Ellington to Langston - The Jazz Era in DC

Off the Mall Tours takes you on a winding journey through an era in which the U Street neighborhood of Washington, DC was giving rise to a vibrant jazz scene and establishing the roots of a new movement in black intellectualism. Also known as "Black Broadway", the U Street corridor was a neighborhood where black businesses thrived, Langston Hughes and Jean Toomer were upcoming writers and poets, and Howard University professors were guiding a movement that would highlight black contributions to history.

Tour begins at the historic Howard Theater at 620 T Street NW and ends at the Georgia Douglas Johnson house at 1461 S Street NW. The tour also makes a halfway stop at the famous Ben's Chili Bowl for a bathroom break and optional refreshment.