Nine days of walking tours bring DC’s history to the streets

Cultural Tourism DC has hosted diverse, multiday groupings of free guided tours of neighborhoods around the city once or twice a year since 2000. Now offered each fall, WalkingTown DC will showcase 50 neighborhoods over the next nine days — from Sept. 15 through 23.

This year’s range of offerings is vast — geographically and thematically. They include bike tours along the city’s waterways and walking tours focusing on downtown’s historic theaters, the World War I-era American University Experiment Station, the distinctive architecture of LeDroit Park, the evolution of the Southwest waterfront, and the renowned but little-known art collection at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

Steve Shulman, executive director of Cultural Tourism DC, points out that in a city as fast-paced as DC, these tours are a welcome opportunity to stop and take in all of the history around us. Shulman views all the walks as opportunities to find the “hidden gems” in DC, such as its Irish heritage, its many colorful murals, and the landscape of the U.S. Capitol, which was specially designed to include trees that bloom year-round. Shulman’s advice for walking, especially on these tours, is to look in four directions as you go: right and left, down so you don’t trip, and up so you can enjoy the views.

A new web app called HistoryQuestDC has made it easier for tour guides to find information as they work on developing their itineraries. One click on the geo map provides details of the area. Jim Byers, who is in his 15th year guiding tours with WalkingTown, credits the app with helping him keep his tours fresh with new material. He recommends that participants select a tour in a part of the city they’ve never visited before. His favorite part of the walks is “seeing people’s jaws drop” when they witness the unique beauty of each DC neighborhood, especially in Southeast, where some visitors don’t initially expect it.

Fiona Clem, a tour guide who has been involved with WalkingTown for about eight years, is on board with the idea of experiencing new things. This year she is challenging herself by switching the focus of her Meridian Hill tour from the park to the mansions of the area. Clem relishes the details she’s learned as a participant on some of the tours led by others — for instance, the fact that Brookland was the childhood home of Pearl Bailey, an Emmy- and Tony-winning actress and singer who was named special ambassador to the United Nations and awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Or that a Civil War encampment called Fort Bunker Hill was built by the Union Army in the area where Catholic University now stands.

WalkingTown DC is led by folks with strong ties to the District. Most have lived here for years, and some grew up in the area. Since the event’s annual lineup emphasizes walking and biking tours, we asked some of the organizers how they like to get around town:

Steve Shulman, executive director of Cultural Tourism DC

Preferred method of transportation: Walking, with an emphasis on looking up because “too many of us keep our eyes on sidewalks.”

Fiona Clem, tour guide

Preferred method of transportation: Multimodal. Likes an urban environment, where she can “do it all.” Prefers walking over cars. Likes bikes. Loves trains.

Jim Byers, tour guide

Preferred method of transportation: As a collector of vintage automobiles, he’s a “car guy,” but he loves walking to “soak it all in.”

If you’re not able to make this year’s tours, there’s another option available year-round. Cultural Tourism DC has 18 Neighborhood Heritage Trails around the city, each with a suggested walking path with signs listing historic facts along the way so you can learn more about your community and neighbors. A new trail with six signs is in the works for the North Capitol and Eckington area.