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

The Roads to Diversity: Adams Morgan Heritage Trail features 18 poster-sized, illustrated signs that combine storytelling with historic images. Discover the history of this neighborhood known for its charming Victorian rowhouses, restaurants with cuisine from around the world, and bright murals.

The first sign is located at 16th Street and Florida Avenue, NW. The two-hour, self-guided tour proceeds north on 16th Street, then west along Columbia Road, and north again on 18th Street, with a few detours along the way.

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

For more information, email us at info@CulturalTourismDC.org or call 202-355-4280.

Long appreciated as one of the city's most multicultural 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 renowned for its fantastic restaurants and nightlife,  musical history, and colorful retail shops. 

Along the way you'll see:

• The site of the first Toys ‘R' Us, which opened in 1948
• The luxurious embassies of 16th Street NW
• Lanier Heights, which became a haven for radicals, activists, and left-wing leaders in the 1960s
• The handsome rowhouses and grand apartment buildings of Kalorama Triangle and Victorian rowhouses of 18th Street
• The Line Hotel, housed in the former First Church of Christ Scientist, is a recent arrival at Columbia Road/Euclid and Champlain Streets 
• Numerous colorful murals by local and international artists 

This neighborhood is alive today with comedy, theater, live music, and delicious dining on every corner.

DOWNLOAD IT NOW

Download the trail map PDF.

Download the trail guidebook PDF.

Download the Spanish-language trail guidebook PDF.

Errata: The first Toys 'R' Us location is 2461 18th Street, and not 2455 as reported in the trail booklet. It is currently the site of neighborhood landmark Madam's Organ.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA NEIGHBORHOOD HERITAGE TRAILS

Cultural Tourism DC, Inc., 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. The Spanish-language guidebook made possible by a grant from BB&T.