Parks and Gardens

Fort Dupont Park

Fort Dupont began in 1861 as one of the approximately 64 forts surrounding Washington, DC, charged with defending the city from Confederate attacks. On this side of the Anacostia, it joined Fort Stanton, Fort Greble, Fort Carroll and others in an almost seamless line of defenses guarding the southern border of the city. Today, Fort Dupont is a heavily wooded, 400-acre sprawl of park with numerous trails, tennis and basketball courts and softball fields. It also contains an ice-rink and a Community-Nature Center. In the summer the National Park Service sponsors a variety of activities including theater and concerts.

Francis Scott Key Park
34th and M Streets, NW.
Washington, DC

One of the District's newest parks, this small, but lovely area is located east of the Georgetown side of Key Bridge which connects Washington, DC with Rosslyn, Virginia. The bronze bust of Key is capped by a flag with 15 stars and stripes similar to the one that inspired Key in 1819 to write The Star Spangled Banner. A walkway and bike path from the C&O Canal are carefully integrated into this hilltop area, which provides a great view of the Potomac River.

Great Falls National Park
9200 Old Dominion Drive
Great Falls, VA 22066
Phone: 703-285-2965
Web: www.nps.gov/gwmp/grfa/
Hours: Park closes at dusk. Visitor Center open 10am - 5pm daily
Admission is $4 for non-commercial vehicles.

Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens
1900 Anacostia Avenue and Douglas Avenue, NE
Washington, DC
Phone: 202-426-6905
Web: www.nps.gov/kepa/
Hours: Daily 7am-4pm, Closed Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year's

Regarded as one of Washington's botanical treasures, this 12-acre sanctuary features some of the most exotic waterlilies and lotuses known. An abundance of native plants and small animals are also here. Frogs, toads, turtles, fish, killfish, mud minnows and sunfish fill the waters. It is however the plant life, a collection of flowering aquatic plants unsurpassed in the world, that captures the spotlight. The gardens can be viewed only by foot via the natural footpaths which lead around and among the ponds. The best season to visit is from late May through August, but the gardens are open year-round. A park naturalist conducts nature walks and tours. There is no admission charge.
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