DC by Foot

Washington DC’s highest rated walking tour. Schedule a tour today: http://www.dcbyfoot.com/
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DC by Foot is pleased to present top rated walking tours of Washington, DC. These interesting and informative tours will take you from the National Mall to Arlington Cemetery to the White House and beyond. It's the capital of the United States of America and a testament to the history and politics of a nation. Washington, DC will be sure to surprise and inspire you, and on every step of the way, o

ur expert guides - part professors, part performers - will show you why. Always interesting, always intimate, we make history fun for everyone!

08/03/2024

❤️🌿🌸

07/21/2024

Can report from a disappointed 7 year old boy that that the “giant flowers that smell like farts” have not bloomed. 🌿🥀

06/14/2024

Great thanks to for booking our Pride History of DC tour, offered in partnership with .

We offer this tour of downtown DC focusing on the LGTBQIA+ history of the city all year round but it runs more in June ( 🌈 )

From the White House to the Tenderloin, the national and local fight for political, economic, and cultural inclusion and equal rights for the LGBTQIA+ community emerged across the 20th century. Join us on a Pride Highlights tour and explore Cruising, the Lavender Scare, Drag, the AIDS Crisis, Black Q***r Spaces, Activism, and much more.

06/11/2024

The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial the nation’s first to honor an African-American man in Washington, DC

It is located at 1964 Independence Ave SW, an address that represents the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and sits along the Tidal Basin.

It features a 30-foot (9m) tall granite relief of Dr. King carved into a large stone along with walls of some of his famous quotes.

The statue was carved by Chinese sculptor Lei Yixin and the memorial as a whole was designed by Marshall Purnell. It was built between 2009 and 2011.

There is also a memorial gift shop and book store with a small visitor center + restrooms and water fountains.

TIP: Free Tours by Foot visits the MLK Memorial on our Tidal Basin and All-in-One DC Tours.

There are many overt as well as hidden symbolism contained within the memorial as a whole.

Technically speaking, there is no statue at the MLK Memorial.

Rather, the centerpiece of the memorial is a 30' (9 m) tall stone block with an unfinished likeness of Martin Luther King, Jr emerging from its southern side.

Although there are no quotes from Dr. King's famous 'I have a dream' speech, this centerpiece alludes to a powerful analogy that he used in the speech to describe the importance of faith in the struggle for civil rights, that

“With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.”

The memorial's designers intended that the visitor would walk through the mountain of despair to the stone of hope.

The memorial's Stone of Hope appears to be quarried (hewed) from a larger stone, a slow a laborious process, much like the process to end racial segregation and discrimination in the U.S.

The stone has been pushed forward, symbolizing the forward progress in the achievement of civil rights in America.

The likeness of MLK is unfinished, just as his life was tragically cut short at just 39 years of age, and just as the movement for civil rights he helped lead is unfinished today.

King is looking south toward the horizon, paper, possibly a speech or sermon in hand, in a defiant pose, symbolizing his defiance of injustice.

Memorial Walls

The other major element of the memorial is the long arched wall filled with quotations from King's speeches and sermons.

MLK Quote Wall
The arched wall alludes to a sermon he delivered at the Sermon at Temple Israel of Hollywood on February 25, 1965.

In this speech, he described his confidence in the ultimate triumph of the civil rights movement in the struggle for human dignity.

"And I believe it because somehow the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice."

The wall contains quotes from the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955 to King's final Sunday sermon, which took place at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, DC on March 31, 1968, just days before his assassination in Memphis, Tennessee.

The quotes are not listed in chronological order, designed so that the visitor can explore the memorial at his or her own pace and direction.

Other Interesting Facts About the MLK Memorial's Symbolism

The 30' height of the Stone of Hope far exceeds the customary limit of 19.5' for statues in Washington, DC.

However, the figure of MLK is a relief (similar to the presidential images on Mt. Rushmore), and thus not considered a statue.

Both the stone and the sculptor, Lei Yixin, were 'imported' from China. There were prominent voices that felt the sculptor should have been an American.

