How to spend a day in Georgetown, DC

Georgetown packs a full day into a walkable, historically rich neighborhood on the Potomac River in northwest DC. Start at the 10-acre waterfront park, walk the C&O Canal towpath, stop inside the Old Stone House on M Street, shop and eat your way through the main corridors, then cap the night at Blues Alley. No car needed, and no admission fees for most of it.

Getting there

Georgetown has no Metro station. The best options are the DC Circulator Georgetown Route from Dupont Circle or Rosslyn stations, or a roughly 20-minute walk from Foggy Bottom-GWU station. You can also catch the 30N, 30S, 31, or 32 Metrobus lines along M Street. If you drive, Canal Road and Wisconsin Avenue give you a direct route, but parking is limited and meters are short.

Morning: start at the waterfront

Georgetown Waterfront Park stretches along the banks of the Potomac from 31st Street NW to the Key Bridge, and was completed in fall 2011. The park has a labyrinth, a seasonal fountain, and rain gardens. Cyclists, skaters, and pedestrians share a car-free pathway with views of individual boaters, kayakers, competitive crews, Theodore Roosevelt Island, and Key Bridge. Entry is free.

From the park, you can rent a kayak, canoe, or paddleboard from Key Bridge Boathouse, connect to three biking trails, picnic on the lawn, or meditate at the labyrinth. Washington Harbour on K Street, directly adjacent, offers waterfront dining, river cruises, water taxis, and DC's largest outdoor ice rink in winter.

Mid-morning: the C&O Canal and Old Stone House

The C&O Canal towpath runs alongside historic locks and is well-suited for walking, jogging, or cycling. Through Georgetown, the banks of the canal are lined with stone, a concession 19th-century city residents demanded when the muddy channel was first dug along M Street.

When you're done on the towpath, walk east on M Street to the Old Stone House at 3051 M Street NW. It is the oldest structure on its original foundation in the nation's capital, dating to 1765, and a good place to learn about the early growth of Washington. The National Park Service owns and operates the house, and NPS rangers provide information and sometimes demonstrations on its pre-Revolutionary history. Check the NPS website for current hours before you go, they have changed over the years. The garden stays open during daylight hours.

Afternoon: M Street and Wisconsin Avenue

The two main thoroughfares are Wisconsin Avenue and M Street, lined with lamp posts of overflowing flower baskets. These corridors mix upscale boutiques, national retailers, independent stores, and artisanal shops. Some streets still have the original cable car tracks and cobbled pavement, pretty, but rough on heels.

History-focused visitors can tour 18th and 19th-century mansions or see the one-time homes of JFK and Julia Child. Georgetown University's main quad is a short walk north on 37th Street if you want to see one of DC's oldest campuses.

For a quick, free detour, walk up to Prospect Street and 36th Street NW. The Exorcist Steps are concrete stairs descending from the corner of Prospect Street and 36th Street NW down to a small parking lot near M Street, made famous by the 1973 film The Exorcist. The stairwell appeared in the film's climactic scene. The novel's author, William Peter Blatty, was a Georgetown graduate inspired partly by stories of local hauntings from his time on campus in the 1940s.

Evening: dinner and live jazz

Locally owned spots appeal for a quick bite, while world-class restaurants work well for a leisurely dinner. By night, Pinstripes has bocce and bowling, the Washington Harbour has riverside bars, and Blues Alley runs live jazz shows.

Blues Alley is the anchor. Founded in 1965, it is a jazz nightclub in Georgetown and the oldest continuing jazz supper club in the United States. Known as 'the house that Dizzy built,' the 125-seat venue was opened by musician Tommy Gwaltney. It sits in an 18th-century red brick carriage house and specializes in Creole cuisine, steak, and seafood, with dinner from 6 p.m. The address is 1073 Wisconsin Avenue NW, tucked into an alley off the main strip. A 50% student discount reportedly applies, check the website for details.

Sources

• National Park Service: Georgetown Waterfront Park
• National Park Service: Old Stone House 250th Anniversary
• Wikipedia: Blues Alley
• Wikipedia: Exorcist Steps
• Georgetown DC BID: Waterfront Guide
• Washington.org: Georgetown Neighborhood
• C&O Canal Trust: Start of Towpath