Labor Day Walking Tour of Historic Fort Washington, Maryland!

Labor Day--Walking History Tour of Historic Fort Washington, Maryland!

Scenic Fort Washington National Park contains one of the largest and oldest fortresses in the country. Founded to protect Washington, D.C. from river attack, it was a bastion of protection well into the 20th century. Inspired by George Washington, and designed in part by Pierre L’Enfant, D.C.'s creator, it was the site of a War of 1812 disaster. It guarded the federal city during the Civil War, protected against Spanish battleships in 1898, and served to block U-boats from heading up the Potomac during the world wars.

Its river setting a few miles downstream from Alexandria, Virginia is magnificent, and home to bald eagles, deer, and other wildlife. Join us for a walking tour of one of America’s grandest, if most overlooked, national parks.

MEET at the east parking lot, the one closest to the fort, near the Visitor Center.

Itinerary will select from:

• The fort’s tragic history in the War of 1812

• A great naval hero who fought pirates

• How the designer of Washington, D.C. rebuilt the fort after its destruction!

• The lighthouse picnic and beach

• Artillery across two centuries

• The “Battle of Alexandria”

• The officers barracks

• The British raid on Alexandria, of the American Revolution

• Sowing mines in the Potomac

• The Nazi U-boat plot to blow up America

• Fort commandant, Robert E. Lee’s son

• The worst peace-time Navy accident in American history

• Slave escape below the fort!

• George Washington's parties

• Interrogations of German P.O.W.s

• World war naval shipyards

• D.C.’s Civil War forts

• The best executive in U.S. history

• The most cowardly commander in U.S. history

• Defenses against land attack

And more!

Your guide is a former White House speechwriter, ex-Tonight Show writer, and author of the new book on D.C.’s history, The White House’s Unruly Neighborhood: Crime, Scandal & Intrigue in the History of Lafayette Square:

https://www.amazon.com/White-Houses-Unruly-Neighborhood-Lafayette/dp/1476674868/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1555118270&sr=1-1-catcorr

And a history-based thriller set in nearby Old Town Alexandria:

https://www.amazon.com/OLD-TOWN-HORROR-Americas-Historic-ebook/dp/B0BX27RWYG

We have TripAdvisor’s highest-rated tours in the Mid-Atlantic:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g28970-d12791843-Reviews-Lafayette_Square_Tour_of_Scandal_Assassination_Intrigue-Washington_DC_District_of.html

Getting There: The Fort is located down Route 210 and Fort Washington Rd from National Harbor, Maryland. 13551 Fort Washington Rd, Fort Washington, MD 20744.

MEET at the east parking lot, the one closest to the fort, near the Visitor Center.

Think history’s dull? Think again! What better way to celebrate the end of summer with a tour of a venerable military installation set along the stunning Potomac. Enjoy an early-day event before heading off to a holiday lunch!