What we’re about
We are a touring & hiking club in the Washington, DC area focused on hikes and walks in and around historical, cultural, and scenic locales. Especially the towns and neighborhoods of Capitol Hill, Alexandria, Lafayette Square, Georgetown, Annapolis, downtown Washington, et al.
We add to the pleasure of a sociable hike the discovery of the cultural and historical aspects of the wayside along the routes, roads, and trails we tread. While benefiting from an invigorating hike or walk, time is taken for hike leaders - as well as fellow hikers - to share their knowledge of the architecture, human history, and natural history, of the area with the group.
Our recent focus has been on the rich political and cultural history of the Capitol region.
We also welcome members to step up and provide hikes of the area's equally rich man-made and natural beauty.
Upcoming events (2)
See all- 'First Night' Day Tour of Historic Alexandria Virginia, Sunday, Dec 31, 12 pm0 Prince St, Alexandria, VA$22.00
First Night Day Tour of Historic Alexandria, Virginia, Sunday, Dec 31, 12 pm, 12 pm noon to about 2:15 pm!
One of the region's best New Year Eve's celebration is Alexandria, VA's First Night, when musicians and other entertainers perform along King St. before the midnight hour. A perfect excuse to celebrate the town's rich heritage, with a history hike in the warmer, daylight hours before the big celebration.
A walk about Alexandria’s cultural core drips with an astonishing dense array of famous persons and historical events. Immerse yourself in one of America’s most fascinating towns. Learn about Old Town's wild and fascinating past, the hometown of George Washington and much more. Then head home to get rested and ready for New Year's Night.
MEET at the Waterfront Front Overlook, in the park on the river's edge, 0 Prince Alexandria, VA 22314, EAST end of the tunnel in the park.
Free street parking is available 2-3 blocks on either side of King St. Garage parking available near City Hall across from the Tavern. Free trolley bus from the King St. metro stop.
Fee: Prices start at $22.
About 2 hours in length.Pre-register and Pre-pay at--
Airbnb:
Walk in George Washington's Footsteps - Airbnb
Or
Eventbrite:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/first-night-day-tour-of-historic-alexandria-virginia-sun-dec-31-noon-tickets-778585990657?aff=oddtdtcreator
Or:
PayPal, sending $22 to savvyveteran@gmail.com
https://www.paypal.com/us/homeItinerary will select from:
• The hometown of Admirals, Presidents, Musicians, Educators
• Alexandria’s founding as a Top 10-busiest port city!
• The noted architects behind its stunning architecture
• World War Two lore
• The cowardly mayor who saved the city
• Locale of a famous Confederate, and Union Army, sculptor
• How the town started a world war
• The fistfight that George Washington lost, and won
• A greedy and famous pirate
• The grocer who triggered the civil rights movement
• The nation’s narrowest houses
• How George met Martha via a potent potable
• The site of the first six Presidential inaugural balls
• The real identity of the Mysterious Stranger
• Where the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence were written
• Rigged horse races & crazed drinking bouts from back in the day
• World-famous "Captain's Row"
• Medicine and pandemics back in the day
• The floating mansion
• A ghostly feline
• An in-town Civil War battle
• The true Father of His Country
And more!
Your guide is a former “Tonight Show” writer, an ex-Presidential speechwriter, & author of the book on D.C.’s history, The White House’s Unruly Neighborhood: Crime, Scandal & Intrigue in the History of Lafayette Square:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-white-houses-unruly-neighborhood-edward-p-moser/1131103788
And his latest, a thriller set in Alexandria itself, The Old Town Horror!:
And a book on the wild, hidden history of Congress and the Capitol Building:
https://www.amazon.com/Lost-History-Capital-Tumultuous-Congress/dp/1493055909
Plenty of excellent restaurants in the area afterwards.
Guide's tours are rated 5 stars on TripAdvisor!:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g28970-d12791843-Reviews-Lafayette_Square_Tour_of_Scandal_Assassination_Intrigue-Washington_DC_District_of.html
Think history’s dull? Think again!
Spend part of New Year's weekend with an exciting, informative walk through America's most historic town.
- Tour of Historic Congressional Cemetery, D.C., Mon, New Year's Day, Jan 1, 2 pm!Congressional Cemetery, Washington, DC$22.00
Tour of Historic Congressional Cemetery, D.C., Monday, New Year's Day, January 1, 2 pm!
