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 storytelling with historic images. Discover the history of this neighborhood known as much for its charming Victorian rowhouses 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 north on 16th Street, then south 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, 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 and Latino immigrants, nightclubs, and brand new condominiums.

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 1960s
• The handsome rowhouses and grand apartment buildings of Kalorama Triangle and Victorian rowhouses of 18th Street

This neighborhood is alive today with great music and dining spots, and a variety of small shops.

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
• Historical Society of Washington, D.C., 801 K Street, NW
• Idle Time Books, 2467 18th Street, NW
• Latino Economic Development Corporation, 2316 18th Street, NW
• Potter's House, 1658 Columbia Road, NW
• SkyNear, 2218 18th Street, NW
• El Tamarindo, 1785 Florida Avenue, NW
• Washingtoniana Division, Martin Luther King Memorial Library, 901 G Street, NW
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• Spanish language guides are available!

Download it Now

Download the trail map pdf.

Download the trail booklet pdf.

Download the Spanish trail booklet pdf.

You can also order your guide online (English version - sold out! or Spanish version)! A $5 shipping and handling fee applies.

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 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.