Take a trip through time in this old-world riverfront locale, where grand old buildings set the scene for modern dining, shopping, and live music.
Don’t be fooled by the cobblestone streets and Federal-style buildings, Georgetown is a contemporary enclave in Washington D.C. As one of D.C.’s oldest districts, Georgetown is the city’s silver fox. Its handsome facades of stone mansions and brick row houses belies the round-the-clock energy channeled into the district via its local university campus and waterfront dining precinct. Experience Georgetown’s quiet side with a tour around its 18th-century streets or get a taste for the neighborhood’s verve at carousing college bars.
If you feel like delving into the history of this National Historic Landmark area, make your first stop the Georgetown Visitor Center. Here you can pick up a pocket guide or join a free walking tour of the district’s heritage buildings. Washington’s oldest unchanged building is the aptly titled Old Stone House. Today it contains a museum and colonial period furnishings. See where America’s founding fathers wet their whistles at the City Tavern Club or check out the Tudor Palace House and Garden to see artworks and antiques spanning three centuries.
Looking for date ideas? Look no further than Georgetown’s section of the old C&O Canal. Take a ride on a replica 18th-century boat drawn by mules that amble along the canal-side towpath. Go on a romantic walk or cycle on the promenade alongside Georgetown Riverside Park and check out the preserved aqueducts, watermills, and lock houses. As evening falls, take your date for a special meal at a seafood restaurant overlooking the Potomac River (maybe save the bowl of Belgian-style mussels for the second date – they’re kinda messy). Thanks to its resident student population, Georgetown’s bars and pubs don’t save all their nightlife for the weekends. Hit up college bars, live music lounges, and old-school taverns to see how Georgetown shines at night.