Follow the signs on this self-guided Cultural Tourism DC Neighborhood Heritage Trail, as featured on WETA's Around Town, to learn more about Adams Morgan, a vibrant community of immigrants, artists, activists, and entrepreneurs.

Roads to Diversity: Adams Morgan Heritage Trail's 18 poster-sized illustrated signs combine story telling with historic images. Discover the history of this neighborhood known as much for its charming Victorian row houses as its ethnic restaurants and bright murals.

The first sign is located at 16th Street and Florida Avenue, NW. The two-hour self-guided tour proceeds up 16th Street and winds through Kalorama Street, Columbia Road, and ends on 18th Street.

Walkers are encouraged to follow the trail at their own pace, sampling neighborhood character, businesses, and restaurants along the way.

For more information, email us at Trail@CulturalTourismDC.org or call 202-661-7581.

What You'll See

Long appreciated as one of the city's most multi-cultural neighborhoods, Adams Morgan as we know it now is the legacy of elite colonial families, Jewish merchants, liberal activists, transportation planners, and revolutionaries.

The same breezy hilltops that once attracted Native Americans and pioneers later became home to furriers and caterers, the wealthy, and the noteworthy. Today, Adams Morgan is a bustling, eclectic neighborhood embracing African immigrants, nightclubs, brand new condominiums, and a thriving Latino community. 

Along the way you'll see:

• The site of the first Toys ‘R' Us, opened in 1948
• The luxurious embassies of 16th Street
• The once-prestigious Lanier Heights, which became a haven for radicals, activists, and left-wing leaders in the 1960's
• The handsome row houses and grand apartments of Kalorama Triangle and Victorian townhouses of 18th Street

This neighborhood is alive today with great jazz, dining, and shops.

Take a closer look at the trail map.

Download the trail map pdf.

Sneak Peek

Check out the video below for a peek at this remarkable neighborhood tour, produced by Richa Srivastava and Wenceslous Kaswoswe. These American University students created the travelogue as part of their documentary film class taught by Brent Hurd, summer 2007.

Tell us what you think! Email the students at wence.kaswoswe@gmail.com and richa1247@gmail.com, or us at trail@CulturalTourismDC.org.

Get Your Trail Booklet

Trail booklets providing additional information are available for free at the following local merchants and organizations:

• Adam's Inn, 1746 Lanier Place, NW
• Bedrock Billards, 1841 Columbia Road, NW
• DC Visitor Center, Ronald Regan Building, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
• Idle Time Books, 2467 18th Street, NW
• Latino Economic Development Association, 2316 18th Street, NW
• Potter's House, 1658 Columbia Road, NW
• SkyNear, 2218 18th Street, NW
• El Tamarindo, 1785 Florida Avenue, NW
• Washingtoniana, MLK Library, 901 G Street, NW

You can also obtain your guide online! A $5 shipping and handling fee applies.

Cultural Tourism DC initiated the District of Columbia Neighborhood Heritage Trails program with two goals in mind: helping visitors find their way around Washington's historic neighborhoods and promoting community pride.
 
Each trail was conceived with the active involvement of neighborhood organizations and residents. For Roads to Diversity: Adams Morgan Heritage Trail, the Adams Morgan Heritage Trail Working Group served as a local partner. Dr. Laura Croghan Kamoie served as Working Group historian.

Roads to Diversity: Adams Morgan Heritage Trail is a project of Cultural Tourism DC in collaboration with the Adams Morgan Heritage Trail Working Group, Josh Gibson, Barbara Heil, Carolyn Llorente, and Mark Wright, co-chairs. Funding was provided by the District Department of Transportation, Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, and U.S. Department of Transportation. Support provided by the Historical Society of Washington, DC, Adams Morgan Business and Professional Association, Latino Economic Development Corporation, and the Public History Program of American University. Spanish edition made possible by a grant from BB&T.

If you liked Roads to Diversity: Adams Morgan Heritage Trail, you may also enjoy:

• Battleground to Community: Brightwood Heritage Trail
• City Within a City: Greater U Street Heritage Trail 
• Civil War to Civil Rights: Downtown Heritage Trail 
• Cultural Convergence: Columbia Heights Heritage Trail
• Midcity at the Crossroads: Shaw Heritage Trail 
• River Farms to Urban Towers: Southwest Heritage Trail
• A Self-Reliant People: Greater Deanwood Heritage Trail
• Tour of Duty: Barracks Row Heritage Trail
• Village in the City: Mount Pleasant Heritage Trail

For more information, please email: trails@CulturalTourismDC.org.