Washington Walks

08/15/2024

Twenty-four years ago . . .

A new walking tour company called Washington Walks received its first media attention: a May 23, 2000, feature in the Washington Times newspaper.

Back then, Washington Walks' two tour guides, Carolyn Crouch and Cliff Seferlis, took turns leading our inaugural walk, Discover the Mall.

In 2000, we had a rudimentary website, an email address, and a phone number. A well-designed brochure was a must back then--and we had one! That's because the branding and brochure design by Kathy McMillan, who has been our designer since Washington Walks was founded, has always allowed us to punch above our weight class. ❤

08/12/2024

See for yourself this Saturday at 9:30 a.m.!

D.C. in the National Gallery (indoor tour)
Saturday, August 17, 2024 9:30 a.m.
RESERVATIONS: https://www.washingtonwalks.com/tours/d-c-in-the-national-gallery/

National Gallery of Art

08/07/2024

2024 marked Christina Bauer’s 10th anniversary as a Washington Walks guide. Last week, while on her annual family vacation in Maine, she died suddenly.

All of us at Washington Walks are in shock. What's penetrating our numbness, though, is the bright reality of the myriad ways Chris contributed to the success, high quality, enjoyment, and joy that defines Washington Walks for all of us and our customers.

Chris was a 40-year resident of the D.C. area and had a 20-year career in the field of electronic libraries. Her skill at (and delight in) organizing information so it could be presented in the clearest, most assessable way contributed to her success as a tour guide; every person who had the privilege of taking one of the walking tours she led for Washington Walks left well informed, entertained—and inspired. Because leading walking tours wasn’t merely about imparting correct information for Chris. Her passion for, curiosity about, and thorough enjoyment of Washington, D.C. neighborhood history was infectious.

Embassy Row, Gilded Age Washington, National Mall Memorials: The Backstory, and the U.S. Capitol and Houses of Congress were the walking tours Chris led for Washington Walks. In 2016, in commemoration of the centennial of World War I, she created and led The Imprint of World War I, a walking tour that highlighted D.C. sites related to the city’s involvement in the Great War. Countless numbers of local residents, visiting high school students, and corporate and non-profit organizations took walking tours with Chris. It was not unusual and never surprising for private tour groups to request her as their tour guide when they booked another Washington Walks tour.

Newly-hired Washington Walks guides learn how to lead a particular tour not only by shadowing an experienced guide, but also by absorbing the information found in the extensive background document developed for each of our tours. Thanks to Chris, these background documents are both comprehensive and easy to digest. She’s the person who suggested and then created a template to organize it all. It is a thing of beauty.

Unending gratitude for being blessed by her presence.

08/05/2024

It's our 25th anniversary this month, and while some things are the same, we also know that changing with the times is important. Which is a long way of saying we have a new and improved washingtonwalks.com. Check our schedule, join us for a public tour, or learn more about a private tour. We are thrilled to share this new website with you and hope it's even easier to use to join our walking tours.

Join one of our expert-led tours in Washington, D.C. or plan a private walk for your group! Check availability.

08/05/2024

It's our 25th anniversary this month, and while some aspects of Washington Walks have not changed, we realize that, like our always-evolving nation's capital hometown, a D.C. small business needs to evolve, too. Which is why we are debuting a new, improved washingtonwalks.com! Take a look: https://www.washingtonwalks.com/

Thank you to the Washington Walks team that took our new site from conception to live online: Catherine Giayvia (web developer), Kathy McMillan (designer), Charlie Visconage (marketing consultant). Well done!

Kmcm Kathleen McMillan Charlie Visconage

07/30/2024

Join us this Saturday and Sunday for D.C. in the National Gallery, an indoor walk at the National Gallery of Art. Get out of the heat and learn more about the Gallery's connections to D.C. history. Register now!

07/23/2024

To quote the immortal composer Cole Porter, "It's too darn hot." We've decided to head indoors during August and connect you to D.C. in the air conditioned comfort via a new interior tour: "D.C. in the National Gallery."

RESERVATIONS: https://www.washingtonwalks.com/tours/dc-national-gallery

National Gallery of Art

Image: Too hot at the National Gallery Sculpture Garden GGWASH

07/17/2024

This Saturday, join us for a morning walking tour through the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. This walk through far northeast D.C. travels past historic 1930s apartment buildings and then through the 1950s neighborhood Eastland Gardens, concluding at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, the only U.S. National Park devoted to aquatic plants.

07/16/2024

This Saturday, join us for a morning walking tour through the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. This walk through far northeast D.C. travels past historic 1930s apartment buildings and then through the 1950s neighborhood Eastland Gardens, concluding at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, the only U.S. National Park devoted to aquatic plants.

https://www.washingtonwalks.com/tours/kenilworth-aquatic-gardens?

07/07/2024

Enjoying a Washington Walk at the National Gallery while escaping the heat wave is a win-win! Click the link in our bio to reserve a spot!

