Things to do in Georgetown, DC: a resident's guide

What to do in Georgetown if you live here

Most lists of things to do in Georgetown start on M Street. If you live here, the better places are a few blocks uphill, where three former estates are now open to the public. Together they cover about 31 acres, and two of them run on seasons and small fees that pay off when you can walk over on a weekday.

The difference shows in the math. A visitor pays $15 for one afternoon in the Dumbarton Oaks gardens. Someone who lives a few blocks away can buy a $75 pass, drop in for an hour after work from March to October, and use Montrose Park next door for nothing the rest of the year. The canal and waterfront work the other way: they're free and open, and they're where the crowds go.

The rest of this guide groups places by how you'd use them: the gardens and houses on the hill, the parks you'd use every week, the canal and river, history, and evenings on the commercial streets.

Gardens and historic houses on the Heights

Dumbarton Oaks gardens

The gardens are the reason to live within walking distance of 31st and R Streets, where the garden entrance is. From March 1 to October 31 they open 2:00 to 6:00 p.m., Tuesday to Sunday, with last entry at 5:30. Tickets are $15, sold online only. In November and December the winter season runs 2:00 to 5:00 p.m., free with an advance reservation, and the gardens close from January 1 to February 28.

The pick is a season pass: $75 for one person, $95 for two and $110 for a family. At $15 a visit, the single pass pays for itself on the fifth visit. The catch is that the 2026 passes sold out, so buy early when 2027 sales open.

Dumbarton Oaks museum and Rare Book Library

The museum and the Rare Book Library are free and need no ticket. They're open 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Tuesday to Sunday except federal holidays, at 1703 32nd Street. The museum is the one part of the estate you can visit in January and February. The house dates to 1801, per the Georgetown BID.

Tudor Place

Tudor Place, at 1644 31st Street, dates to 1816 according to the BID and opened to the public in October 1988. House tours run about 50 minutes on a suggested donation of $10, with a $5 rate for seniors, military and ages 6 to 18. The 5 1/2-acre garden is self-guided with no registration. The catch: from October 6 through the end of 2026 it's closed on Tuesdays, and there's no garden entry after 3:30 p.m.

Parks you'd use every week

Montrose Park

If you only use one park in Georgetown, make it this one. The National Park Service describes it as a sixteen-acre park on the heights overlooking Georgetown, and it's free and next door to Dumbarton Oaks. Features from its years as an estate, 1804 to 1911, survive: the Ropewalk, the Summerhouse and the Boxwood Gardens.

Georgetown Waterfront Park

Completed in fall 2011 at Wisconsin Avenue and K Street, the waterfront park is where Georgetown meets the Potomac. NPS lists a seasonal fountain at Wisconsin and K, a labyrinth at the western end, River Steps with a pergola, rain gardens, a living shoreline and pollinator gardens. It's the part of Georgetown most visitors see first. Homes along this stretch are covered in the Georgetown waterfront guide.

The C&O Canal and the river

The C&O Canal and its Georgetown visitor center

The C&O Canal runs 184.5 miles from Georgetown to Cumberland, Maryland, and ground was broken in 1828. Lock 4 is in Georgetown, and the National Park Service lists a Georgetown visitor center for the canal park. The towpath is the free, everyday part of it.

Canal boat rides, expected back in 2027

Replica canal boat rides returned in 2022 after more than a decade, with tickets handled by Georgetown Heritage. The Georgetown BID expects them back in 2027, so there are none to book in 2026.

Key Bridge Boathouse

The boathouse at 3500 Water Street rents boats from the Georgetown riverbank. Its season, hours and rates change, so check its own site before you go.

History and house research

The Old Stone House

The Georgetown BID dates the Old Stone House to 1765 and calls it the oldest standing building in Washington. The National Park Service runs it; check nps.gov for current hours before visiting.

The Peabody Room at Georgetown Library

For anyone who owns or is buying an old Georgetown house, this is the most useful room in the neighborhood. The Georgetown Library at 3260 R Street holds the Peabody Room, a special collection of Georgetown history that's part of DC Public Library's People's Archive. Walk-ins are welcome during library hours; the library closes from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. for lunch. Pair a visit with the guide to the historic district and Old Georgetown Board or the wider guide to DC's historic homes.

Georgetown University

Founded in 1789, the university describes itself as the oldest Catholic and Jesuit university in the country. Its campus sits at the west end of the neighborhood, above the river.

Evenings on the commercial streets

M Street and Wisconsin Avenue

The Georgetown BID counts more than 470 businesses in its district, most of them along these two streets. From most of the Heights it's a walk downhill, which makes dinner on M Street the natural end to an afternoon in the gardens.

Blues Alley

The BID describes Blues Alley as the oldest continuously operated jazz supper club in America.

Georgetown by season

The Heights run on a calendar, so plan by month rather than by list.

March to October

Peak season. The Dumbarton Oaks gardens are open with $15 tickets, the waterfront fountain is seasonal, and the Key Bridge Boathouse runs its own season (check its dates). This is when a season pass earns its cost.

November and December

The Dumbarton Oaks gardens switch to winter hours and are free with a reservation. The BID's GLOW light-art event ran for nine years and is on hiatus since 2025; the BID now points to its Georgetown Jingle holiday performances instead.

January and February

The quietest months. The gardens at Dumbarton Oaks close, but the Dumbarton Oaks museum, the Peabody Room and Montrose Park don't depend on the season. Check Tudor Place's 2027 hours before going.

Plan a day with your own calendar

1. Pick the month. From January to February, start with the Dumbarton Oaks museum; from March to October, with its gardens.
2. Pick the day. Avoid Mondays for Dumbarton Oaks and, through 2026, Tuesdays for Tudor Place.
3. Pick the time. Tudor Place's garden first, before 3:30 p.m., then the Dumbarton Oaks gardens, which open at 2:00.
4. Finish in Montrose Park, then walk downhill for dinner on M Street.

Living within walking distance of this loop is part of what a Heights address buys, which is why it belongs in any listing description; the Georgetown seller's guide covers how that's priced. To see what a house near these places costs, start with homes for sale in Georgetown, and for the day-to-day trade-offs of living here, read what living in Georgetown is like.

Common questions

Sources

• Dumbarton Oaks: Visit
• Tudor Place: Visit
• National Park Service: Montrose Park
• National Park Service: Georgetown Waterfront Park
• National Park Service, C&O Canal NHP: Georgetown Visitor Center
• Georgetown BID: About Georgetown
• Georgetown BID: Georgetown GLOW
• DC Public Library: Georgetown Library
• Boating in DC: Key Bridge Boathouse