Free Walking Sightseeing Tour #11 in Washington, United States

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Tour Facts

Number of sights 7 sights
Distance 5.8 km
Ascend 170 m
Descend 154 m

Explore Washington in United States with this free self-guided walking tour. The map shows the route of the tour. Below is a list of attractions, including their details.

Individual Sights in Washington

Sight 1: Connecticut Avenue Northwest

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Connecticut Avenue Northwest Michiel1972 / CC BY-SA 3.0

The Taft Bridge is a historic bridge located in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. It carries Connecticut Avenue over the Rock Creek gorge, including Rock Creek and the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway, connecting the neighborhoods of Woodley Park and Kalorama. It is named after former United States president and Supreme Court Chief Justice William Howard Taft, and sits to the southwest of the Duke Ellington Bridge.

Wikipedia: Taft Bridge (EN)

1460 meters / 18 minutes

Sight 2: Statue of Winston Churchill

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Statue of Winston Churchill

The statue of Winston Churchill on Embassy Row in Washington, D.C., is a bronze memorial in honor of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. The plan to erect a memorial began after Churchill's 89th birthday. The English-Speaking Union (ESU) was the driving force behind the fundraising and installation of the statue. Eight sculptors submitted designs for the statue and the person chosen was William M. McVey. The architectural firms for the site were George F. Dalton and Associates and Fred Toguchi Associates.

Wikipedia: Statue of Winston Churchill (Washington, D.C.) (EN)

528 meters / 6 minutes

Sight 3: Number One Observatory Circle

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Number One Observatory Circle

Number One Observatory Circle, often referred to as the Naval Observatory, is the official residence of the vice president of the United States. Located on the northeast grounds of the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., the house was built in 1893 for the observatory superintendent. The chief of naval operations (CNO) liked the house so much that in 1923 he took over the house for himself. It remained the residence of the CNO until 1974, when Congress determined that it would be easier and less expensive to provide security in a government-provided residence, and authorized its transformation to an official residence for the vice president, though a temporary one. It is still the "official temporary residence of the vice president of the United States" by law. The 1974 congressional authorization covered the cost of refurbishment and furnishing the house.

Wikipedia: Number One Observatory Circle (EN), Website

1087 meters / 13 minutes

Sight 4: Dumbarton Oaks Park

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Dumbarton Oaks Park

The Dumbarton Oaks Park is a public park, located in the 3100 block of R Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C., in the Georgetown neighborhood. Access is via Lovers' Lane from R Street, east of 32nd Street. It is located near Dumbarton Oaks, Montrose Park, and Oak Hill Cemetery. It is located in the Georgetown Historic District. Now part of Rock Creek Park, it originally belonged to the Dumbarton Oaks estate. In the 2020's the National Park Service worked with the estate to restore and preserve the landscape architecture of Beatrix Farrand in the park.

Wikipedia: Dumbarton Oaks Park (EN)

794 meters / 10 minutes

Sight 5: Dumbarton Oaks

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Dumbarton Oaks

Dumbarton Oaks, formally the Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, is a historic estate in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. It was the residence and gardens of wealthy U.S. diplomat Robert Woods Bliss and his wife Mildred Barnes Bliss. The estate was founded by the Bliss couple, who gave the home and gardens to Harvard University in 1940. In 1944, it was the site of the Dumbarton Oaks Conference to plan for the post-WWII United Nations. The part of the landscaped portion of the estate that was designed as an enhanced "natural" area, was given to the National Park Service and is now Dumbarton Oaks Park.

Wikipedia: Dumbarton Oaks (EN), Website

1442 meters / 17 minutes

Sight 6: Bishop John Carroll

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Bishop John Carroll

Bishop John Carroll is a statue by the sculptor Jerome Connor commemorating Archbishop John Carroll, the founder of Georgetown University and the first Catholic bishop in the United States. Located in front of Healy Hall, on university's campus in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., the statue consists of a bronze sculpture of Carroll on top of a granite pedestal.

Wikipedia: Bishop John Carroll (statue) (EN)

526 meters / 6 minutes

Sight 7: Georgetown University Astronomical Observatory

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Georgetown University Astronomical Observatory

The Georgetown University Astronomical Observatory was founded in 1841 by Father James Curley of the Department of Physics at Georgetown College. Father Curley chose a site on the college grounds, planned the building, and supervised its construction to its completion in 1844. Costs were initially paid by Rev. Thomas Meredith Jenkins, S.J., and Rev. Charles H. Stonestreet, S.J., who were Georgetown professors at the time. The observatory was used in 1846 to determine the latitude and longitude of Washington, D.C., which Curley determined to be latitude 38°54′26N and longitude 5h8m18.29s.

Wikipedia: Georgetown University Astronomical Observatory (EN)

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Disclaimer Please be aware of your surroundings and do not enter private property. We are not liable for any damages that occur during the tours.

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