22 Sep 2010

WalkingTown DC: The Hill Version

photo uploaded to flickr by Travlr

Every spring and fall, Cultural Tourism DC puts together WalkingTown/BikingTown DC, over 100 free tours of the city by foot and bike. So many, in fact, that the choices can be overwhelming. So for those of you who want to stay in the greater Capitol Hill area this weekend, there are a ton of great options. For a particularly good time, I recommend the Uppity Women Tour at Congressional Cemetery. I’d be a bit wary of the bike tour though; the guide over there looks a little sketchy….

Be sure to check out Cultural Tourism’s site to find out special instructions. Some tours require reservations.

  • Explore Florida Market/Capitol City Market:
    • 9-11 am, Saturday, meet at Florida Ave. exit of New York Ave-Florida Ave-Gallaudet U Metro station.
    • The Florida Market is the city’s major wholesale food distribution center. The tour will stop at restaurants and vendors selling at retail, including the DC Farmers Market building, and address development issues that threaten the market.
    • Presented by the Citizens Planning Coalition, Frozen Tropics weblog, Capitol Hill North Neighborhood Association, and Rebuilding Place in Urban Space weblog; and led by DC resident and advocate for urban revitalization Richard Layman and two volunteers.
  • US Capitol Grounds – Olmsted Landscape Tour:
    • 9:30 -11:30 am, Saturday, 2:30-4:30 pm Saturday, 9:30-11:30 am Sunday; Library of Congress; Jefferson Building’s South Terrace
    • Commissioned by Congress in 1874 to design the grounds of the U.S. Capitol, Frederick Law Olmsted created an innovative landscape, presenting the building to greatest visual effect while overcoming numerous design challenges. Explore the history and design of the Capitol Grounds while learning about its intricate features: the Olmsted-designed marble terraces, brick summerhouse, masterful stone and ironwork, carefully crafted views, and circulation paths. Please note: tour includes uphill walking.
    • Presented by Cultural Tourism DC member organizations the National Association for Olmsted Parks and the United States Capitol Historical Society.
  • Historic Congressional Cemetery’s Uppity Women Tour:
    • 11 am – Noon, Meet at the Chapel (not the gate house)
    • As they fought the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote, the suffragists of Washington, DC led fascinating lives. One carved busts of feminist leaders Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony to persuade them serve as bridesmaids at her wedding. One gave up her fancy Cleveland Park house to wear men’s clothes and teach in the slums of Georgetown. One snuck out of her office at The New York Times to help the Women’s Party write press releases. Learn these stories and more in Uppity Women, a new suffrage-themed tour at the Historic Congressional Cemetery on Capitol Hill. Please note: This tour does involve moderately strenuous walking over uneven ground and two-hundred-year-old paved stones.
    • Presented by Cultural Tourism DC member organization Historic Congressional Cemetery and led by The Dozen Decent Docents of Historic Congressional Cemetery.
  • NoMA: From the Beatles to NPR
    • 10:30 – 11:30 am, Meet at
  • Connecting East to West: H ST Northeast
    • 12-1:30 pm, Meet at Freedom Bell in front of Union Station
    • Take a tour of H Street NE and the neighborhood. H Street Northeast is a commercial district surrounded by residential communities that links Northeast DC to Northwest DC and connects downtown, Union Station, and Capitol Hill to the west and the south. This area was once home to a mix of residential homes, shops, professional services, major chains, and department stores. The tour will highlight many historically significant places and people who lived, shopped, and worked near and around the corridor.
    • Presented and led by T. Isler.
  • Gay and Lesbian Capitol Hill
    • 2-3:30 pm, Mr. Henry’s on 6th and Penn
    • Capitol Hill’s LGBT tour discusses the development of the gay community in this unique neighborhood and growth of the club scene along Pennsylvania Avenue and Eighth Street, SE, the Metropolitan Community Church, and the birth of women’s clubs. Highlights include the first gay “super” clubs; Lammas, the de-facto women’s center of its day; and drag shows on Capitol Hill.
    • Presented by Cultural Tourism DC member organization Rainbow History Project and led by Rainbow History Project Board Members Kim Sescoe and Philip Clark.
  • Capitol Hill: Marching with John Phillip Sousa
    • 9-10 am, Eastern Market Metro
    • Trace locations of DC’s native son John Philip Sousa’s life from his birthplace through his formative years to his ultimate appointment as conductor of the President’s Own Marine Corps Band. Be prepared to hear some of Sousa’s famous marches on Dwane’s trumpet and/or kazoo.
    • Presented and led by professional performer and tour guide Dwane Starlin.
  • Capitol Riverfront: From Navy Yard to Front Yard
    • 10-11 am Sunday, Navy Yard Metro, New Jersey Ave entrance
    • The Capitol Riverfront is DC’s new neighborhood along the river, surrounding the recently completed 5.5 acre, $30 million Yards Park. During this tour you’ll learn about the distinct industrial heritage of the Yards development. Here is where the U.S. Navy once produced ships’ instruments and employed 26,000 people. This tour visits historic buildings preserved for future adaptive reuse. Learn about the design elements of the park and hear how the park is the centerpiece of a new community focused on sustainable development and riverfront renewal.
    • Presented by the Capitol Riverfront Business Improvement District and led by Michael Stevens.
  • Ward 6 Meets the Future Bike Tour
    • 11 am to 12:30 pm, Kingman Island
    • This bike tour of Ward 6 will start at Kingman Island on the Anacostia River Trail and follow the trail down to Pennsylvania Ave near Barney Circle and then up Pennsylvania Ave SE to the Historic Eastern Market. We’ll then ride through Barracks Row to reconnect to the River Trail, where we’ll first stop along Boathouse Row, before continuing to the brand new Canal Park, Yards Park, and Diamond Teague Park in the shadow of Nationals Ballpark. Finally, we’ll enjoy a ride up to M Street, SW and over to the Titanic Memorial before cruising along the Washington Channel to end at the Fish Market.
    • Presented and led by Councilmember Tommy Wells – Ward 6

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One response to “WalkingTown DC: The Hill Version”

  1. MJ says:

    So many great options! Why am I going out of town this weekend?!

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