SHIFTING FOCUS: Princeton Tour Company founder Mimi Omiecinski, center, with a group of walking tour customers during a stop at the Nassau Inn. Omiecinski has switched from running tours independently to consulting.
By Anne Levin
After 20 years of guiding groups on themed tours of Princeton, Princeton Tour Company (PTC) founder Mimi Omiecinski has decided to stop offering tours independently and become a consultant.
But Omiecinski, who recently moved with her husband, Steve, from a condominium atop the Lower Pyne building on Nassau Street to Doylestown, Pa., has opted not to sell the business.
“I couldn’t sell the company and risk seeing something so personal taken in a different direction,” she said in a press release. “PTC has always been my love letter to this extraordinary town, and I hope every guest felt that connection. I’m now excited to support other tour operators and experience-driven businesses through consulting.”
When her husband’s job required the family to move from Florida to New Jersey two decades ago, Omiecinski started searching for the right location. “I wasn’t very excited at the time,” she said this week. “But it was a long weekend in Princeton where the perfect storm came together. The town was gorgeous, it had a school system that was perfect for my son, Stosh, and a community where I felt my family could thrive. We got lucky, because the Lower Pyne condo
was available at the same time. But if someone had told me we were going to live in a 36-step walkup for 20 years, and create a really fun tour business, I would have not believed them.”
Having accompanied her husband on work trips to places like Thailand, Barcelona, London, and Paris, Omiecinski had become something of an expert at sniffing out spots of interest in these locations. “It was the first time a Southern girl like me had traveled extensively,” the Nashville native said. “I learned about all these amazing places. While Steve worked, my job was to break down that town. I felt like I had become really good at it.”
The Lower Pyne condo, which overlooks Princeton University’s Nassau Hall, “is what really brought it together,” she said. “It put me at the center of town, being perched at that corner. If I hadn’t lived there, I don’t think it would have occurred to me to start a tour business.”
Omiecinski’s choice not to have a car was another factor. “Instead of driving, I biked and walked around town,” she said. “And I think that made a difference. I started meeting all these tycoons and celebrities. My condo was iconic and people were curious. I’m very social, so it wasn’t unusual for me to invite people up to see it. When people Steve was working with were relocated to New Jersey, I’d show them around Princeton. One of my girlfriends said, ‘You are a one-note orchestra. You either need to start a tour business or expand your horizons.’ It hit me like a ton of bricks.”
Her first venture was with bike tours. Walking and bus tours followed. And requests from corporations began to come in.
“When I got my first corporate inquiry, they wanted two tours to run simultaneously,” Omiecinski said. “There was only me, so I convinced my mom to fly to town and give an Einstein tour. She’s a therapist, but wanted to be sure she knew enough about his scientific discoveries. I told her to forget about the Theory of Relativity and talk about who Einstein was as a person — what was his mom like, who did he fall in love with, did his brain really get stolen? Of course, she nailed it. And frankly, she created the recipe for how I learned how to share Princeton’s remarkable story in an hour or two. It was my husband and son who named the PTC signature tour — the Five Star Shameless Name-Dropping Tour. Behind closed doors they called it the Screaming Mimi tour.”
Omiecinski eventually recruited six additional tour guides. Over the years, they have shepherded customers around town and the University campus on tours with a variety of themes. “PTC’s popularity grew because of the tour guides,” she said. “Jacqui, Jen, Pat, Tim, Shelly, and Gerry put their own touch on every tour. I’ll always be grateful to them. Any new operator would be lucky to hire them and have them represent their brand.”
Tourism in Princeton has grown since Omiecinski founded Princeton Tour Company in 2006. “With approximately 1.7 million annual visitors, industry benchmarks suggest Princeton can support three to six boutique tour operators,” her press release reads. “While the town already offers a rich array of cultural programming through organizations such as the Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton Battlefield Society, Historical Society of Princeton, Morven Museum & Garden, and the soon-to-open Paul Robeson House, a key gap remains. Looking ahead, emerging technologies are also expected to reshape how visitors engage with the town. Princeton is incredibly well-positioned for high-quality, self-guided tour experiences powered by AI,” said Omiecinski. “These can complement traditional tours while requiring less infrastructure and expanding access.”
The 36 steps up to the Lower Pyne condo were a big factor in the couple’s decision to move early this year. “We’re 60,” Omiecinski said. “If there’s a new chapter to be had, this was the moment. We started to eye retirement, which isn’t immediate, but you can’t help but think about it. We started checking out places where taxes aren’t quite so high. We went to every small, walkable town in Pennsylvania, and we settled on Doylestown. We bought a place, but with an elevator. We hear church bells all day. We’re across from the county seat, so I get a front row seat to protests, celebrations, and parades. Nothing will compare to my experience in Princeton, but I hope people will wish us the best and know that Princeton will always be my favorite chapter.”