Chesapeake And Ohio Canal Historical Park In Georgetown, Washington D.C., Guia do visitante e o que fazer por perto

The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal in Georgetown is the western end of a 19th-century waterway built to carry coal and goods from the Appalachians to the Potomac, now a national historical park in Washington D.C. Its stone locks, towpath and old canal walls are among the best-preserved traces of Georgetown's working past.

The story behind it

Work on the C&O Canal began in 1828, with the aim of linking the Potomac at Georgetown to the Ohio River valley. The canal never got that far. It reached Cumberland, Maryland, in 1850, after about 184 miles of locks, aqueducts and towpath. Boats were pulled by mules walking the towpath beside the water, and coal was the main cargo heading downstream to Georgetown.

Georgetown was already an established port, and the canal tied it into this new trade. Railroads soon competed for the same freight, and repeated floods damaged the canal, which ceased operating in 1924. The land later became a national monument and then, in 1971, a national historical park. Today the Georgetown stretch is a quiet green corridor running below the streets, with locks you can walk right up to.

What to look for

• The stone lock chambers, where you can see how boats were raised and lowered between different water levels.
• The towpath itself, a flat path that once carried mules and now carries walkers, runners and cyclists.
• The brick and stone buildings along the canal, a reminder that this was an industrial district long before it became a fashionable one.
• The way the canal passes beneath busy streets, so that a few steps down from the road you are in a different, calmer world.

Tips for your visit

• Plan 30 to 60 minutes if you just want to see the locks and stroll the towpath, and longer if you walk further along the water.
• Morning or late afternoon gives softer light and fewer crowds, and the path is especially pleasant when trees are in leaf.
• The canal sits in the heart of Georgetown, so shops, cafes and the Potomac waterfront are within easy walking distance.
• The towpath is outdoors and open to walk along, but check current opening hours and seasonal programs, such as visitor center hours or boat rides, before you go.

See it on a quest

Reaching the canal on foot as one stop of a longer route is a good way to understand how it fits into Georgetown. The Oz Escape in Washington D.C. is a Wizard of Oz themed quest. The app tells you about each place as you arrive and sets a puzzle in what is in front of you. One ticket covers the whole group.

If you prefer a mystery, Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in Georgetown, Washington D.C. takes you through the neighborhood on foot, with the app giving the background on each stop and a puzzle to solve on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.

For a detective theme, try Georgetown, Washington D.C. Detective Mystery: Infiltrate a Secret Society., a self-guided walk through the area that you can start whenever you like, with no guide and no group to join. One ticket covers the whole group.