Georgetown, DC

1. Georgetown Waterfront Park

Georgetown Waterfront Park stretches along the Potomac River and links together 225 miles of parkland. It is a popular park with locals who appreciate both the unique park design and the views of the Potomac River, Theodore Roosevelt Island, and Key Bridge.

Visitors to the park come for both exercise and contemplation. Key features of Georgetown Waterfront Park include a labyrinth to encourage contemplation, an exquisite fountain that is a fun centerpiece to the park, and the river steps and steel cable pergola that are popular for picnicking and watching the action on the Potomac.

2. Cady's Alley

Cady's Alley is Georgetown’s trendiest area with numerous small businesses dedicated to hip apparel and home design. It’s the consummate retail experience for in vogue shoppers. Visitors can expect exclusive brands and specialty shops that focus on fashion, design, furnishings, and accessories. It’s only natural that Cady’s Alley ambience reflects the design principles they tout. Surrounding the central courtyard and pedestrian-friendly alleyways, shoppers will find shops with lofted ceilings, exposed brick, and glass and steel elements. This is where the stylish reimagine themselves and their homes. Map

3. Book Hill

Book Hill shopping area in historic Georgetown is named after the neighborhood’s Book Hill Park. It’s located just a few blocks north of Cady’s Alley, another Georgetown shopping district favored by the well-heeled. Book Hill is a collection of independent shops that cater to sophisticated tastes with offerings like the French Apartment home shop, David Bell Antiques, and Sassanova shoes and accessories. Looking as much like a Parisian neighborhood as a boutique shopping avenue, this historic area is known for its fashion apparel, art galleries, and home furnishings and antiques stores. The area is peppered with boutique eateries where visitors lounging between purchases may spot celebrity shoppers like Laura Bush or Gwyneth Paltrow. Map

4. Chesapeake & Ohio Canal

The Chesapeake & Ohio Canal (C & O Canal) broke ground in 1828 when President John Quincy Adams ceremoniously dug the first shovelful of dirt. The canal’s hopes as an important trade route were dashed when railroads made the canal era obsolete. By 1961, the C & O was proclaimed a national monument by President Dwight Eisenhower. Soon, visitors can ride the canal in a historic replica canal boat through Georgetown’s C & O Canal after the completion of its renovation. The Georgetown Canal Plan will surround a one-mile section of the restored canal with a sustainable urban park.

Chesapeake & Ohio Canal, 1057 Thomas Jefferson Street, NW, Washington, DC, Phone: 202-653-5190

5. Farmers, Fishers, Bakers

Located at Georgetown’s bustling Washington Harbor, along the banks of the Potomac River, Farmers, Fishers, Bakers is an urban farmhouse restaurant. The restaurant is famous for serving inspired farm-to-table cuisine using the finest locally sourced produce. The restaurant is a popular meeting place for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner and you are also welcome to just stop by for a cup of artisan coffee and a sweet treat. In addition to indoor seating the restaurant also has great outdoor seating when the weather cooperates. The menu is very extensive with options to suit all tastes including vegan and vegetarian choices.

Farmers, Fishers, Bakers, 3000 K Street NW, Washington Harbor, Washington DC 20007, 202 298 8783

6. Capital Crescent Trail

The Capital Crescent Trail is a paved, shared use hiking and biking trail. It follows the former 11-mile B & O Railroad bed, in use from 1910 to 1985, from Georgetown to Silver Spring, Maryland. It is part of the C & O Canal National Historic Park. Along the trail, users will encounter seven bridges and two tunnels, all with easy gradients. The Coalition for the Capital Crescent Trail has been instrumental in the trail design and in coordinating government and National Park Service funding for its completion. Their ultimate goal is to pave the entire length of the trail with a two-foot wide stone-dust edging for jogging and to offer offer first-class trail amenities like water fountains, benches, kiosks, and other useful features.

Capital Crescent Trail, 1400 16th Street NW, Washington, DC, Phone: 202-234-4874

7. Dumbarton House, Georgetown

The Federal-style Dumbarton House built in 1800 tells visitors the story of what life was like in the early years of the nation’s capital. The Dumbarton collection includes over 1,000 paintings, ceramics, silver, textiles, and furnishings from the Federal Period, plus a collection of original documents describing nearly 300 years of history in the house and the area. The stately house sits on 1.5 acres of beautifully landscaped gardens and terraces. Visitors will also want to tour East Park on the east side of Dumbarton House and the Herb Garden featuring over 40 plants that help tell the story of early America.

Dumbarton House, 2715 Q Street NW, Washington, DC, Phone: 202-337-2288

8. Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection

Dumbarton Oaks, once the home of Robert and Mildred Bliss, is a historic estate turned research library and museum in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, DC. It is open to researchers who are welcome to study its documents, images, objects, and books. It is also open to the public as a museum and has world class art collections. Visitors can expect to see permanent Byzantine, textile, and pre-Columbian galleries, a Renaissance-inspired Music Room, a gallery for temporary exhibitions, and a rare book gallery and reading room. Dumbarton Oaks also hosts lectures and concerts in the estate’s Music Room.

Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, 1703 32nd Street NW, Washington, DC, Phone: 202-339-6401