Walking Tour Weekend

Free walking tour day strikes again. Cultural Tourism DC is bringing 80 free walking tours (and a few bike tours) to 18 neighborhoods across the city. I did one of Georgetown last year and it was quite interesting- WAY WAY too crowded but interesting. The tour guide was very perky and when she couldn’t remember information, she had her notes ready. We ended up jumping off the tour early since with so many people, walking from stop to stop was becoming excruciatingly slow and drank beer and had a late lunch instead. Here are a couple that look interesting. Check out the schedule for more.

Peirce Mill to Turn Again
Saturday 10 am - 12 noon
Meet and end at Peirce Mill, Tilden Street and Beach Drive, NW
Peirce Mill, the last standing mill in the District, is nearing completion of a $1 million restoration program that will enable the 200-year-old mill to grind grain again. A visit to the mill will reveal the fish ladder at the dam that allows herring to migrate upstream for spring spawning and Cloverdale, a historic home once owned by the Peirce family. Led by Steve Dryden and presented by Friends of Peirce Mill.

Drawing Wisconsin
Sunday 11 am - 12 noon
Meet and end at the Corcoran College of Art + Design, Georgetown campus, 1801 35th Street, NW
Reservations required: 202-661-7581 or reply@CulturalTourismDC.org
Wisconsin Avenue in Georgetown is a lively mix of historic architecture, greenery, intriguing shops, and people from near and far – an ideal subject for sketching! The tour guides will offer lessons in observational drawing suitable for beginners and more experienced sketchers. Materials provided. Presented by the Corcoran College of Art + Design.

A Musical Tour of Mount Pleasant
Sunday 2 - 4 pm
Meet across from Columbia Heights Metro station on 14th Street in front of CVS
End in Lamont Park
Discover DC’s historic popular music scene – from country/western through rock ‘n’ roll, mariachi, and punk. Starting on 14th Street in Columbia Heights, wind your way through Mount Pleasant to see where music makers lived and played, and hear the tour guides recreate their music! Led by Mara Cherkasky, with Natalie Avery, Olivia Cadaval, Wayne Kahn, and Janelle Treibitz.

H Street NE Alley Tour
Sunday 10 am - 12:30 pm
Meet outside New York Avenue Metro station (south exit at M Street, NE)
End at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1300 H Street, NE
This tour traces the development of the H Street neighborhood along the railroad, and discusses how alleys became locations for stables, industry storage, and housing. The tour includes a stop at two occupied alley dwellings. Led by Richard Layman and presented by Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space blog, Frozen Tropics blog, and the Citizens Planning Coalition.

DC 8 WARDS EcoTour (Bike Tour)
Sunday 9 am - 1:30 pm
Meet outside Eastern Market Metro station plaza
End at Tenleytown Metro station
Reservations required: www.WholenessforHumanity.com or 202-686-9813
This 21-mile bike ride through all eight wards of DC will raise awareness of projects that enhance the health of the Anacostia Watershed. Visit active service projects and learn about successful environmental projects along the way. Led by Ronald Austin, clean city coordinator, Office of the Mayor, and presented by Wholeness for Humanity, U.S. EPA, Service for Peace, Downtown DC BID, Friends of the Earth, DC Department of the Clean City, DC Department of the Environment, and Office of Planning.
Special instructions: Please bring your own bike.