Nancydm

Planning a trip to Washington DC, any recommendations for things to do in Georgetown? Walking tours etc?

Anonymous

My daughter's favorite thing to do in Georgetown is to visit the gigantic Sephora makeup store.

There are several sources for walking tours, including some of the historic homes and gardens such as Tudor Place and Dumbarton Oaks, both of which are interesting to visit, themselves.

nicegirl512

Georgetown is more a place to see and be seen and browse fancy boutiques than sightsee, but the Old Stone House in the heart of it has a lovely small garden to sit in and enjoy the day. I have not been inside the house, but I believe there are tours.
http://www.nps.gov/archive/rocr/oldstonehouse/

There are also mule-drawn boat tours on the C&O Canal. Have not done this either but assume they are well-done. It is run by the park service; I don't know the cost. http://www.nps.gov/ncro/educ/park/choh.htm

If you enjoy biking, the C&O is a great place for it, it's flat and wide and well-maintained. Bike the Sites does not appear to have a regular C&O tour (I have done their tour of the Mall and enjoyed it a great deal), but you can rent bikes from them without a tour.
http://www.bikethesites.com/bike-tours.htm

The restaurants on the Waterfront, Sequoia particularly, are popular for sunset drinks. The prices are high and the crowds are...crowded, but it can be pleasant to sit outside and enjoy a cool drink while watching the sun set over the Potomac.

Rock Creek Park is accessible from Georgetown and it can be a very nice place to wander around. Stick to paths and areas where other people are, though.

I don't much care for Georgetown myself; I find it crowded, expensive, pretentious (the undergrads all carry handbags that cost more than my annual salary) and--once the sun goes down--full of drunken 21 year olds. But I think it does make many visitors' lists as part of the full DC experience and something they wouldn't want to miss out on based on the opinion of one cranky local!

MikeT

There is also Tudor HOuse and Dumbarton Oaks, which are beautiful homes and gardens well of the Gtown strip.

hop_along

As a former resident (many moons ago) and a recent tourist, I strongly second the comments of the cranky local (nicegirl) . . . I never did understand the appeal of Georgetown, which is a nice enough urban area to live for those who can afford it, but its offerings to the visitor are limited and its reputation exaggerated. .... Nothing wrong with checking it out for yourself, of course, but I recommend avoiding overly inflated expectations.