Georgetown Historic District, Washington

The C & O Canal is the 184-mile (294 km) long waterway running along the Potomac River from the mouth of Rock Creek in Georgetown to Cumberland, Maryland. The canal was planned as a western passage joining the Chesapeake Bay and the Ohio River. 12-foot (3.63m) wide paths alongside the canal were built for mules to pull barges of coal and goods.Today, mules still pull tourist passenger barges through sections of the canal. In total it contains 74 locks and rises from near sea level to 605 feet. Though no longer in operation, the canal area is a popular spot for outdoor activities.The canal was named a national monument in 1961 and became a national park 10 years later. It is run by the National Park Service and there are rangers on hand to answer questions.

Washington Harbor is found upstream from the junction of the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers, near the mouth of Rock Creek. It developed as a place for boats to anchor as they waited to travel through the C & O Canal.The commercial port is not as active today as in earlier years. The area has been renovated and is more known today for its restaurants, cafes, hotels and boardwalks.It is located near Georgetown although many visitors tend to overlook it. One of the unique features of the harbor is a system of poles in place to protect the area in the event of a flood.

The Dumbarton House was built for Joseph Nourse, who served as Register of the U.S. Treasury for the first six Presidents of the United States. This Federal period house features exhibits of Federal style furniture, paintings, textiles, silver, and ceramics. Dunbarton House is also home to one of five original known copies of the Articles of Confederation, as well as papers, journals, account books, ledgers and letters highlighting nearly 300 years of Nourse family life.

Dumbarton Oaks is a 16 acre estate with gardens and home to the Center for Byzantine Studies, Pre-Columbian Studies and Landscape Studies. The library contains manuscripts, rare books and a valuable Byzantine and Christian art collection. The gardens at Dumbarton Oaks feature small formal gardens and a Roman-style amphitheater. Also of note, conferences were held here in 1944 which led to the formation of United Nations.

Tudor Place is an early 19th C mansion built by Martha Washington's granddaughter, Martha Custis Peter, and her husband, Thomas Peter. Six generations of the same family lived here from 1805 to 1984.Items from George and Martha Washington's Mount Vernon home are a highlight of the Tudor Place collection. The Federal period gardens were developed by the Peter family and still contain plants and trees from the early 19th C.

Georgetown University is the oldest Roman Catholic and Jesuit College, founded in 1789, in the United States. Many of the 18th and 19th century buildings are still in service. Bill Clinton is an alumni of Georgetown.The Healy Building on the campus is a Nationally Registered site.

The Kreeger Museum displays a wide collection of art from the 1850s to the 1970s including paintings by Monet, Renoir, Sisley, Chagall, Gaugin and Picasso. The permanent collection also features traditional pieces from west and central Africa as well as some Indian and Pre-Colombian pieces.

Theodore Roosevelt Island, a 91-acre wooded island, is a memorial site to the 26th president. There is a 17-foot bronze statue of Roosevelt and excerpts from some of his memorable writings and speeches. Nearly two miles of trails lead through the marsh, swamp and forest where animals can sometimes be seen.