The C&O Canal in Georgetown was drained after the 2023 season. It hasn't been refilled for boats since, and this October won't change that. The National Park Service planned to finish its lock and wall repairs by spring 2026. A wall collapse in late February pushed that date back. Georgetown Heritage is now aiming to relaunch the canal's replica boat in spring 2027. Meanwhile, Georgetown's new restaurants and shops have opened on 31st Street, Grace Street, O Street, M Street and Wisconsin Avenue. This fall the neighborhood's new places are on its streets.
Why the water isn't back this fall
The National Park Service project page lays out the timeline.
- After the 2023 season: The canal was drained for winter as usual. NPS says it will stay drained until the project is finished.
- February 2024: Work began under a $12.7 million contract covering Locks 1, 2 and 5, Inlet Lock 1, the Guard Lock, the feeder channel and several stretches of historic wall in Georgetown.
- Spring 2026: The original finish date.
- Late February 2026: Part of the Level 1 north wall between Locks 1 and 2 partly collapsed. NPS had already flagged that wall for repair. Crews had been repointing the masonry, then paused when they found unexpected conditions behind the wall and changed the repair design.
- Current estimate: NPS now expects the project to last "through Fall 2026, weather dependent."
The towpath next to the collapse is still closed. The Georgetown stretch between Mile 1 and Mile 0.4 has detours onto nearby streets and alleys. The project page was last updated April 8, 2026. Since then, NPS hasn't said whether the work is finished or has run past fall, so "through Fall 2026" is still its most recent estimate.
The park's current conditions page, updated October 9, lists the Georgetown Canal Boat as "Closed for the Season." The same page shows the canal drained between Locks 3 and 4 and between Locks 4 and 5. That label makes it sound like a normal seasonal pause. NPS does drain the canal every fall to protect the stonework from freezing, but in Georgetown the canal has been empty well beyond that schedule. Georgetown Heritage says its 80-foot replica boat has been in dry dock since the 2023 season, after two seasons of tours that brought canal boats back to Georgetown for the first time since 2011. The relaunch target is spring 2027.
The redesign that was supposed to follow the repairs
The repairs only make it possible to fill the canal again. The bigger upgrade was supposed to come from the Georgetown Canal Plan. Georgetown Heritage developed it starting in 2017 with NPS, the Georgetown BID and the DC government. James Corner Field Operations, the firm behind New York's High Line, led the design, and NPS approved the plan in 2020.
The plan named specific places:
- The Locks: an interpretive hub at Lock 3, where the boat docks and the NPS visitor center sits, plus a possible Georgetown Education and Cultural Center nearby
- Mile Marker Zero: restoring the Tide Lock, improving access, and planting grass and trees along the Potomac
- The Aqueduct: a gathering spot at the remains of the Potomac Aqueduct beside Key Bridge, a kayak and canoe dock, and a link from the towpath to the Capital Crescent Trail
Georgetown Heritage's Canal Plan page now says the group is "disappointed that NPS has retracted its commitment to this plan." It also says the end of its philanthropic partnership in February 2024 has "seriously hindered" its ability to build any of it. No phase or date is posted. That is Georgetown Heritage's account, and the NPS repair pages don't address the plan. If water returns in 2027, the boat and towpath should come back. The plazas, lighting and Key Bridge connection from the plan have no timeline.
What opened instead, August through October
Georgetown's new openings this year have landed on its streets. Most of the list below comes from The Georgetowner's September 17 business roundup. The rest comes from Eater DC, Hoodline and the Georgetown BID.
