Georgetown Historic District and Waterfront

Georgetown is a historic neighborhood in northwest Washington, DC, in the United States, centered on M Street and Wisconsin Avenue NW. Established in 1751, before the creation of the capital, it is one of the oldest settlements in the area and retains many Federal-style townhouses, cobbled streets and brick sidewalks. M Street and Wisconsin Avenue form the commercial spine, lined with boutiques, restaurants and national retailers. The Georgetown Waterfront Park, along the Potomac River, offers a promenade, a fountain, lawns and views of Key Bridge and the Virginia shore, and kayak and paddle rentals are available nearby. The C&O Canal, completed in the nineteenth century, runs through the neighborhood, with its towpath used for walking and cycling and a National Park Service visitor center in the Georgetown section. Georgetown University, founded in 1789, occupies a hilltop campus to the west, and the Old Stone House, the oldest unchanged building in the city, is on M Street. The neighborhood has no Metro station, so most visitors arrive by the DC Circulator Georgetown-Union Station route, a Metrobus, or on foot from the Foggy Bottom-GWU station about 0.9 miles away. Streets are open at all hours and most shops operate from about 10am to 8pm, with admission to the neighborhood itself free. A visit typically takes two to four hours. Crowds are heaviest on weekend afternoons and evenings; weekday afternoons are calmer, and evenings are busy with diners. The best photo angles include the waterfront, the canal locks and the historic rowhouses on side streets such as Prospect Street.