and the statue of Union General Phil Sheridan, who dogged Robert E. Lee into surrendering, and helped end the Civil War
• Society of the Cincinnati, started by George Washington to commemorate the American Revolutionary War (it’s free to enter!)
• The Angel Wings mural that makes for a great selfie
• Cosmos Club, where past members include former presidents, 36 Nobel Prize winners, 61 Pulitzer Prize winners and 55 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom

On this hour-long tour, you’ll also:

• Find out about the scandals that took place in the Woodrow Wilson House, Larz Anderson House and James G Blaine Mansion
• Take in the elaborate Evalyn Walsh McLean’s House, where the owner of the Hope Diamond hosted parties for 2,000 people and spent $1 million on her dog’s birthday gala
• Marvel at Jeff Bezos’ House, once a museum
• Hear tales of Teddy Roosevelt’s daughter Alice, the gossip collector who hid her own indiscretion
• Learn about James G Blaine, the “half-breed Republican” who made government jobs a right rather than patronage

Join award-winning Washington journalist and tour guide Rick Snider, who has walked the streets of DC since the 1960s, to discover colourful tales of America, past and present. Embassy Row may be quiet on the outside, but inside you’ll find secrets and scandals of the rich and famous.