07/03/2024

Join Washington Walks for a tour inside the National Gallery this summer! Stay cool and learn about the moments of D.C. history connected to this gallery. There are multiple dates, so choose what works best for you: July 13-14, August 3-4, and August 17. Register today: https://www.washingtonwalks.com/tours/dc-national-gallery

06/23/2024

- [ ] Discover the rich LGBTQ history of D.C.! Join us on a walking tour through Dupont Circle and Strivers Section Historic Districts, tracing the footsteps of icons like Walt Whitman, Langston Hughes, Frank Kameny by, and more. Celebrate their courageous contributions and explore vibrant 17th Street NW. Let’s honor the past and embrace the future together! Click the link in our bio to reserve a private tour!

06/21/2024

D.C.'s oppressively hot weather is a lot easier to bear when you've got a super cool intern working with you over the summer. Welcome to Sydney Campbell, a University of Virginia undergraduate, Silver Spring, MD native, and Washington Walks social media intern!

06/17/2024

Moments from our Saturday, June 15, Mt. Pleasant Walking Whiskey Tour with Mt. Pleasant Club Whiskey founder Troy Hughes.

In addition to seeing the neighborhoods sites that inspired Mt. Pleasant Club's various whiskey varieties (and one agave spirit), walk participants got to sample the product at the conclusion of the tour!

Thanks to Jesse Chong at Irving Wine & Spirits for hosting the tasting. (The Chong family are long-time owners of this D.C. small business.)

MtPleasantClubWhiskey

06/13/2024

Join Troy Hughes, local author and co-founder of Mt. Pleasant Club Whiskey, for a walking tour unveiling why 19th-century liquor merchants chose famously “dry” Mt. Pleasant. Inspired by discovering a 110-year-old whiskey bottle, Troy’s research is detailed in his book, “Whiskey Makers in Washington, D.C., A Pre-Prohibition History.”

During the tour, you’ll learn about Mt. Pleasant’s unique history, the impact of local whiskey makers, colorful former residents, and the evolution of neighborhood streets. The tour ends with a private tasting at Nido Market. Don’t miss this blend of history and flavor!

05/22/2024

Were we crazy to create an 11-mile hike of natural D.C.? Here's what one of the participants from the May 19 "A Day in the Forest" experience had to say:

"What a wonderful adventure! I would gladly do this walk again anytime. My friend and I joined the Washington Walks tour called 'A Day in the Forest,' an 11-mile walk that connects some of the beautiful parklands around Washington, D.C. It’s truly a blessing to have all these spectacular parks surrounding the city, and having a knowledgeable guide and a well-organized plan made the experience of exploring the parklands a fantastic one. Brian Kraft, our guide, was fantastic. He struck the perfect balance between providing clear directions, interesting information, and allowing moments of silence to fully appreciate the green, the sun, even the mud in the parks."

"The route itself was fantastic. Even if you’re not an avid hiker, I highly recommend it. Don’t be discouraged by the long distance; it’s entirely doable and offers a wonderful experience. As a first timer with Washington Walks, I’m now looking forward to join them in future tours."

Thank you for sharing your experience on Google Reviews, Ana Maria!



IMAGE: Brian Kraft

04/29/2024

Happy 125th birthday to Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974), born and raised in Washington, D.C.!

The West End house where Ellington's parents rented when he was born no longer stands, but many of the subsequent family residences in LeDroit Park and Shaw remain, as do sites where Duke first listened to piano players who inspired him to become a masterful jazz musician and composer--and where he and his band played whenever they booked dates in the nation's capital.

True Reformer Hall (1200 U Street, NW) is where a teenage Duke Ellington played his first public performance in Washington.

Ellington lived in D.C. until 1923, when he ventured north to New Jersey and New York City. By 1927, he and his band were headlining at Harlem's Cotton Club.

The Duke Ellington School of the Arts and Duke Ellington Bridge are two D.C. landmarks named in his honor.



IMAGE: Carol Highsmith LOC (Duke Ellington mural by G. Byron Peck)

04/16/2024

03/28/2024

"Holding court in a sea of concrete—surrounded by the stomach-turning smells of diesel fuel and other chemicals in the midst of the historically Black community of Ivy City (1873) in Northeast D.C.—stands the Alexander Crummell School. Named after the Black priest who was the first rector of St. Mary’s, Foggy Bottom—the first Black Episcopal church in DC—and who later founded St. Luke’s, D.C., the building was built in 1911 as a segregated elementary school.

"One step in reclaiming this important landmark and history occurred on Friday, March 13, 2024 when Gallaudet Street—on which the school sits, named for Thomas Henry Gallaudet, one of the owners of the land purchased to build Ivy City and founder of the College that bears his name—was rechristened Alexander Crummell Way."

Episcopal Diocese of Washington Union of Black Episcopalians

Source: Episcopal Diocese of Washington, D.C.

03/22/2024

Beginning Friday, March 22, Studio Acting Conservatory will host 5-days of public viewings of the Last Supper sculpture, created by artist Akili Ron Anderson, to coincide with the Easter holiday.

Anderson created the Last Supper sculpture in the 1980s for the New Home Baptist Church located in D.C.'s Columbia Heights neighborhood, portraying Jesus and his disciples as Black neighbors and church members. The artwork was hidden behind drywall for many years, and was re-discovered during renovations by the Studio Acting Conservatory in November 2019.

