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This historic corridor features grand mansions, elegant rowhouses, houses of worship of every denomination, landscaped parks, and urban vistas. Adventurous walkers can start at the White House, head through Lafayette Park, and then proceed north up Meridian Hill for a unique view of the city.

Make time to explore the impressive architectural styles of Lower Sixteenth Street. A procession of Queen Anne, Italianate, Richardsonian Romanesque, and Beaux-Arts style houses mingle with imposing institutional buildings and notable churches along this broad thoroughfare.

Sixteenth Street is rife with cultural hot spots. As you make your way north, be sure to stop by the Washington DC Jewish Community Center where you can peruse the gallery, enjoy a kosher dinner, and join the audience at Theater J.

For a sample of international Washington, only a few blocks farther you can visit the Mexican Cultural Institute, Embassy of Kazakhstan, and the Meridian International Center, to name a few. These institutions provide a ticket to the world by way of exhibitions, educational programs, tours, special events, and more.

At the height of this historic district take a breather at the world-class Meridian Hill/Malcolm X Park, designed by landscape architects George Burnap and Horace Peaslee. This village green, which was inspired by 18th-century European gardens, features a stunning cascading waterfall and statues dedicated to such notable figures as Joan of Arc and Dante. In the 1970s this space was re-christened Malcolm X Park. On weekends you may catch a soccer match or drum circle.

Starting at 16th and U Streets, look for poster-sized Heritage Trail signs for three different neighborhoods: U Street (City Within a City; Greater U Street Heritage Trail); Adams Morgan (Roads to Diversity: Adams Morgan Heritage Trail); and Columbia Heights (Cultural Convergence: Columbia Heights Heritage Trail)

Check out our Calendar for up-to-date information on exhibitions, lectures and other heritage happenings in the city.