The Memorial's board, comprised mainly of African American architects, sculptors and drafters, stated that they based their decision on the content of the sculptor's talent and not on his skin color or nationality, something they felt the Dr. King would have sanctioned.

GUIDED TOURS AND RANGER TALKS

Just about every sightseeing tour in Washington, DC makes a stop at the MLK Memorial, including us, DC by Foot.

The memorial is a stop on 2 of our most popular walking tours.

Daily National Mall Tours
National Mall and Tidal Basin Tour

Washington, DC Travel Tips (DC by Foot)

05/29/2024

🐼🐼🐼👍❤️

05/16/2024

It’s Police Week in DC and the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial is overflowing with love and remembrance.

The roses here honor the fallen K9s.

K9 Police Dogs usually serve 6-8 years, but this year 26 of them were lost in the line of duty.

The US started using police dogs in 1907, but the Persians, Greeks and Babylonians used guard dogs.

The Memorial (guarded by lions named LEO) is just outside Judiciary Square.

05/15/2024

This is Maverick, part of DC Tour Guide Trevor’s family and who sadly has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer.

You can follow his Bucket List Journey at and help us supporting his treatment at https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-mavericks-fight-for-life (link in stories)

Keep an eye out for a special doggie themed fundraiser tour to support our furry team members.

05/11/2024

A lovely way to start a tour! 🌈

05/06/2024

RAINY DAY PROMO: not to ruin the ending of our Lincoln Assassination tour, but y’all know it doesn’t end well, right?

Dreary days are a great time to take our Ghosts of Georgetown or Lincoln Assassination tours.

USE PROMO CODE rain TO GET 25% off these two ticketed tours this week.

04/24/2024

Beautiful moon tonight on our moonlight and memorials tour!

03/18/2024

Enjoying peaking blooms on today’s Tidal Basin tours!

See the blooms on:
-National Mall and Tidal Basin
-Blossoms on the Basin
-Memorials and Moonlights

03/14/2024

😍🌸 Beautiful photos of the Saucer Magnolias at Enid Haupt Gardens at Smithsonian Castle by Petra Engle, a member of our DC travel tips Facebook group!

Today is a great day to go see the magnolias!

03/12/2024

The saucer magnolias are almost there! 🌸

You can find these flowers at:
-US Capitol
-Enid Haupt Garden at the Smithsonian Castle
-Rawlins Park
-the corner of 7th and Penn Ave NW
-George Mason Memorial

They bloom before the cherry blossoms and end about the time cherry blossoms bloom!

03/10/2024

Did you know there is one special tree by Thomas Jefferson Memorial that blooms earlier than the rest? We don’t know why but it’s called the indicator tree!

https://freetoursbyfoot.com/cherry-blossom-festival-guide/

03/07/2024

Love taking student groups around the memorials at night!

Our guides make the tours fun and engaging - filled with scavenger hunts to find hidden symbols, stories to make the memorials more meaningful, and a fun trivia the students are sure to remember when the field trip is over.

03/05/2024

Our team is celebrating the start of the season! Look how we’re not too tired to go get drinks together in the evening :)

02/24/2024

Amazing sunrise photo of the taken at 6:40am by a member of our Facebook group!

02/22/2024

The team took a tour of MLK Downtown branch after our annual tour guide meeting.

Highly recommend a tour (Diane was amazing) to understand the architecture but all the exhibits inside!

We ❤️ libraries for locals (I rented a thermal camera from mine!) but this is part library, part museum so visitors to DC can get a lot from it too!

-amazing rooftop garden open year round is a perfect place to take a break
-children section has toys and slide and obviously books
-the local history People’s Archive has a permanent exhibit about DC history
-there is public art throughout the building to explore
-free movies on Tuesday nights in the auditorium

(And yes we took a ride down the slide - 👀 our stories!)

02/15/2024

Our team is on a tour of the new-ish !

Within the free museum, you can tour the historic structure from 1876 and the new exhibit exploring Jewish Washington (and wider Capitol area).

The exhibits are very interactive focusing on:

-Jewish Washingtonian
-activism to repair the world and how the Washington area community can find solutions and compromise
-the Washington Jewish community (maps, schools, stores - historic and present)
-an interactive Seder Table to facilitate discussions and ideas.