| Opening | Address | What it is | Opened |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bombas | 1400 Wisconsin Ave. NW | The brand's first DC store | Aug. 14 |
| Uniqlo | 3262 M St. NW | Apparel | Aug. 28 |
| Alfie's | 1228½ 31st St. NW | Northern Thai food and natural wine | Sept. 2 |
| Café Tulúm | 3210 Grace St. NW | Seafood-forward Mexican small plates with Japanese influences | Sept. 4 |
| Flora Pizzeria | 31st St. NW, next door to Alfie's | Pizza | Sept. 14 |
| O Street Collection | 3213 O St. NW | Art boutique with 50-plus works from more than 10 artists | Soft opening during Art All Night |
| Dutch Darlings | 1003 Wisconsin Ave. NW | Stroopwafels with rotating seasonal flavors | Grand opening Oct. 2 |
| Munchin Burger | 3206 O St. NW | Halal smash burgers, wings and loaded fries | Soft-opened by Oct. 4 |
On 31st Street, Alfie's and Flora Pizzeria opened 12 days apart, side by side, which puts two new dinner options at one address. On O Street, the 3200 block added an art boutique at 3213 and a burger counter across the numbering at 3206. Hoodline reports that Munchin Burger, in the former Dinette space, is the chain's first DC storefront. Dutch Darlings on lower Wisconsin added a dessert stop to a stretch where Bombas had opened seven weeks earlier.
The year also brought a loss. Northern Virginia Magazine reported in June that Kafe Leopold had closed at 3315 Cady's Alley after 21 years.
Still on the way before the year ends
The Georgetowner reported two openings still ahead. Dolcezza, which started in Georgetown, plans to return at 1300 Wisconsin Ave. NW in "late fall or early winter." Bizzeria, Michael Rafidi's pizza concept, is slated for an alley entrance at 3246 Prospect St. NW in fall 2026. Neither had opened as of the September 17 report. If Dolcezza opens as planned, it will sit between Bombas at 1400 and Dutch Darlings at 1003, the two Wisconsin Avenue openings from this season.
The holiday calendar is less settled than in past years. The BID's Georgetown GLOW page still says the light-art series took a hiatus in 2025, and no 2026 return has been announced. Georgetown Jingle and the Swedish Holiday Market were last scheduled for December 6, 2025, and haven't been announced for 2026. The ice rink at Washington Harbour, 3000–3050 K St. NW, still shows its 2025–26 season. It says only that skating opens in "mid-November" and gives no 2026–27 date. Among the confirmed December listings is a Holiday Tea & Tour on December 5 from 1 to 3 p.m., listed on the BID's December calendar.
October 31, hour by hour
Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, and the Georgetown BID's Halloween guide has enough on the calendar to fill the whole day without going near the canal.
- 10 a.m. to noon: Trick-or-treating at Tudor Place, 1644 31st St. NW. Kids get treats, face painting, cider, games and crafts in the gardens, and adults can walk the grounds with a coffee.
- 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Pinstripes holds a kids' party with crafts, candy and face painting. Adults get free coffee, kids 12 and under get free soda, and kids under 4 eat free from the brunch menu.
- 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.: The Wisconsin Avenue Woof Walk lets dogs trick-or-treat at participating businesses. The costume contest at 1 p.m. awards Best Overall, Best Duo for a human and dog, and Most Creative.
- 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.: JINYA Ramen Bar gives one free small kid's ramen with each adult entree.
- 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.: A free haunted light show runs on The Exorcist steps at 36th and Prospect Streets NW, presented by EventLightsUSA and Andrew Huff. The 75 steps became a Historic Landmark in 2019.
For the rest of October, DC by Foot runs its 90-minute Ghosts of Georgetown walking tour nightly at 7 and 8 p.m. It starts outside the Old Stone House and passes The Exorcist steps along the way. Georgetown Cupcake has Halloween assortments through October 31, including the Haunted Dozen with a chocolate toffee spider web flavor.
The towpath will still be closed beside the Level 1 wall this Halloween, and Lock 3, where the boat docks, will still have no boat. The boat's next posted date is Georgetown Heritage's spring 2027 relaunch target.
Georgetown's main streets have changed more this year than its canal has. That kind of block-by-block change is what we follow at REP Real Estate Partners. If you'd like to talk through how your corner of Northwest DC is changing, our principals are glad to sit down with you. Request a Concierge Consultation.
