FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 3, 2008

WALK THIS WAY: TOURS SHOW OFF AMERICA'S MOST WALKABLE CITY

Green-minded travelers and health-conscious visitors quickly come to understand why DC topped the list of “America’s Most Walkable Communities” in a recent study by the Brookings Institution. The city’s broad, tree-lined streets and pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods like Dupont Circle, Georgetown, Adams Morgan and Capitol Hill make it a favorite for travelers who want to navigate the city on their own two feet. With walking tour season just around the corner, it’s time to take a closer look at unique ways to see DC.

The District’s newest walking tour company, DC by Foot, launched last year, offering free hour-long tours two or three times a day from February through November, starting near the National Mall. The young, energetic  tour guides  are part performers, part professors  who tell  epic stories and obscure anecdotes of the men and women behind DC’s monuments – and they work only for tips.

Neighborhood history comes into focus with specialty walking tours from Washington Walks. The two-hour themed tours are bargain-priced at $10 per person, and reservations are never required.  Follow in Duke Ellington’s footsteps on Black Broadway in “Before Harlem there was U Street,” or munch your way through favorite local eateries on "A Moveable Feast." There’s a different tour - or sometimes more than one tour - nearly every day of the week. Tours conveniently meet outside a Metro station or near the Mall. 

For the traveler that likes to experience the city at a faster pace, City Running Tours offers fitness-focused travelers a chance to explore hidden parts of the city with a trained guide and runner.  It’s ideal for the business traveler tired of the hotel treadmill or the recreational runner looking to explore new routes instead of the same old routine.  City Running Tours offers both set tours and customized runs to accommodate any athletic ability, style, training regimen or specific landmarks.

Or, visitors who hit their stride on the trails can try out a route on the more than 800 miles of recreational trails in the metro area. The Mount Vernon Trail and Capitol Crescent Trail are easily reached from downtown, while Rock Creek  Park is a favorite urban escape.  Log on to Washington.org to learn more about the DC outdoors.

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