11th Street Bridge

Anacostia Park was a segregated park, with what is now the 11th St. Bridge serving as the segregation line.

• The underside of three bridges is depicted. Long, thick pillars hold each bridge up.

Anacostia Park Pirate Ship Playground

One of the most popular picnic areas in Anacostia Park the Fairlawn Picnic area, nicknamed "Pirate Ship Playground," offers restrooms, picnic tables and exercise equipment for adults and children. The fanciful pirate ship jungle gym reminds us of the ships that once sailed Anacostia's waters.

• A play structure shaped like a pirate ship stands in a rectangular bed of mulch. Several benches line the perimeter of the play area, as well as exercise machines.

Anacostia Recreation Center

Built during by the Works Projects Administration during the Great Depression, the Anacostia Recreation Center offers bike rentals, and picnic areas. A pool and weight room are free to Washington, DC, residents and available to others at a nominal fee. In 1949, the Recreation Center was the site of a major integration riot that ultimately paved the way for desegregation of public pools in the District of Columbia.

• The Anacostia Recreation Center with a pool and weights room.

Anacostia Riverwalk Trail

The trail takes you through 12 miles of forest, fields, marsh and river ecosystem.

• The Anacostia Riverwalk Trail is a paved trail with a yellow stripe down the middle. Trail users should keep to the right side of the walkway, and pass carefully on the left. The trail is approximately 8 feet wide.

Anacostia Roller Skating Pavilion

Can you remember the last time you laced up a pair of roller skates? Make new memories with this ‘fun for the whole family' activity. Skate rentals are free and available during summer months. On summer weekends DJ music adds to the fun. This is the one and only roller skating rink owned and operated by the National Park Service!

• (296 words)<br />The Anacostia Roller Skating Pavilion is located in the southeast quadrant of Washington, D.C., north of Anacostia Park along the east bank of the Anacostia River.<br />From the Sousa Bridge underpass at Anacostia Drive, SE, travel seven hundred fifty feet north on Anacostia Drive. Turn right and continue along Anacostia Drive about four hundred yards. Turn left into the parking lot. The Anacostia Roller Skating Pavilion sits beyond the parking lot, about one hundred feet to the northwest.<br />The pavilion is an open-air, one-story, rectangular structure, about two hundred thirty feet long and one hundred forty feet wide. <br />Round cement columns, about twenty feet apart, line each side and support the pavilion's wood roof. In each corner are one-story brown stone buildings, each about forty square feet with rounded ends. <br />The southeast building has a curved front window where a National Park Service attendant is available to provide skating equipment and park information. The northeast structure houses restrooms. Two additional brown, curved structures sit at the northwest and southwest corners of the pavilion.<br />A wide-open smooth cement roller skating surface sits underneath the pavilion roof. The open sides provide an abundance of natural light into the space, and two steps along the sides allow for seating. Metal girders above sit on the underside of the wooden beams of the roof. Brown panels line the north and south sides of the roof. On the east and west side, the roof line is open and the roof's metal girders are visible.<br />The parking lot spans over five hundred feet and a basketball court sits to the west of the pavilion. Grass fields and open space line both north and south sides along the Anacostia River and the Kenilworth Avenue Freeway runs beyond the parking lot to the west.<br />END OF DESCRIPTION<br />

Anacostia boat ramp

Anacostia Park doesn't just have great view of the river, it has public access! The boat ramp is located at the north end of Anacostia Drive SE. Vehicle and trailer parking is adjacent to the boat ramp. Review <a href="http://mpdc.dc.gov/page/harbor-and-boating-safety-regulations">D.C.'s Harbor and Boating Safety Regulations</a> prior to launching your watercraft.

• A wooden pier extends into the Anacostia River with ramps on either side of it.

Aquatic Resources Center

Aquatic Resources Education Center is the host to 20-1,500-gallon aquariums where visitors can have insight of what's beneath the waves of the Anacostia and to learn about the variety of aquatic life that is supported by the river. Well over 40 species of fish, amphibians, reptiles, and invertebrates from the District and the Chesapeake Bay are on display at the facility. The AREC is a multi-use environmental education center located in Anacostia Park, SE run by DOEE. 

• A building with brick exterior has a ramp leading to the entrance. A sign is on the front of the building.