Start the new year and burn off some of that holiday hangover and feasting at Congressional Cemetery! East of Capitol Hill and close to RFK Stadium, is one of the most historic and fascinating graveyards in the nation. Among those who’ve been laid to rest there are famed musician John Philip Sousa, as well as J. Edgar Hoover and his rumored lover, and D.C. Mayor Marion Barry. And the bodies of Dolley Madison and John Quincy Adams, kept there in a public vault until their burials elsewhere. Presidential assassins and Nazi saboteurs were executed at the nearby prison.
The graveyard, which dates from 1807, also contains the remains of civilians killed in a horrific munitions blowup, whose funeral President Lincoln attended, and those who died in the U.S. Navy’s worst accident. The place is linked to noted architects Benjamin Latrobe and William Thornton, the original designers of the Capitol Building and to America's first female journalist. For generations Congress itself maintained the cemetery, and today its upkeep is aided by local residents and their faithful canine companions.
When: Monday, New Year's Day, January 1, 2 pm
What: A walking tour of D.C.’s most famed and politically charged graveyard
Where: Meet at the cemetery's main entrance, Potomac Ave SOUTHEAST and 18th St., Washington, DC 20003
Length. About 2 hours.Pre-register and pay via:
Airbnb Experience:
Walk in the Footsteps of Congress - Airbnb
Or
Eventbrite:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tour-of-historic-congressional-cemetery-dc-mon-new-years-day-jan-1-tickets-785073926247?aff=oddtdtcreator
Or PayPal, sending $22 to: savvyveteran@gmail.com
https://www.paypal.com/us/homeQuestions? Contact: savvyveteran@gmail.com
Our packed itinerary will draw from:
• A mysterious vault that contained the remains of Dolley Madison and John Quincy Adams
• "The statue of Infinity"
• The local resident who composed the Marine Corps marches while hating recorded music
• The gravesite of D.C.’s “Mayor for Life”, Marion Barry, and D.C.'s bloodiest terrorist act!
• The astonishing memorial to D.C.’s most successful “lady of the evening”
• The more recently deceased, such as FBI founder J. Edgar Hoover and House Speaker Tip O’Neill
• The architect whose beguiling sister bewitched Thomas Jefferson
• The Cabinet officers who were killed in the worst peace-time Navy accident in American history--and the wild funeral that ensued!
• The Choctaw Indian chief of the Battle of New Orleans, plus an Apache chief, and a Northwest Native-American shrine!
• The Navy commander faced with the toughest decision imaginable
• Intriguing funereal architecture
• The man who taught politics the gerrymander
• A memorial to Irish immigrants slain in one of the Civil War’s worst accidents
• Figures from the largest slave escape in history
• The great photographer of the War Between the States
• The Lincoln assassination conspirator who hid among the graves, and the final resting place of another major Lincoln conspirator.
• Where a presidential assassin was hanged, and where Nazi saboteurs were executed
• The man who designed the Washington Monument, the National Portrait Gallery, and the Treasury Building, and his critics’ vicious attacks on his skill
• The Marine Corps’ longest-serving, and possibly bravest, Commandant
• The son of the man who saved the original Declaration of Independence and Constitution
• Ghosts and goblins among the ruins
And more!Our new podcast, on all audio outlets, including iTunes!:
https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1556351366
Your guide is a former writer for the “Tonight Show”, and ex-White House speechwriter. He is the author of:
The White House’s Unruly Neighborhood:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-white-houses-unruly-neighborhood-edward-p-moser/1131103788?ean=9781476636931His latest, a thriller set in Old Town Alexandria:
THE OLD TOWN HORROR: Murder and Theft in America's Most Historic Locale: Moser, Edward P: 9798390045213: Amazon.com: BooksAnd The Lost History of the Capitol:
https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100069892404115&eav=AfYtnhIMU8cAGS_zVQ9AxO1wmm6yirENZ1q6EZ01yB4Q_ccUV_oRESzE95ndHKo-088&paipv=0&_rdrWe’re on TripAdvisor:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g28970-d12791843-Reviews-Lafayette_Square_Tour_of_Scandal_Assassination_Intrigue-Washington_DC_District_of.htmlThink history’s boring? Not a chance!
Kick of 2024 with our fun group.
