What: Four Mile Ranger Guided History Hike from the Carousel in Glen Echo Park to the C&O Canal National Historical Park, Union Arch Bridge and the Clara Barton NHS

When: Saturday, February 8, 2025

Starting Point: The Dentzel Carousel at Glen Echo Park, 7300 MacArthur Blvd. Glen Echo, MD 20812

This two hour, four mile guided hike starts at the Carousel in Glen Echo Park. We will walk through the park and uncover the story of what was once Washington’s premiere amusement park. Next, we will walk a downhill trail and cross over the C&O Canal where we will learn about African American canal worker, George Pointer. We will walk up-stream before crossing the canal again and ascending the hill to learn about the Union Arch Bridge, part of the Washington Aqueduct. Finally, we will stroll through the town of Glen Echo to Clara Barton National Historic Site where we will discover the history of the house and the story of its famous resident, the founder of the American Red Cross, Clara Barton. Clara Barton NHS is adjacent to Glen Echo Park where the hike started.

This four mile circuit hike is for the physically fit walker. There is elevation change between MacArthur Blvd. and the C&O Canal. Some sections of unpaved trail are uneven with rocks and tree roots. Please wear comfortable walking shoes. Ample parking is available in the main Glen Echo Park parking lot off Oxford Road. Please e-mail kevin_patti@nps.gov to register for this free program. You may also call, 301-320-1400, if you have any questions.

What: Four Mile Ranger Guided History Hike from the Carousel in Glen Echo Park to the C&O Canal National Historical Park, Union Arch Bridge and the Clara Barton NHS

When: Saturday, November 9, 2024 at 9:30 a.m. and Saturday, November 16 at 9:30 a.m.

Starting Point: The Dentzel Carousel at Glen Echo Park, 7300 MacArthur Blvd. Glen Echo, MD 20812

This two hour, four mile guided hike starts at the Carousel in Glen Echo Park. We will walk through the park and uncover the story of what was once Washington’s premiere amusement park. Next, we will walk a downhill trail and cross over the C&O Canal where we will learn about African American canal worker, George Pointer. We will walk up-stream before crossing the canal again and ascending the hill to learn about the Union Arch Bridge, part of the Washington Aqueduct. Finally, we will stroll through the town of Glen Echo to Clara Barton National Historic Site where we will discover the history of the house and the story of its famous resident, the founder of the American Red Cross, Clara Barton. Clara Barton NHS is adjacent to Glen Echo Park where the hike started.

This four mile circuit hike is for the physically fit walker. There is elevation change between MacArthur Blvd. and the C&O Canal. Some sections of unpaved trail are uneven with rocks and tree roots. Please wear comfortable walking shoes. Ample parking is available in the main Glen Echo Park parking lot off Oxford Road. Please e-mail kevin_patti@nps.gov to register for this free program. You may also call, 301-320-1400, if you have any questions.

What: Four Mile Ranger Guided History Hike from the Carousel in Glen Echo Park to the C&O Canal National Historical Park, Union Arch Bridge and the Clara Barton NHS

When: Saturday, November 9, 2024 at 9:30 a.m. and Saturday, November 16 at 9:30 a.m.

Starting Point: The Dentzel Carousel at Glen Echo Park, 7300 MacArthur Blvd. Glen Echo, MD 20812

This two hour, four mile guided hike starts at the Carousel in Glen Echo Park. We will walk through the park and uncover the story of what was once Washington’s premiere amusement park. Next, we will walk a downhill trail and cross over the C&O Canal where we will learn about African American canal worker, George Pointer. We will walk up-stream before crossing the canal again and ascending the hill to learn about the Union Arch Bridge, part of the Washington Aqueduct. Finally, we will stroll through the town of Glen Echo to Clara Barton National Historic Site where we will discover the history of the house and the story of its famous resident, the founder of the American Red Cross, Clara Barton. Clara Barton NHS is adjacent to Glen Echo Park where the hike started.

This four mile circuit hike is for the physically fit walker. There is elevation change between MacArthur Blvd. and the C&O Canal. Some sections of unpaved trail are uneven with rocks and tree roots. Please wear comfortable walking shoes. Ample parking is available in the main Glen Echo Park parking lot off Oxford Road. Please e-mail kevin_patti@nps.gov to register for this free program. You may also call, 301-320-1400, if you have any questions.

What: Four Mile Ranger Guided History Hike from the Carousel in Glen Echo Park to the C&O Canal National Historical Park, Union Arch Bridge and the Clara Barton NHS

When: Saturday, November 9, 2024 at 9:30 a.m. and Saturday, November 16 at 9:30 a.m.