Basketball Courts

The Anacostia Park Basketball Court is a space for visitors to play pick-up or be able to open shoot. The basketball court is located next to the skating pavilion. The basketball courts are open all year round and from sunrise to sunset. There are 8 basketball hoops and two court spaces.   

• Two basketball hops stand adjacent on a basketball court. A brown building is positioned behind them.

Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge

The Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge is located at the southern edge of Anacostia Park and carries South Capitol Street over the Anacostia River into Washington, D.C.

• A white bridge has three, half-circular designs on either side. Blue water is stagnant below.

Good Hope Road Park Entrance

Good Hope Road is one of three entrances into Anacostia Park.

• Good Hope Road intersects with Anacostia Drive at this location, which is the main road that runs throughout the park.

Historic Site: Malcolm X Day

For over 23 years, May 19th was a tremendous day in Anacostia Park. To celebrate pioneering civil rights activist Malcom X’s birthday, tens of thousands of people would come to the park to hear activists, artists, community leaders and more. Beginning in 1972, the message of the yearly event was to celebrate and create unity in the surrounding community. The events featured community organizing, art, music, and a general celebration of culture.

• An open field has a building behind it. Trees and picnic tables are in the background.

Historic site: 1949 Anacostia Pool Riot

The Anacostia Park swimming pool became the center of a riot in 1949 when the pool was set to be integrated.

• Two picnic tables sit in an open field. A white building with a brick roof is in the background.

Information Panel: Bonus Army

In May 1932, jobless veterans organized a group called the "Bonus Expeditionary Forces" that marched on Washington, DC, to demand an advance on a bonus payment they had been promised for their World War I service. Led by Walter W. Walters, the veterans set up camps and occupied buildings in various locations in Washington, DC. The largest camp was a shantytown here on the Anacostia Flats, across the river from Washington's Navy Yard. By summer, at least 20,000 people had join

• (184 words)<br />The Bonus Army wayside and marker is located along the southern bank of the Anacostia River in Anacostia Park in Washington, D.C. An updated wayside is planned for this location.<br />From the intersection of Anacostia Drive and Good Hope Road, SE, travel eight hundred feet south on Anacostia Drive. Set on the right side of the bicycle path along the north side of the road is a one by two-foot light gray sign that reads in white letters:<br />Bonus Army<br />Wayside<br />At Good Hope Road<br />Two feet south of the sign is a curved white stone semi-circle wall, about two feet tall, arced around the north side of a fifteen-foot wide circular cement plaza. The plaza features a pink and gray checkered border and star pattern in the middle. Set in the center is a bronze compass with a similar star design.<br />A black arched bicycle rack sits between the plaza and wayside. Trees and overgrown vegetation line the river's edge, obscuring the view. Across 17th street is a large grass field to the north and a U.S. Park Police Facility to the south. <br />END OF DESCRIPTION <br />

Langston Golf Course

Under the shadow of segregation, the Langston Golf Course was built to service the nearby African American community in 1939. It was one of twenty golf courses in America that was open to African Americans; whites had 680 to choose from. Washington, DC, was the birthplace of the first men's and women's African American golf clubs: the Riverside Golf Club (1924), now the Royal Golf Club, and the Wake Robin Golf Club, originally comprised of the wives of Riverside members who w

• (300 words)<br />Langston Golf Course is an 18-hole golf course located in the northeast quadrant of Washington, DC, north of Benning Road.<br />The course's front nine holes are located just south of the National Arboretum. Part of the course's back nine holes are located on Kingman Island, which is bordered by the Anacostia River to the east and Kingman Lake to the west.<br />From the intersection of Benning Road, NE and 26th street, NE travel north on 26th street two hundred sixty feet. Turn right, travel about fifty feet and enter the parking lot. <br />A four hundred-fifty-foot long, one hundred fifty-foot wide parking lot sits to the left. To the right a cement walkway runs by a one-story red brick building, one hundred thirty feet long and ninety feet wide. Inside the building is the golf course pro shop and a small kitchen and refreshment area. <br />A porch is on the east facing side of the building, set with tables and chairs and looks out at the golf course. The south end of the golf course lines Benning Road. A row of golf carts sits along the east side of the building.<br />Two bronze plaques are set on the south wall of the porch area, each about one-square foot. Above them is a brown arrowhead-shaped National Park Service sign. Text on the top plaque reads:<br />LANGSTON GOLF COURSE<br />HAS BEEN PLACED ON THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES<br />BY THE UNITED STATES<br />DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR<br />1991<br />Text on the lower plaque reads:<br />A HISTORIC SITE OPENED<br />JUNE 9TH, 1939<br />NAMED FOR<br />JOHN MERCER LANGSTON<br />A white metal fence lines the east edge of the walkway beside the brick building. Further east the golf course runs from Benning Road north towards the National Arboretum. Trees and sand traps line the course throughout.<br />END OF DESCRIPTION<br />

Nicholson Street SE Entrance

Follow I-395 North to I-295 South. Follow signs for Martin Luther King Blvd. After approaching the bridge, you should see signs for Anacostia Park.

