Insider’s Guide: Carolyn Crouch, Founder, Washington Walks

Carolyn Crouch is the founder of D.C.-based walking tour company Washington Walks and author of Frommer’s 24 Great Walks of Washington, D.C. We asked Carolyn to share her favorite places to go when she is not leading tours around Washington. She provided us her top spots to get away from it all and still be in D.C.

Carolyn’s picks:

1. Titanic Memorial – This memorial at the terminus of the Southwest waterfront promenade honors the men who gave up places on lifeboats in order for women and children to be saved when the ill-fated ship sank in April 1912.  The views down the Potomac River south and west are lovely, the setting serene.  If I didn’t notice airplanes landing at National Airport, I’d almost forget I live in a city. (The Titanic Memorial is highlighted on our Southwest Heritage Trail.)

2. Teaism Penn Quarter – My favorite of the three Teaism locations. It opened the same year we started Washington Walks.  I often hold small meetings in the downstairs dining room, preferably at a table near the fish pond. Any business discussion goes better when participants are consuming ginger scones, a tuna bento box, a glass of iced tisane and the absolute best chai in Washington, D.C. And don’t forget the Salty Oat cookies.

3. Renwick Gallery – I traverse Lafayette Park regularly and cannot resist stopping in at this Smithsonian museum. The building is a 19th century jewel, with its original Grand Salon intact. Look for the self-portrait by Washington philanthropist and artist Alice Pike Barney then say hello to the Game Fish.

4. Woodrow Wilson House – A time capsule in D.C.’s Kalorama neighborhood. Woodrow Wilson was the only U.S. President to remain a Washington resident following his time in the White House. Stepping back into history is one of the perks of leading walking tours.  Following a docent through this National Trust site transports me back to the 1920s.

5. Ohio Drive - I walk my dog along this stretch of Potomac shoreline just west of the Tidal Basin. In spring, late-blooming Japanese cherry trees planted along the river extend my enjoyment of the dazzling annual bloom period. The view to the U.S. Air Force Memorial near the Pentagon is excellent.

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