Theodore Roosevelt Island Orientation Tour

In the 1930s, landscape architects transformed a neglected, overgrown island on the Potomac river into Theodore Roosevelt Island, a memorial to America's 26th president. They designed Theodore Roosevelt Island to mimic the natural forest that once covered the island. We will explore the hidden memorial and the beautiful island in this 3 hour walking tour. Theodore Roosevelt Island has a large memorial to Theodore Roosevelt, and miles of hiking trails through wooded uplands and swampy bottomlands, with a wood boardwalk through the swampy areas. The only entrance to the island is from a pedestrian bridge from Rosslyn, Virginia, across the river from the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. The memorial is hidden from sight in the middle of the island, making it easy to miss this amazing one of a kind memorial. We will be walking on dirt paths and wooden boardwalks, the paths are well maintained and stroller and wheelchair accessible. The tour is completely outdoors, please dress for the weather.

* The tour will start with a visit to the memorial plaza with 14 foot statue of Theodore Roosevelt. The memorial plaza is located on the uplands woods area of the island, where you may see whitetail deer, red foxes, racoons, woodpeckers, squirrels, etc. * From there we will take a nature walk to visit the lowlands swampy area, crossing the swamp area on the wooden boardwalk, where you may see blue herons, painted turtles, ducks, bald eagles, ospreys, etc. From start to finish we will walk about two miles. The tour is customizable and can be adjusted to your preferred pace.