Starting Point: The Dentzel Carousel at Glen Echo Park, 7300 MacArthur Blvd. Glen Echo, MD 20812

This two hour, four mile guided hike starts at the Carousel in Glen Echo Park. We will walk through the park and uncover the story of what was once Washington’s premiere amusement park. Next, we will walk a downhill trail and cross over the C&O Canal where we will learn about African American canal worker, George Pointer. We will walk up-stream before crossing the canal again and ascending the hill to learn about the Union Arch Bridge, part of the Washington Aqueduct. Finally, we will stroll through the town of Glen Echo to Clara Barton National Historic Site where we will discover the history of the house and the story of its famous resident, the founder of the American Red Cross, Clara Barton. Clara Barton NHS is adjacent to Glen Echo Park where the hike started.

This four mile circuit hike is for the physically fit walker. There is elevation change between MacArthur Blvd. and the C&O Canal. Some sections of unpaved trail are uneven with rocks and tree roots. Please wear comfortable walking shoes. Ample parking is available in the main Glen Echo Park parking lot off Oxford Road. Please e-mail kevin_patti@nps.gov to register for this free program. You may also call, 301-320-1400, if you have any questions.

Join the Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts & Culture and the National Park Service’s George Washington Memorial Parkway as we honor the culture and history of Native Americans with the presentation of Tribal Voices: A Native American Heritage Celebration on Sunday, November 3, 2024 from 1pm to 4pm in the Park’s historic Bumper Car Pavilion.

Join us for some Halloween fun at Glen Echo Park! Activities include decorating a Trick-or-Treat bag and other crafts, a festive fall photo-op (say that 10 times!), a costume contest (will you win for "Most Spooky," "Most Creative," or "Best Group?"), and Trick-or-Treating at our resident art studios and galleries. We focus on the arts-y & crafts-y more than the scary, but we love to see all the costumes – even the scary ones!

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Join us for an opening reception in the Stone Tower Studio during Art Walk! Construction and Deconstruction brings together a selection of paintings by Elaine S. Wilson that explore construction sites and landscapes in flux. Focusing on spaces shaped by building, demolition, and renewal, Wilson attends closely to the formal rhythms of scaffolding, machinery, exposed structures, and shifting light. Her paintings move beyond simple documentation, finding nuance, order, and unexpected beauty in environments often seen as temporary or overlooked. Through sustained observation, Wilson transforms these sites of change into meditations on structure, instability, and the visual poetry of the built world. 

Construction and Deconstruction: Visiting Artist Exhibition
On view May 1 – May 31, 2026
Opening Reception: Friday, May 1, 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Stone Tower Studio, Glen Echo Park, Maryland

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Photoworks is proud to announce their 2026 Juried Show AWAKENING, a celebration of Spring and renewal. An opening reception and gallery talk will take place Saturday, April 25, 4:00pm - 6:00pm​​

Juror: Sarah Hood Salomon

Featured Artists include Felix Alvarado, Edward Barrows, Susan Brown, Aaron Buxser, Didier Cayre, Meg Clarke, David Frey, Troy Hill, Sandra Kauffman, Bennett Lowenthal, Meredith Massey, Julie Miller, Ed Palaszynski, Kristin Regen, Toni Robinson, Juliet Schwab, Celia Slater, Tetiana Sulima, Kathrin Swodboda, Richard Weiblinger, and Adrian White.
 

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In the summer of 1960, brave protestors brought about the end of segregation at the privately-owned Glen Echo Amusement Park. In honor of Black History Month, the Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture presents two screenings of award-winning filmmaker Ilana Trachtman’s documentary telling this compelling story: “Ain’t No Back to a Merry-Go-Round.” These FREE screenings will be held in the Park's Ballroom Backroom, RSVPs required. Read the full film synopsis >>

Park visitors are also invited to attend a Glen Echo Park History & Civil Rights Tour with an NPS Ranger, meeting at the Dentzel carousel at 10:00am. Learn More >>

RSVP for the Film Screenings (Required) >> | Learn More about Black History Month Programming >> | Park Map >>

In the summer of 1960, brave protestors brought about the end of segregation at the privately-owned Glen Echo Amusement Park. To honor the 65th anniversary of that Summer of Protest, the Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture presents three screenings of award-winning filmmaker Ilana Trachtman’s documentary telling this compelling story: “Ain’t No Back to a Merry-Go-Round.” This is the first time the film will be screened at Glen Echo Park! One screening will be followed by a Q&A with two of the protesters. In cooperation with the National Park Service, we will present a Park History Tour with an NPS Ranger. And rides on our historic 1921 Dentzel carousel will be free all day (on June 28 only). There will be an exhibition of civil rights protest photos on display as well.

Learn More >> | Park Map >>