• A highway bridge is positioned behind four signs directing location.

River Terrace Park

River Terrace Park is a lovely community park located in the River Terrace neighborhood of NE Washington DC. The park sits along the east bank of the Anacostia River, providing great views of the flowing tidal river. Wildlife is abundant on the river including ducks, geese, beavers and river otters. Park amenities include a children's playground, a covered pavilion, two basketball courts (full court), two tennis courts and a paved walking trail.

• A sign reading, "River Terrace Park" is positioned in a grassy field with trees.

Seafarer’s Yacht Club

In 1945, Lewis T. Green made history in Anacostia Park when he created the Seafarers Yacht Club. The Seafarers is the oldest African American yacht club in the country.

• Multiple, white yachts are parked at a dock. Blue, calm water is in the foreground.

Sousa Bridge

Named after John Philip Sousa this bridge carries Pennsylvania Avenue, America's main street, across the Anacostia River and into the heart of Washington. Born a half-mile from the bridge, John Philip Sousa built the Marine Band into one of the most famous musical groups in the world. Known as "the March King," Sousa composed many marches, the most famous being "The Stars and Stripes Forever." Sousa is buried in Congressional Cemetery, just on the other side of the bridge.

• (181 words)<br />The Sousa Bridge is a continuous steel plate girder bridge that carries Pennsylvania Avenue SE across the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C. The Congressional Cemetery sits to the northeast at the north end of the bridge. <br />From the intersection of Water street SE and M street SE, travel west five hundred yards on M street, under the overpass of the Sousa Bridge. Set on a one hundred-foot strip of grass, between M street and the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail, is a two square foot light gray sign. Written on both sides in white letters it reads:<br />Sousa Bridge Wayside.<br />The arches of the bridge carry over M street and two lines of railroad tracks to the north. Access to this location from the north is not possible due to closed roads. The location can be reached along the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail, and pedestrian trail that runs east to west along the edge of the Anacostia River.<br />The south end of the bridge crosses Anacostia Drive and Anacostia Fields, open grass field areas that run three quarters of a mile to the southwest.<br />END OF DESCRIPTION<br />

South Capitol Street Park Entrance

Follow the Suitland parkway toward Washington, DC. Turn right at the fourth traffic signal to turn onto firth sterling avenue. Take the next left turn on Howard Street. When you arrive to the Douglas bridge, the lanes split into 4 exits. Take the fourth exit and the park entrance is on the right. 

• Two crosswalks are connected by a sidewalk. A tall, black lamp post is positioned next to signage.

Tennis Courts and Playground

There are multiple tennis courts and a playground at Anacostia Park next to the Recreation Center. The tennis courts and playground are open to use by the public anytime.

• A playground area has three yellow slides and brown/orange railings. Tennis courts are in the background.

• Bike the Anacostia River Trail
• 3.5 mile bike trail along the Anacostia River. This trail continues North into Maryland and across two bridges into downtown D.C.

• Sports and Recreation at Anacostia
• Come play basketball or tennis on one of our courts, or start a game of frisbee or soccer on one of our open fields that is along the scenic Anacostia River!

• Picnic at Anacostia Park
• Relax and enjoy a picnic at Anacostia Park. The park has plenty of recreation activities to build up your appetite for a nice picnic while enjoying the view of the Anacostia River and downtown D.C. skyline.

• Paddle the Anacostia Water Trail
• Discover the natural abundance of the Anacostia River as it threads through the heart of Washington, DC. Watch birds on Kingman Island or dock at the National Arboretum and roam the forest. The Anacostia River corridor has lots of options for outdoor fun and the Anacostia Water Trail can help you find them.

• Go Roller Skating
• Visit the National Park Service's only roller skating pavilion!