Washington Walks was inspired by a chance discovery.
Washington Walks founder Carolyn Crouch was pursuing her graduate degree in acting in Washington, D.C. when she took a trip to London. Naturally, attending theater was on her itinerary (a Tom Stoppard play at the National Theatre, some Harold Pinter produced by students from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art). It was a decidedly unflashy black and white brochure, however, impulsively selected from the assortment of four-color-shiny-stock offerings beckoning from the rack in the hotel lobby, that changed everything. When unfolded, that no-color brochure revealed a schedule of dozens of different walking tours of London neighborhoods and historic places–the full-color spectrum of London on foot! Taking one walking tour led to two, led to three…
Carolyn returned from her British sojourn inspired.
She began to dream up walking tour itineraries of D.C. neighborhoods. In 1999, Washington Walks launched, becoming the first full-fledged company to offer walking tours of the nation’s capital and a way for visitors and locals alike to discover the history of the city’s neighborhoods — the nation’s capital as home town. Crouch suggests, “After you’ve absorbed the majesty of the memorials on the National Mall, take a neighborhood walking tour to expand your D.C. experience. In fact, it may be cheeky, but we like to say “if you haven’t been on a Washington Walks tour, you haven’t been to Washington!”
We have an ongoing love affair with Washington D.C.’s history — its residents, architecture, and cultural significance — and like nothing better than sharing stories about those people and places.
Carolyn Crouch, founder
Washington Walks has grown to include more than a dozen fellow guides who are as passionate as Crouch about the District of Columbia. “We have an ongoing love affair with Washington D.C.’s history – its residents, architecture, and cultural significance — and like nothing better than sharing stories about those people and places,” explains Crouch.