The following tours are recommended by the 2001 Host committee and are those that can be done individually or as a group.

Annapolis

The Historic Annapolis Foundation, www.annapolis.org, offers three types of tours: Historic Annapolis Walk with Walter Cronkite, Historic Annapolis African American Heritage, and Revolutionary Annapolis. Please refer to the foundation Web site for information and driving directions.

Historical Society of Washington

Located off Dupont Circle near the Washington Hilton and Towers is the historic Heurich House, home of the Historical Society of Washington. Docent-led tours are available as well as tours of the library and archives. The historical society is located at 1307 New Hampshire Avenue, NW. The phone number is 202/785-2068.

Old Town Alexandria Walking Tour

Alexandria, Virginia, which is almost 50 years older than the City of Washington, is one of America's most historic communities. Located on the west bank of the Potomac River, it became a port of entry for foreign vessels and a major export center. Modern Alexandria still contains many eighteenth-century buildings and the charm of the "Old and Historic District" is carefully preserved.

A walking tour will take visitors down cobblestone streets, past historic buildings and into major sites of interest. To get to Alexandria from the hotel, walk down Connecticut Avenue to the DuPont Circle Metro stop. Make sure you pick up a bus transfer from the machine before you board. Take the red train towards Silver Spring, but exit at Gallery Place/Chinatown. Transfer to the yellow train towards Huntington, and exit at King Street. Board the AT2 or the AT5 bus to go into Old Town. The fare will only be 25¢ when you present your transfer. Ask the bus driver for a bus transfer because that will allow you to ride the bus for free anytime within four hours.

The bus will take you into the heart of Old Town, where you will be free to explore this rich historical city on your own. A good place to get off the bus is at the City Hall Plaza, at Fairfax and King Streets. Stop in the Ramsay House Visitor's Center, located on the Northeast Corner of Fairfax and King Streets, to pick up maps and additional information about the city.

When you are walking through Old Town, you won't want to miss Gadsby's Tavern (North Royal and Cameron Streets), which was frequented by George Washington; The Lyceum (201 S. Washington Street), Alexandria's history museum; and the Torpedo Factory (105 N. Union Street), which contains the Alexandria Archaeology Museum and the Torpedo Factory Art Center. Just east of the Torpedo Factory lies the Seaport Center, which presents a good view of the Potomac River and the D.C. monuments from the Alexandria perspective.

Washingtonian Division at the Martin Luther King Library

Collections include the Washington, D.C., Community Archives, Washington Historical Image Collection, and Washington Star Collection. The Martin Luther King Memorial Library is located at 901 G. Street, NW, Room 307. The telephone number is 202/ 727-1213. The closest Metro stop is at the Gallery Place Metro Station.

Duke Ellington's D.C.: A Tour of the Historic Shaw Neighborhood

A half-day tour will take you through this neighborhood of fine 19th-century row houses to see three homes and many other places that inspired and shaped the young Ellington. Stroll past some of the theatres, clubs, homes, churches, schools, and other institutions that produced leaders in all fields for the nation and its capital city. The tour includes visits to the Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site, the Lincoln Theatre, the Whitelaw Hotel, the African American Civil War Memorial, and a five-block walk through Historic U Street. Enjoy lunch and entertainment in the elegantly restored Whitelaw Hotel, the preferred address for Cab Calloway, Joe Louis, and the Duke, along with many other notables while visiting Washington, D.C. Call 302/232-2915 for more information.