Few people know that historic canals were critical to the growth of Washington D.C. in the early 19th century. These canals include the Washington City Canal, the Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O) Canal and the Alexandria Canal. This bike/scooter tour explores the historic canals, canal boats, locks, and lockkeeper houses - and the people who built and used this incredible transportation infrastructure.
Bring your own bike/scooter - safety helmets are required. If you choose to rent a bike, there is a Capital Bikeshare docking station at our meeting point (more info about Capital Bikeshare in the FAQ section below). The ride is about 7 miles (11 kilometers) on flat ground and takes about 2 hours.
Here are the highlights of our tour:
From our meeting point, it is a very short ride to the 
Navy Yard Terminus
 of the historic 
Washington City Canal
. From there we proceed as closely as possible along the path of the historic canal. We stop at 
Canal Park
, a three-block stretch of 2nd St. SE which has several interpretive signs and historic photographs. From Canal Park, we ride around a section of the original path of the historic canal which was overtaken by what is now the Southeast Freeway (Interstate 695) and CSX railway. Along this detour we make a 
surprise stop
 at a place that predates the historic canal. Back on our bikes/scooters, we return to the historic path of the Washington City Canal on what is now Canal St. SE and ride to the 
Lockkeepers House.
 Along the way, we see the Washington City Canal memorialized at 
Freedom Plaza
. Then we make a brief stop to see artifacts of the historic Washington City Canal discovered when the National Museum of African American History was under construction. At the Lockkeeper's House you will learn the history of the house as well as the massive project by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to create West Potomac Park and East Potomac Park. After departing the Lockkeeper's House, we ride along a route approximating the path of the 
C&O Canal Extension
 to 
C&O Canal Mile 0
, a stone marker at the C&O Canal's southeastern terminus. Here we see the ruins of 
Tide Lock A
 that connected the C&O Canal to the Potomac River. From there the final leg of our ride takes us to 
C&O Canal Lock 4
. There we will see a 
working lift lock
, where a 
canal packet boat
 will be docked near the National Park Service's Visitor Center in Georgetown.
Legal Disclaimer:
 By participating in this tour, you agree to:
Provide your own bicycle or scooter in good mechanical condition and safety helmet.
Obey all traffic laws.
Hereby unconditionally RELEASE, WAIVE, and AGREE NOT TO SUE TommyToursDC or any of its employees.
Information Source: TommyToursDC | eventbrite

Washington D.C.

United States

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Came on September 22, 2017. I heard that the White House has not been open to the public since 911, and we can only look far outside the fence when we go, so the White House has become a boring landmark, taking a photo of the tourists who &ldquo;come here&rdquo; to check in. There is a big pine tree on the south side of the White House, and I didn&rsquo;t expect it to be a &ldquo;landmark&rdquo; and a &ldquo;national Christmas tree&rdquo;... Well, it seems that you should pick Christmas to visit.

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National Gallery of Art

Specialty exhibition halls

陌染MM

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