Anacostia Neighborhood Guide

A practical guide to visiting and getting around Historic Anacostia today. For the full story behind these places, see the history and Notable Places.

Getting there

Anacostia sits just across the Anacostia River from the Navy Yard and Capitol Hill. The Anacostia Metro station (Green Line) is the main transit hub, and Metrobus routes run along Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE and Good Hope Road SE. By car or on foot, the neighborhood connects to the rest of the city over the 11th Street Bridges and the South Capitol Street (Frederick Douglass Memorial) Bridge.

The commercial corridor

The heart of the neighborhood runs along Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE and Good Hope Road SE, where you'll find the historic storefronts of the Anacostia Historic District, the iconic Big Chair, locally owned restaurants and cafés, and a growing cluster of galleries and creative spaces. Browse the full, current listings in our Local Businesses and Dining Guide.

What to see

• Cedar Hill — Frederick Douglass National Historic Site — tour the home Frederick Douglass lived in from 1877 until his death in 1895, with sweeping views back toward the Capitol.
• Anacostia Community Museum — the Smithsonian museum founded in the neighborhood in 1967.
• The Big Chair — Anacostia's beloved landmark on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue.
• Anacostia Park — the riverfront National Park Service park, with the historic pavilion and recreation along the water.
• Anacostia Arts Center & local galleries — the anchors of the neighborhood's contemporary arts scene.

See them all mapped on the Explore the Map page, and find schools, houses of worship, and public services in the Community listings.

Nearby

Anacostia is one of several neighborhoods east of the river; just south and west are Congress Heights, Barry Farm, and the St. Elizabeths campus, and to the north are Fairlawn and Twining. Each has its own story — but Anacostia, the District's first planned suburb, remains the historic and cultural heart of the area.