Washington Walks

Vary by Tour

To put it simply, a walk through Washington’s tony Georgetown neighborhood is a venture through time -- of 200-year-old mansions and their eccentric owners, of fortunes in trade won and lost, of marvelous architecture from Federal to Victorian, of the once-bustling freedman community Herring Hill, of political intrigue, of green preservation and urban renewal. And of course no one can mention Georgetown without the Kennedy's.

In the 1950s John F. Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline almost single-handedly turned the neighborhood into the city’s politically fashionable place to live. We’ll point out the houses of the movers and shakers, as well as the remarkable historic properties here that are open to the public (and yes, The Exorcist steps!). This two-hour, two-mile tour winds up in Georgetown’s shopping and restaurant district just in time for lunch. Or if you’re on a roll, we can point you to the C&O Canal, the historic and bucolic waterway.

• This walk is offered on Sundays and Fridays at 10:00 a.m., April 1 through October 31.
• Two hours long; takes place rain or shine
• Meet at the little park located at the intersection of 28th street and Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. – Next to the gas station

We weren't sure we wanted to offer this walk at all. Did we really want to share our secrets about America's capital city with everyone? But they're just too wacky and amazing to keep to ourselves. This walk is perfect for every smarty-pants suffering the delusion of omniscience about the nation’s capital as well as those looking for Little Known Facts with which to impress friends and loved ones. We’ll test your knowledge with fun-filled quizzes (prizes awarded for correct answers!) as we meander through one of D.C.’s most familiar places: the National Mall. What could possibly be secret about it? Without giving anything away, we offer the following tidbits: a tree house on the National Mall, a castle’s petulant ghost, a bordello under a museum, driving down a canal, and the severed leg of a Civil War general.

• This walk is offered on Mondays at 6:00 p.m. April 1 through October 31.
• Two hours long; takes place rain or shine
• Meet outside Smithsonian Metrorail Station at the Independence Avenue exit.

Violent quarrels, vicious attacks, murder, suicide -- why is it such turbulent events in Washington history seem concentrated around the seven acres of Lafayette Park? During the day, it bustles with White House staff, visitors and office workers. As evening descends, however, so does an almost tangible drape of stillness; it’s not hard to imagine the park’s inky expanse of yesteryear. Indeed, it is the most haunted site in the city. How the ghosts and spirits came into being is the subject of this eerie perambulation. You’ll see the home of navy hero Stephen Decatur, hear about man of letters Henry Adams and his troubled wife Clover, and relive the night of April 14, 1865 when the grim reaper stalked more than Abraham Lincoln. (Could the White House be enshrouded by “the Presidential Circle of Death”?) You'll end this walk at the house considered the most haunted home in the city: The Octagon.

• This walk is offered Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., April 1 - October 31.
• Meet outside Farragut West Metrorail Station at the 17th Street exit.

The nouveau-riche crowd has made many an eyeball roll reflexively skyward. Call them robber barons or captains of industry, dub their heyday industrial or gilded, today we can revel in the Beaux-Arts grandeur of Washington’s Massachusetts Avenue, better known as Embassy Row. We’ll meet at Dupont Circle and introduce you to the families who decided to showcase their fortunes in the nation’s capital: members of the first ranks of mining, railroads, banking, publishing, politicians and speculators in the 1880s and 90s. Spendthrift offspring, the Great Depression and other misfortune eventually drained the resources of many families. Only 50 years later, embassies, clubs and other institutions were buying up their mansions for as little as 10 cents on a dollar. But in between, the high life and high architecture has made for some great stories. Alice Longworth Roosevelt delivered her famous line here -- “If you don’t have anything nice to say, sit next to me” -- and spirited chum Evalyn Walsh McLean lived a few doors up where she kept the Hope Diamond. Our walk ends outside the magnificent Phillips Collection museum, former residence of steel heir and avid art collector Duncan Phillips.

• This walks is offered on Saturdays and Mondays at 10:00 a.m. April 1 through October 31. Not offered May 30 or September 19, 2009
• Two hours long; takes place rain or shine
• Meet outside the Dupont Circle Metrorail Station at the Dupont South exit.

Explore the neighborhood that was shared by African American intellectuals, business leaders, and families of all economic levels. The businesses they owned and the houses they lived in are featured on this walk. U Street was dubbed “Black Broadway” for the numerous movie theaters, nightclubs and ballrooms frequented by jazz musicians like Cab Calloway, Pearl Bailey, Jelly Roll Morton, and the Duke himself. You’ll see a theater and club where these performances took place. The first full service YMCA for African Americans; one of the few hotels that welcomed a black clientele; and the first memorial to African America soldiers who fought in the U.S. Civil War are also part of the walk route. Homes occupied by the Ellington family as Duke grew up are also included, along with the corner where rioting started that extinguished they heyday of the area--but only temporarily. U Street has rebounded to become a must-see corridor for out-of-town visitors and locals alike. (Sponsored by Washington Walks and Cultural Tourism DC)

• This walk is offered Saturdays, 10:30 a.m. April 1 through October 31. Not offered May 30 or September 19, 2009
• Two hours long; takes place rain or shine
• Meet outside U Street / Cardozo Metrorail Station at the 13th Street exit.

Although the outside world may associate the term Capitol Hill solely with the U.S. Congress, those who make Washington their home conjure up a very different image: a vibrant neighborhood spread across one of the largest historic districts in the country filled with quaint row houses, leafy parks, shops and cafes, churches and schools. A stroll through residential Capitol Hill is akin to visiting a small town. Pride of place is evident in the careful restoration and loving upkeep bestowed upon the 19th century homes, their postage stamp-sized gardens adorned with flower beds and shrubs. Although many of the stately row houses seen on this walk were not built until after the U.S. Civil War, Capitol Hill is nonetheless one of Washington’s oldest neighborhoods, first developed during the late 1790s just as the federal government prepared to locate here permanently. This exploration includes the remains of a 1795 estate, a watering hole famous for its jazz singers, an alley that once teemed with 100 residents and a park teeming with young children and dog lovers. We’ll finish at beloved Eastern Market, considered by many to be the heart and soul of “The Hill.” (Sponsored by Washington Walks and Cultural Tourism DC)

• This walk is offered Saturdays at 1:30 p.m., April 1 - October 31. Not offered May 30 and September 19, 2009
• Two hours long; takes place rain or shine
• Meet outside Eastern Market Metrorail Station.

Come along on this three-hour nibble-and-nosh fest to DC a phenomenon that celebrates the locally grown and locally invented. We’ll stay on the move, serving up some of our favorite tales of gastronomic history along the way -- from the inaugural party turned food fight to Mrs. Terrell’s quiet milestone in civil rights. Our territory first covers the heart of downtown, where nary a suit in the lunch-hour crowd realizes he’s swarming in Washington’s former market neighborhood. These days think bubble tea, ginger scones and coffee roasted only a stone’s throw away. Bring along a subway fare card, as we’ll next be hopping the Metro to catch two of DC’s most famous drop-in eateries. We’ll introduce you to an edible creation known as a half-smoke then stop in for a dessert course at the bakery/café founded by DC’s current Food Network celebrity. Munch, sip, walk, repeat. Who’s counting calories with rhythm like that?

• This walk is offered Saturdays, 1:30 p.m. April 1 through October 31.
• Three hours long; takes place rain or shine. Cost of snacks not included in walk fee.
• Meet outside Archives - Navy Memorial Metrorail Station.