On Friday, February 26, Cultural Tourism DC offered DC residents and visitors a new way to rediscover the historic U Street corridor with the grand opening of the Greater U Street Neighborhood Visitor Center, 1211 U Street NW. The visitor center will serve as a front door to the U Street area, a historic African American neighborhood in Washington, DC. To accompany this new venture, Cultural Tourism DC will introduce an audio tour, City Within a City: Greater U Street Heritage Trail, along with an updated version of the Heritage Trail guidebook.

The Greater U Street Neighborhood Visitor Center features maps, shopping and dining information, and other helpful information about the Greater U Street area. On the walls are historic photographs, quotations, and a timeline that highlights the major developments in the neighborhood and in the city. The center is located above Ben's Next Door and next to the nationally renowned Ben's Chili Bowl. “We are thrilled to offer U Street visitors an accessible and entertaining way to explore the community,” says Linda Harper, Cultural Tourism DC executive director. “The visitor center and audio tour are excellent ways to learn and appreciate the historic U Street neighborhood.” The City Within a City: Greater U Street Heritage Trail audio tour and the updated guidebook will provide visitors and residents an audio and visual journey through the historic U Street neighborhood.

The audio tour features Korva Coleman of National Public Radio as the narrator/guide along with community leaders, business persons, and others who live and work in the neighborhood. More than 20 guest narrators give their perspective as they describe the past and present. Among those featured are Kamal Ben Ali, co-owner, Ben's Chili Bowl; Warren Brown, founder and owner, CakeLove and Love Café; Father Patrick Smith, pastor, Saint Augustine Church; and Frank Smith of the African American Civil War Memorial and Museum.

For the first half of the 20th century, the neighborhood surrounding U Street, NW was the center of the rich social, civic, and cultural life of Washington's African American community. In addition to shaping the lives of thousands of black Washingtonians—from Duke Ellington to civil rights theorist Charles Hamilton Houston—the neighborhood also played a major role in the intellectual and cultural life of African Americans throughout the nation.

 

Today the City Within a City: Greater U Street Heritage Trail offers the visitor and the resident a friendly and fascinating self-guided walking tour and audio journey of this community. The guidebook and the audio tour are available for free download at www.Cultural-TourismDC.org, and as free podcasts on iTunes. The guidebook is also available at participating stores, restaurants, and other venues along the trail route.

Cultural Tourism DC's Audio Journey is developed by Audissey Guides, a pioneer in the high-tech tourism industry. “This audio tour combines the music history, the ambient sounds, and the personalities of U Street,” says Rob Pyles, creative director at Audissey. “You walk the streets and hear the echoes of the past pulsing all around you.”

City Within a City: Greater U Street Heritage Trail guidebook is a project of Cultural Tourism DC in collaboration with the Historical Society of Washington, D.C., and the Downtown DC Business Improvement District, with funding by the DC Department of Housing and Community Development, District Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation, and Washington Convention and Sports Authority. Funding for the fifth printing is provided by Whole Foods Markets. The audio tour is funded by the District Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation, and the Washington Convention and Sports Authority.


The Greater U Street Neighborhood Visitor Center is a project of Cultural Tourism DC in collaboration with MidCity Business Association and Ben's Chili Bowl. Funding provided by the Philip L. Graham Fund. The Greater U Street Heritage Trail is part of the District of Columbia Neighborhood Heritage Trails system and the Official Walking Trails for the District of Columbia. There are currently ten Heritage Trails with two additional trails scheduled to open later this year.

About Cultural Tourism DC: An independent nonprofit coalition of more than 230 culture, heritage, and community-based organizations, Cultural Tourism DC and its members help you experience DC's authentic culture and heritage. For more information, visit www.CulturalTourismDC.org or call 202-661-7581. Cultural Tourism DC: Celebrating Ten Years of Trails, Tours and Culture in the Capital