Fort Totten - Washington, DC Area Guide

During the Civil War, the Union Army’s defense of Washington included Fort Totten as well as several other forts in the vicinity. Following the war, the Fort was abandoned and decades later, the National Park Service converted the crumbling Fort and the surrounding land into a historical site and parkland, filled with forests and open fields.

Fort Totten has experienced a very gradual rebirth with mixed-use developments promising to alter the neighborhood’s landscape substantially.

The wealth of cultural opportunities that DC has to offer are easily accessible.

The Hitching Post in neighboring Petworth has soul food down to a science. Once a family home that was converted into a quirky restaurant and bar, The Hitching Post serves Southern favorites, such as made-to-order fried chicken and catfish. If you’re not too stuffed, follow up your meal with one of The Post’s delectable concoctions called Chocolate Outrage.

For vegans and vegetarians, or someone just looking for some Caribbean-inspired seafood, visit the Brookland Cafe just outside the Fort Totten neighborhood. The Bcafe, as it’s known, serves generous portions in a casual and cozy atmosphere. Patrons rave about the heavenly crab cake platter whose two fried cakes are pure crab meat with no filler.

Favorite bars in the vicinity of Fort Totten include the Brookland Pint with its huge assortment of American craft beers and the San Antonio Bar and Grill with its mega margaritas.

For live music, you can't top the 9:30 Club. A Washington, D.C. institution, the 9:30 Club attracts big names who prefer to play more intimate, mid-sized shows rather than stadiums. EDM enthusiasts flock to Echostage. This cutting edge club has a non-stop line-up of acclaimed DJs as well as hip hop and Latino artists.

Public transportation plays an important role in the daily life of Fort Totten residents. The Fort Totten Metro station serves as a convenient transfer point between the red, yellow and green lines on the D.C. Metro system.

Buses are also a very popular form of transportation in this area, with numerous MetroBus lines converging at the Fort Totten Metro station to take passengers anywhere in the city.

You will find cabs trolling through the Fort Totten area, but calling ahead for their services tends to be a more reasonable option. The Washington Metro Area Transit Authority works with Zipcar to encourage carsharing and also provides a program called Guaranteed Ride Home that is free for members. Uber and other car services also serve the area.

Fort Totten lies within the capital beltway with easy access to 16th Street, a major route in and out of D.C., as well as Route 29 and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. You'll find public parking relatively easy in this neighborhood. The Metro station has a well-maintained lot, and most local stores provide free parking.

For bicyclists, Fort Totten falls along the path of the Metropolitan Branch Trail, an 8-mile trail leading from D.C.’s Union Station into Maryland. Bike lanes and shared use paths abound. The Fort Totten Metro station has several bike lockers and racks available.

Fort Totten has a reputation as a city neighborhood with significant green space. In addition to the area's several sizable parks, most homes in Fort Totten have good-sized yards.

Run by the National Park Service, Fort Totten and Fort Circle Parks have rambling forests, scenic pathways and play areas for children. Both parks welcome leashed pets. Residents can rent community garden plots in these two parks.

Fort Totten has two convenient recreation centers, Keene and Turkey Thicket, which provide basketball, volleyball and tennis courts, soccer, football and softball fields, an indoor swimming pool, and playgrounds.

The Fort Totten neighborhood has been modernized significantly over the last decade, transitioning from a simple community with few shopping options to a more contemporary space. Within the neighborhood itself, shopping remains quite limited, however.

You can find small service and repair shops and discount stores at shopping centers such as Riggs Plaza and Sargent Road, but for specialty shops, head deeper into the city. In Petworth, visit Fia’s Fabulous Finds for a vast selection of vintage apparel. Thrifty shoppers flocks to Fia’s for the stores’ periodic Fill-A-Bag-For-$20 events. On the ArtsWalk in Brookland, Analog Independent Boutique and Workshop sells paper craft items as well as vintage clothing and accessories. You can find numerous specialty stores, such as Trohv with its unique furnishings, gifts and home goods, in nearby Takoma Park.

You can walk easily from Fort Totten to Yes Organic Market in neighboring Brookland. Other grocery stores, even local titans such as Giant Food and Safeway, require slightly longer treks. Residents of Fort Totten enjoy fresh produce and local wares seasonally at the Historic Brookland Farmers Market or the year-round Takoma Park Farmers Market.