The steep set of stairs dropping down to M St is a popular track for joggers, but more famously it's the spot where demonically possessed Father Karras tumbles to his death in horror-film classic The Exorcist (1973). Come on foggy nights, when the stone steps really are creepy as hell.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Georgetown University

0.16 MILES

Georgetown is one of the nation's top universities, with a student body that's equally hard-working and hard-partying. Founded in 1789, it was America’s…

2. Healy Hall

0.19 MILES

Near the Georgetown University campus' east gate, medieval-looking Healy Hall impresses with its tall, Hogwarts-esque clock tower.

3. Dalghren Chapel

0.21 MILES

A pretty little refuge with a quiet courtyard on Georgetown University's campus.

4. Georgetown Waterfront Park

0.52 MILES

This park is a favorite with couples on first dates, families on an evening stroll and power players showing off their yachts. Benches dot the way, where…

5. Old Stone House

0.55 MILES

Built in 1766 in what was then the British colony of Maryland, the capital's oldest surviving building has been a tavern, a brothel and a boardinghouse …

6. Tudor Place

0.57 MILES

This 1816 neoclassical mansion was owned by Thomas Peter and Martha Custis Peter, the granddaughter of Martha Washington, and lived in by six generations…

7. Mt Zion United Methodist Church

0.66 MILES

Founded in 1816, Mt Zion United Methodist Church is DC’s oldest black congregation. Its original site, on 27th St NW, was a stop on the Underground…

8. Dumbarton Oaks

0.68 MILES

The mansion's 27 acres of enchanting formal gardens are straight out of a storybook. The springtime blooms – including heaps of cherry blossoms – are…