Here’s a secret: Very late on a cold winter’s night when the streets are blanketed with snow, walk up Wisconsin Avenue in Georgetown to the highest point, gaze over the turrets in this historic district, and you’ll feel like it’s the 18th Century.

Here’s another secret: Amidst the multi-million dollar townhouses and mansions are condos in the $500,000 range and deals to be made. Or, rent in townhouses or mid-size buildings along the waterfront. Historic designs, especially, offer gorgeous amenities and comforts from yesteryear, such as fireplaces and gardens. Today’s luxuries can also be found from rooftop pools to concierges.

Walk along the cobblestone streets near P Street, NW, and trace the streetcar tracks to Wisconsin Avenue . Stop in boutiques, nationwide chains in two- or three-story structures and cafes blending in with the period design. Turn on M Street, NW, and venture west toward Francis Scott Key Park overlooking the Potomac to Virginia. Walk over the Key Bridge to Rosslyn, in Arlington, VA, to explore or take the Metro train. Look west toward boathouses where you can rent canoes and kayaks or east toward the infamous Watergate.

If it’s the holidays, Georgetown will be awash in red bows, evergreen and tiny white lights. Shop in the fashionable Mall, some of whose stores rival discount chains and taste samplings at gourmet grocers before deciding what to dine on in glass-enclosed gardens.

Stroll east to downtown DC, minutes away, and Foggy Bottom Metro, or down to the waterfront where to lazily watch Georgetown University crew teams practice and sailboats maneuver toward upper DC and Maryland.

Summertime transforms the waterfront into a playground with outdoor dining and steps to sit on near fountains that spray cool air while you decide if you want to buy an ice cream cone. Live there and you’ll discover obscure patches of wildflowers along the C&O Canal.

Turn back up Wisconsin for more basic markets, such as the “Social Safeway,” long known as one of the best places in DC to catch celebrities, such as politicians, journalists and internationally-known lawyers, as they pick among fresh produce.

Be among the lucky ones who doesn’t have to park as the sun sets for among the best of DC nightlife. Music reaches the streets from pubs catering to Georgetown University students while down one of the chic alleys you’ll find quiet fine dining and prestigious clubs.

When the last of nighttime lights fades away, journey to your new home and imagine the ghosts of Georgetown telling you tales from before the United States was founded. You’ll see pre-Revolutionary buildings still standing, including the Old Stone House, built in 1765, the oldest original structure in DC. Perhaps spirits will speak to you from the Georgian mansions and townhouses. Or, visualize families in the early Federal and Classical Revival, or ornate ante and post-bellum homes. Most Georgetown buildings are Victorian.

Observe the crypt at Mount Zion Cemetery, thought to be a safe place for escaped slaves fleeing to the North via the Underground Railroad. African Americans established

a thriving post-Civil War Georgetown community.

Members of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Administration moved here in the 1930s. Post-war residents, well-educated and elite, made Georgetown home by the 1950s and formed its Citizens Association. Georgetown became the place to be when Jacqueline Kennedy held her glittering parties during John F. Kennedy’s reign as both congressman and senator.

More recent celebs include Massachusetts senator and former presidential candidate John Kerry, past Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee, Washington Post Watergate-renowned reporter Bob Woodward, former secretary of state Madeline Albright and former President Bill Clinton aide and news show host, George Stephanopoulos. You might find them or others strolling the Georgetown dog park.