Items | Niles History: An Audio Tour of the First Movie Capital
Niles History: An Audio Tour of the First Movie Capital
Fremont
Important Information
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Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Cancellation policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
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For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
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Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
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If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
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This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.
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Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
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Niles isn’t just a charming town hidden in the Bay Area hills – it was Hollywood before Hollywood existed.
On this self-guided walking tour, you’ll discover how this rowdy railroad junction became the world’s first movie capital, where Charlie Chaplin perfected his Little Tramp and cowboy stars invented the Western genre.
The tour starts and ends at the Niles Depot Museum. You’ll walk along Niles Boulevard past the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum, housed in the original 1913 Edison Theater. Along quiet residential streets, you’ll see preserved Essanay Cottages where actors bunked together, and Victorian homes where railroad elite rented rooms to movie stars.
You’ll hear about how Niles ...
Highlights
From 1 hour to 1 hour and 30 minutes
Offered in English
Free Cancellation
Mobile Ticket
From 1 hour to 1 hour and 30 minutes
Offered in English
Free Cancellation
Mobile Ticket
What's Included
Directions to the starting point so that when you're in the right place, the tour will start
Lifetime access to this tour in English before your booking date and after it
Offline access to audio, maps, and geodata
App for Android and iOS
Flexibility to explore at your own pace with a self-guided GPS tour
Smartphone and headphones
Meeting Points
Departure
Niles Depot Museum
This tour starts at the Niles Depot Museum. Before arrival, please install the mobile app and use the code provided on your confirmation ticket. Detailed starting point instructions are available after downloading.
Return
Niles History: An Audio Tour of the First Movie Capital
Fremont
About
Niles isn’t just a charming town hidden in the Bay Area hills – it was Hollywood before Hollywood existed.
On this self-guided walking tour, you’ll discover how this rowdy railroad junction became the world’s first movie capital, where Charlie Chaplin perfected his Little Tramp and cowboy stars invented the Western genre.
The tour starts and ends at the Niles Depot Museum. You’ll walk along Niles Boulevard past the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum, housed in the original 1913 Edison Theater. Along quiet residential streets, you’ll see preserved Essanay Cottages where actors bunked together, and Victorian homes where railroad elite rented rooms to movie stars.
You’ll hear about how Niles ...
Highlights
From 1 hour to 1 hour and 30 minutes
Offered in English
Free Cancellation
Mobile Ticket
From 1 hour to 1 hour and 30 minutes
Offered in English
Free Cancellation
Mobile Ticket
What's Included
Directions to the starting point so that when you're in the right place, the tour will start
Lifetime access to this tour in English before your booking date and after it
Offline access to audio, maps, and geodata
App for Android and iOS
Flexibility to explore at your own pace with a self-guided GPS tour
Smartphone and headphones
Meeting Points
Departure
Niles Depot Museum
This tour starts at the Niles Depot Museum. Before arrival, please install the mobile app and use the code provided on your confirmation ticket. Detailed starting point instructions are available after downloading.
Return
Itinerary
1
Niles Depot Museum
This self-guided audio tour starts at the Niles Depot Museum, the 1901 train station marking the Transcontinental Railroad’s true finish line.
2
Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum
You’ll walk along Niles Boulevard past the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum, housed in the original 1913 Edison Theater.
3
Devout Coffee
On this walking tour, you'll pass by Devout Coffee and you’ll discover how this rowdy railroad junction became the world’s first movie capital, where Charlie Chaplin perfected his Little Tramp and cowboy stars invented the Western genre.
4
Niles Library
While hearing how the town developed and survived various industries, you'll pass by the Niles Library and hear its history.
5
Rae Rae's at Joe's Corner
You'll hear stories about bank robberies that were stopped by costumed cowboys, ghost sightings in the Hotel Wesley, and how Joe’s Corner operated as the town’s unofficial bank during Prohibition.
6
Niles Antique Co-Op
You’ll hear about how Niles transformed from a frontier town with 18 saloons into a thriving film studio and see the Niles Antique Co-Op.
7
Bronco Billy's Pizza Palace
While hearing how the town developed and survived various industries, you'll pass by Bronco Billy's Pizza Palace and hear its history.
8
Tyme For Tea & Co
By the end of this tour you’ll have a sense of how a canyon town built by railroad workers became the birthplace of American cinema – and survived when both industries moved on.
