The Georgetown of M Street & the Canal
Washington D.C., United States
This walk follows M Street from its role as a colonial roadway to its transformation alongside the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, tracing Georgetown’s rise from port town to national landmark. Along the way, the route explores Revolutionary-era lives, War of 1812 tensions, canal labor, and river commerce, ending at the Old Stone House, the city’s oldest surviving building. Expect layered stories of merchants, soldiers, surveyors, and everyday residents whose lives shaped the capital’s oldest neighborhood.
The stops
- 01 M Street - A Road Well Traveled
A useful corridor stop for understanding how M Street became Georgetown's main commercial spine and a window into the neighborhood's layered history.
- 02 M Street Bridge (Washington, D.C.)
The M Street Bridge, also known as the M Street Overpass, carries M Street across Rock Creek and the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway.
- 03 Equestrian statue of George Washington
This equestrian statue commemorates George Washington as both military leader and national symbol, positioned near a corridor he knew well as a surveyor and commander.
- 04 Benjamin Banneker and Suter's Tavern
This stop connects Georgetown to early surveying, tavern life, and the world of Benjamin Banneker, adding depth to the Revolutionary-era story.
- 05 From Seaport to National Park
An interpretive stop that captures the transformation of Georgetown's waterfront from commercial port to heritage landscape.
- 06 Georgetown Waterfront
The waterfront landscape where canal trade, Potomac shipping, and later recreation all overlap. It is one of the best places to sense Georgetown's transformation from port town to historic district.
- 07 Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
The essential landscape for this tour: the canal shaped Georgetown’s industrial edge, moved goods, and anchored the neighborhood’s 19th-century trade and labor history.
- 08 Canal House
A strong canal-era landmark that helps interpret Georgetown's working waterfront and the neighborhood's evolution alongside the C&O Canal.
- 09 Potomac No. 5
A canal- and river-related stop that fits the Georgetown waterfront story and adds a more specific layer to the working history of the Potomac corridor.
- 10 Old Stone House
Georgetown’s oldest surviving building, offering a tangible link to the colonial era that predates the canal and the later national capital around it.
The narration at every stop is in the app — this is the map of where it takes you, with a line on each stop.
Walk The Georgetown of M Street & the Canal with a voice in your ear.
Download Odyssey Guide on iPhone to start this walk.
Download on the App StoreiPhone · iOS 16 and later