Thank you to the for the tour and helping us understand the museum and how to share its mission with you all!

02/05/2024

In one month, our Spring season starts!

More tours, more warmth, more… 8th graders?

I promise, the first lesson we teach them is to not block the whole sidewalk.

In Spring, we bring back Arlington Cemetery, Embassy Row, Cherry Blossom, and neighborhood tours!

02/03/2024

Winter vibes on the Moonlight and Memorials tour tonight!

02/01/2024

Good morning ! 🚝

Despite its sometimes not so glorious moments, this is a beautiful station as a lot of history.

we have a self guided tour of the stations architecture and historical moments?

Like the time a train came barrelling through and landed in the basement? Or the real reason the soldiers have shields? 🛡️

01/22/2024

A frozen reflecting pool… 👀🫣 can you spot the folx brave enough to test the ice?!

01/05/2024

FACT OR FICTION FRIDAY

No building in Washington D.C. is permitted to be taller than the Washington Monument?

(Don't read the comments before answering)

Image by 12019 from Pixabay

01/04/2024

We ❤️ DC but we also love to travel. We’re on our off season break for the next two weeks as our guides explore Dubai, New York, Madrid, Thailand, and Dallas (everyone went somewhere warm but the Broadway lover!)

We’ll share our travels over at our partner since we’ll all also be going on walking tours on our trips!

But unless something cool happens in DC, we’ll be quiet here for a bit.

Tours are running as usual on weekends (except Sat Jan 6 cause ❄️☃️🌨️!)

✌️😎❤️

12/31/2023

Is Washington, D.C. in your travel plans for 2024?

12/31/2023

Last tour of 2023! Thanks for joining us on our National Mall and Tidal Basin tour to celebrate the end of the year.

We’re off tomorrow but tours resume Jan 2 and our winter schedule begins - Fri-Sun public tours and discounted private tours available daily.

We ❤️ touring in winter - smaller crowds, clearer photos, no humidity!

Thanks for a great 2023 of tours! Here’s to an even better 2024 of exploring DC - whether you live here or are visiting!

Address

1740 18th Street NW
Washington D.C., DC
20009

Website

http://freetoursbyfoot.com/washington-dc-tours

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Videos

RAINY DAY PROMO: not to ruin the ending of our Lincoln Assassination tour, but y’all know it doesn’t end well, right? Dreary days are a great time to take our Ghosts of Georgetown or Lincoln Assassination tours. USE PROMO CODE rain TO GET 25% off these two ticketed tours this week.

We blossoms peaking earlier than predicted, we added some cherry blossom tours to Mon, Tues and Wed this week! #cherryblossomtours #dctours #dcbyfoot #walkingtours #cherryblossomdc #springindc

Make 2024 the year you take all our tours in DC? #visitdc

A few ideas on what to do on New Years Eve in DC.

As one goes through the training, you are tested on three things on four separate occasions: 1. Uniform 2. Knowledge 3. Performance Once you pass the first test, the requirements get more difficult. To become a fully qualified sentinel you must pass four rounds of the test.Sentinel Kwiatkowski passed all four exams in 7 months. #arlingtoncemetery #anc #tomboftheunknownsoldier #visitdc #dcbyfoot #herstory #military

Monday Motorcade Alert! Guests heading towards this afternoon’s National Mall tour likely encountered this Presidential motorcade coming up 15th Street NW and returning to the White House.

🌸🌸🌸 Cherry Blossom Tours are posted!!! 🌸🌸🌸 We’re excited to offer our Blossoms on the Basin for Cherry Blossom season. Book a name your own price tour at 10am or a semi private ticketed tour at 1pm. Our guides know where to find the trees that bloom early or late or still have blossoms and how to avoid the crowds. #cherryblossom #dcinspring #cherryblossoms #dccherryblossoms #cherryblossomfestival #dctours #thingstodoindc #tidalbasin #cherryblossomtour

At the newest installation at ARTECHOUSE you canfloat among giant swinging jingle bells, crash the party of a thousand nutcrackers, join a thrilling train ride through wreaths, take a spin in the candy cane carousel, and more!