D.C. Ducks
www.dcducks.com

D.C. Ducks is a lot like the popular “Just Ducky” tours in other cities. Using restored 1942 “duck” boats, the tours begin at Union Station by land down the National Mall. Once you check out all the monuments, the tour turns into the Potomac for the boat part.

{mosads}The “captains” of the tours are entertaining, albeit corny. The tour is 90 minutes long, and after the river cruise down the Potomac, you land at Gravely Point, which is underneath the planes landing at Reagan National Airport. Tours end back at Union Station.

According to the group’s website, ducks come from DUKW, which is a military acronym for amphibious military personnel carriers.

Adult prices for the tour are $28 and seem like the perfect activity for when your parents or grandparents visit for the weekend.

Hop-On Hop-Off Double Decker Bus Tours
www.dctours.us/tours

Most of you have seen the giant red double-decker buses roaming the streets of D.C. They’re part of the city’s Hop-On-Hop-Off Open-Top Double-Decker Bus Tour.

The tour is two-and-a-half hours long and begins at Union Station (although some local hotels have pickup for 9 a.m. tours only).

The tour is great if you’re showing your friends around the city, because it  allows five to six stops that you can hop off at, including St. Matthew’s Cathedral, Embassy Row and most of the memorials on the National Mall.

Washington Walks Haunted Tours
www.washingtonwalks.com

Washington Walks has been around for 10 years. The organization has led hundreds of visitors and locals alike along D.C.’s streets. A great one to try for this time of year is the haunted tour, offered Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. until Oct. 31. For all you history buffs out there, this is a great way to learn about the haunted history around Lafayette Park and be scared in the process.

If you’re interested in attending the walk this evening or on Halloween, the tours require no reservations. Cost is $10 and if you’re planning on going with a group of 25 or more, it’s best to notify the company in advance. Tours are about two hours and meet outside the Farragut West metro. Washington Walks is a member of Cultural Tourism D.C. and Destination D.C., its website said.

The Hay Adams Hotel
www.hayadams.com

The Hay Adams is a grand, traditional hotel located at 16th and H streets downtown. Right now, local history buffs can head to their bar to try some of their fall drink specials.

Jennifer Elena, account supervisor for Crosby-Volmer International Communications, which works with the Hay Adams, said every drink has history, since the hotel is 80 years old and deeply rooted in tradition.

{mosads}The drinks include the Stormy Weather, raspberry lime rickey, hazelnut saketini and the tangerine bourbon martini. The Stormy Weather happened after 1860, when Gosling Bros. of Hamilton, Bermuda began marketing its “old rum,” or a particularly heavy blend of dark rums. Elena said between 1860 and 1920, the Royal Navy added a ginger-beer bottling plant to its Ireland Dockyards complex and the British navy couldn’t decide between one or the other so it ended up choosing a little of both.

John Boswell, bartender at the hotel, said all of his clientele are great people. “I’m always learning something. Everyone is so smart and nice,” he said. “Due to the half-moon shape of the bar, sometimes the whole bar can be engaging in a conversation at once. It really lends to the friendliness of the place.”

Boswell said that in addition to hotel guests, he sees employees from the AFL-CIO, World Bank and even White House staff. “It’s a very old, warm, classic bar rich in history,” he said.

The Renaissance Mayflower Hotel
www.marriott.com/hotels

The Renaissance Mayflower Hotel is celebrating its 85th anniversary this year. “It is the quintessential Washington Hotel,” said Wendy Gordon, who does public relations for the hotel. “It’s been the staging place for Reagan’s funeral, and has housed everyone from spies to FDR.”

Bartender Sambonn Lek has been at the hotel for 35 years and can make nearly any drink request you throw his way.

“We’re a great mix of history and grandeur, and the new and modern, with recently renovated rooms,” Gordon said.

Right now, Gordon said the hotel is taking part in the Terra Cotta Warriors Exhibition, which is at the National Geographic Museum. The Mayflower is offering a package that includes a deluxe room or suite, a keepsake Terra Cotta item and a teatime package that includes tea for two at the Café Promenade. The deal is available through March, Gordon said.