Cultural Tourism DC - Tours & Trails

Credit: Bill Petros

River Farms to Urban Towers: Southwest Heritage Trail

Just the Facts

Follow the signs on this self-guided Cultural Tourism DC Neighborhood Heritage Trail to learn more about Washington's Southwest waterfront.

River Farms to Urban Towers: Southwest Heritage Trail consists of 17 poster-sized illustrated signs, which combine story-telling with historic images.

The first sign is located at the Waterfront/SEU Metro station plaza (Fourth and M streets, SW).

The two-hour, self-guided tour proceeds up Southwest's historic “main street,” Fourth Street, and heads west toward the Washington Channel Waterfront. The trail continues along the waterfront toward Fort McNair, Washington's first military installation. The last trail signs guide you back toward Waterside Mall.

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

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

What You'll See

Until the 1950s, this neighborhood was Washington's largest working-class waterfront neighborhood. Then nearly all of Southwest was razed to create an entirely new city in one of the nation's first experiments in urban renewal.

This trail features locations that recall Southwest's first settlement, its gritty maturity, and its rebirth as a “new town in city.”

You will follow in the footsteps of the first colonial settlers, immigrants, domestic workers, fishmongers, government staffers, and congressmen – all passengers on the journey from river farms to urban towers.

Admire some of Washington's oldest houses on “Wheat Row” and Modernist architectural highlights, such as Waterside Towers, River Park, and the Arena Stage building.

See the waterfront where Washington's own regiment of the U.S. Colored Troops returned in triumph at the end of the Civil War. Enjoy a spectacular vista that memorializes Benjamin Banneker.

Would you prefer to take a guided tour of Southwest?

Take a closer look at the trail map.

Download the trail map pdf.

Pick Up Your Free Trail Booklet

Trail booklets providing additional information are available at the following locations:

Visitor Information Center, Ronald Reagan Building, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washingtoniana Division, Martin Luther King Memorial Library, 901 G Street, NW
Southwest Library, 900 Wesley Place, SW at K Street, SW
Arena Stage, 1101 Sixth Street, SW
Washington Marina, 1300 Maine Avenue, SW
Odyssey, 600 Water Street, SW

Download the trail booklet pdf.

Download the Spanish trail booklet pdf.

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

District of Columbia Neighborhood Heritage Trails

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. Southwest Neighborhood Assembly was the local partner for Rivers Farms to Urban Towers.

River Farms and Urban Towers: Southwest Heritage Trail is a project of Cultural Tourism DC in collaboration with the Southwest Neighborhood Assembly. Funding was provided by the Department of Housing and Community Development, District Department of Transportation, Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, and U.S. Department of Transportation. Additional cooperation provided by the National Park Service.

If you liked this trail, you may also enjoy:

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

River Farms to Urban Towers Heritage Trail booklet (4102K) [download]

River Farms to Urban Towers Heritage Trail map (79K) [download]