VIEWING HOURS:

Friday, March 22 - Sunday March 24: 2-5 p.m.
Good Friday, March 29: 11-5 p.m.
Saturday, March 30: 2-5 p.m.

3423 Holmead Place, NW
(inside the Studio Acting Conservatory)

https://lastsuppersculpture.org/

Studio Acting Conservatory

The Last Supper Sculpture: Uniting Art, Theatre, and Sacred Spaces Bustling through the corridors of history, art, culture, and faith, our website proudly unveils the monumental masterpiece of DC Artist Akili Ron Anderson—The Last Supper Sculpture.The Last Supper Sculpture is a 20-foot-wide altarp...

02/28/2024

As Black History Month draws to a close, a thank you to our always curious, engaged walkers who joined us to explore D.C. Black history sites on two walking tours. (You can see from this photo that the intrepid crew who came out for Black History in Lafayette Park braved frigid temperatures!)

Every month is D.C. Black history month, of course.

02/26/2024

Nothing better than spending the morning with this enthusiastic class of fourth grade students from Capitol Hill Day School. They took our Black History in Lafayette Park walking tour--and arrived with plenty of background knowledge!

Capitol Hill Day School

02/21/2024

50 years ago on Christmas Eve 1973, President Richard Nixon signed the DC Self-Government and Governmental Reorganization Act, better known to the residents of the District as the Home Rule Act. That federal law allowed us to elect our own Council and mayor for the first time in nearly a century.

Hear about how District citizens advocated and demonstrated for this civil right during "Struggle and Triumph: Black History on Pennsylvania Avenue," a walking tour showcasing sites that figure prominently in the story of how Black residents achieved influence and power in the nation's capital.

Sunday, February 25 at 10:00 a.m. RESERVATIONS: https://www.washingtonwalks.com/tours/struggle-and-triumph-black-history-pennsylvania-avenue



IMAGE: Home Rule demonstration at District Building, 1973 EVENING STAR DCPL

02/06/2024

Thanks Fritz Hahn and Going Out Guide From The Washington Post for featuring our two Black History month walks in your list of offerings!

- Black History in Lafayette Park, Saturday, February 17

- Struggle and Freedom: Black History on Pennsylvania Avenue, February 25

Click our profile link for reservations!

Celebrate Black excellence with performances, lectures and family-friendly activities throughout the DMV.

12/31/2023

Favorite Moments of 2023:

Washington Walks guides tour the beautifully restored and renovated Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library

The Gilded Age Washington walking tour debuts!

Collaborating with colleague Tim Wright of Attucks Adams Tours on our March on Washington walking tour.

Partnering with local whiskey maker and author Troy Hughes on the Mt. Pleasant Whiskey Walking Tour.

12/25/2023

"Christ in the Rubble"

artist, Kelly Latimore

12/13/2023

Human beings communicate without the use of words, capable of numerous facial expressions through the use of dozens of muscles. But unlike people, this "Talking Head" doesn't use muscles to do it. Rather, some 4,000 individually controllable LEDs provide different facial expressions and conduct conversations by means of light. But what, exactly, is it saying?

See a pair of "Talking Heads" on this weekend's Georgetown Waterfront GLOW walking tour! Space still available on the Saturday, December 16 tour. Click our profile link to reserve your spot.

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12/09/2023

First weekend of our Georgetown Waterfront GLOW walk, an evening tour of the luminous light sculptures installed at outdoor locations throughout Georgetown’s historic waterfront. The walk combines stops at the five public artworks by national and international artists. There's also stops at sites that tell the story of how D.C.’s oldest working port evolved over 200 years.

This piece, “Neighborhood”, by artist Sergey Kim, evokes the connections made possible in communities filled with diverse people. (The styles of clothing hung from the laundry line pay tribute to different cultures.)

Visit our profile link to reserve a spot on an upcoming walk!

Georgetown, DC

12/02/2023

Another of our top picks of new D.C. books to add to your holiday gifts shopping list:

“The story begins with an 1829 letter from Capt. George Pointer, an enslaved African who purchased his freedom in 1793 while working for George Washington’s Potomac Company. Inspired by Pointer’s letter, authors Barbara Boyle Torrey and Clara Myrick Green began researching this remarkable man who was a boat captain and supervisory engineer for the Potomac canal system. What they discovered about the lives of Pointer and his family provides unique insight across two centuries of Washington, DC, history.”

Royalties from the sale of the book will go to Historic Chevy Chase DC (HCCDC), which has established a fund for promoting the legacy of George Pointer and his descendants.

11/29/2023

Thousands of District residents live in a row house. Almost every Washington Walks walking tour includes a stop at a row house or two. We can't get enough of them! So here's the holiday gift for the row house dwellers in your life: Kim Hoagland's "The Row House in Washington, D.C., A History." (It's also suitable for all those friends and loved ones who aspire to own a D.C. row house--or can't stop filling their Insta feeds with pix of them.) Hoagland's new book is one of our top picks for D.C.-centric books for holiday gift giving!