Georgetown, Washington DC
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Georgetown, Washington, D.C.’s most historic neighborhood. Lined with cobblestone streets and 18th and 19th-century architecture, the waterfront town was first established in 1751 and remains as one of the city’s most treasured neighborhoods blending the old and new. Throughout history, Georgetown has served as home to a long list of famous residents including Thomas Jefferson, Francis Scott Key, John F. Kennedy, Herman Wouk, and Elizabeth Taylor. Today, it is a popular area to visit for both locals and tourists.
5 Reasons Georgetown is Unique
1. Georgetown is the oldest part of the city. It was originally a separate city in 1751 before the area became the District of Columbia.
2. From 1890-1899, the Washington and Georgetown Railroad ran a cable-car network through Georgetown.
3. The Old Stone House, built in 1766 at 3051 M Street, is the oldest house in Washington D.C.
4. There are approximately 58 houses listed as individual Georgetown landmarks that are of Federal City/Pre-Civil War importance.
5. Along the waterfront, the Potomac Boat Club at 3530 K Street was built in 1870
Georgetown is best for families with one or two children and young couples new to parenthood. About half of people own their homes, and half the area is single. It’s a great way to ease into parenthood while still having access to your previous child-free life. It’s divided into two areas known as East Village (east of Wisconsin Ave NW) and West Village (west of Wisconsin Ave NW). Both areas are primarily dominated by historic Georgian, Federal or Victorian townhouses. You’ll also find a few condominiums scattered around the neighborhood.
The most popular areas are located between 33rd and 34th Street NW in the West Village on the blocks of N, O, and P Street. However, due to the exclusivity of the neighborhood, living in Georgetown is very expensive. When searching for housing, it’s important to keep in mind that the area north of M Street and west of Wisconsin Ave is near Georgetown University. The closer to school, the louder it gets during weekends.
Car break-ins, robberies and nuisance crimes like any other urban neighborhoods happen in this area of the city, but violent crimes are rare. It is one of the safest neighborhoods to live in Washington DC.
If you have a car, you should be aware that finding street parking in Georgetown is difficult, especially on weekends. Most condominiums and apartment buildings do not provide private parking for residents, leaving very limited street options. Only 20 percent of Georgetown’s properties offer some type of reserved parking space for the owner.
Additionally, Georgetown does not have a Metro station. The closest stations are Dupont Circle Station and Foggy Bottom Station at George Washington University. Both stations are about a 20 minute walk from the center of Georgetown.
On the weekends, this neighborhood is bustling with shoppers and tourists, and at night the restaurants and bars are happening. Wisconsin Ave NW and M Street NW are packed with cafes and restaurants ranging from fast food to white tablecloth. If you are looking for an upscale urban lounge, a low-key hangout, or a sophisticated jazz club, Georgetown has it.
A View of Georgetown
Things to do in Georgetown
Key Bridge Boathouse
Key Bridge Boathouse might be one of the most photographed and recognizable boathouses on the East Coast. With its colorful fleet of kayaks and canoes, painted docks, and iconic location underneath an arched span of the Key Bridge, D.C.’s oldest standing bridge, Key Bridge Boathouse is an experience to behold on a summer day.
Georgetown Cupcake
Grab a sweet treat at local bakery Georgetown Cupcake. The business shot to fame when its owners, sisters Katherine Berman and Sophie LaMontagne, became the focus of a TLC reality show. The line for the shop’s sweet treats usually snakes around the block.
Take a self-guided Kennedy walking tour
Retrace the steps of one of America’s most iconic presidential couples – John and Jacqueline Kennedy – with a tour around the neighborhood. You can visit the church where they worshipped and go to the restaurant to sit at the booth where JFK proposed in June 1953.
Blues Alley
Founded in 1965 and modeled after the jazz clubs of the 1920s, this supper club-style music venue is hidden away in an alley carriage house and hosts live jazz musicians almost every night of the year. Throughout its history, such legendary performers as Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie and Tony Bennett have taken the stage at the Washington institution.
Shop Small
Small, independent boutiques, galleries, and restaurants make up the charming area known as Book Hill, located along Wisconsin Avenue from O Street to Reservoir Road. From Book Hill Park you can take in a panoramic view of Georgetown, the Potomac River and Virginia.
Places to Explore in Georgetown
Tudor Place: A model of Federal-period architecture in the nation’s capital, Tudor Place was home to six generations of Martha Washington’s descendants from 1805 to 1983 and the enslaved workers and servants who lived and worked here. With over 18,000 decorative objects, including the largest Washington Collection outside of Mount Vernon, Tudor Place sits on 5 ½ acres in the heart of Georgetown.
Dumbarton Oaks Garden: Secluded and lush, the grounds of this beautiful park have been described as being like the Secret Garden and it’s no surprise why: Manicured greenery, winding pathways and classical fountains comprise a 27-acre historic park that sits atop the highest hill in Georgetown. An adjacent museum specializes in Byzantine and Pre-Columbian art.
Old Stone House: The Old Stone House is the oldest unchanged building in Washington, D.C., United States. The house is also Washington’s last Pre-Revolutionary colonial building on its original foundation. Built in 1765, Old Stone House is located at 3051 M Street, Northwest.
Oak Hill Cemetery: Among the nearly twenty-thousand Oak Hill inhabitants reside some who became notable in their time for their achievements in the arts, politics, government, law, the military and business. Much like a living classroom, this public museum is a vast three-dimensional out-of-doors memory bank. Cenotaphs, sculptures, monuments and inscriptions surround visitors with beauty and majesty.
Washington Harbour: Take a stroll along the boardwalk and take in the nation’s iconic scenery—watch the boats, see the views of the Kennedy Center, Watergate, Key Bridge, and across the water to Virginia.
Fun Fact For Your Next Trivia Night
Exorcist steps at the corner of 36th and Prospect streets. The steps had their moment of fame as the spot where Father Karras tumbled to his demise in the in the cult horror classic The Exorcist.
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