Getting to Know the DMV: Takoma Park

The Takoma Park Street Festival takes place this Sunday, Oct. 6, featuring food specials, live performances, craft demonstrations and house goods by local artisans and a bar crawl for guests of age. Travel from Foggy Bottom to this woodsy hippie-chic neighborhood takes about 30 minutes: Walk to the Farragut Square Metro stop and take the Red Line toward Glenmont to Takoma.

Food and Drink

Dining options in Takoma Park reflect residents' international roots, from Vietnamese at Muoi Tieu(7006 Carroll Ave.) to Mexicali at Cielo Rojo(7211 Carroll Ave.) and vegan-centric Korean at Seoul Food DC (7302 Carroll Ave.). Gambia native Hatib Joof opened Mansa Kunda (8000 Flower Ave.) in 2019, offering mouthwatering West African fare in a laid-back yet elegant atmosphere. Trattoria da Lina (7000 Carroll Ave.) serves authentic Southern Italian food in a space named for the owner's mother's original restaurant in Puglia, Italy.

Takoma Park's colorful, shady streets welcome outdoor diners. (Montgomery County Council)

Pick up coffee and a fresh-baked treat at Spring Mill Bread Co. (7300 Carroll Ave.) or neighborhood favorite Takoma Beverage Company(6917 Laurel Ave.), which also offers evening cocktails.

(@TakomaBevCo/Instagram)

Shopping

Takoma Park is a great place to pick up eclectic and one-of-a-kind goods. Downtown is packed with antique and vintage shops like Bespoke Not Broke (7042 Carroll Ave.), The Magic Carpet (6925 Laurel Ave.) and The Covered Market (7000 Carroll Ave.). S&A Beads (235 Carroll Ave.), run by a local family for decades, sells globally and locally sourced beads, crystals, talismans and jewelry supplies for makers or anyone with a weakness for trinkets. They also host affordable classes and workshops, as does the nearbyHouse of Musical Traditions(7010 Westmoreland Ave).

A wall of stringed instruments from around the world at House of Musical Traditions. (William Atkins/GW Today)

Washington City Paper's best bookstore of 2024, People's Book(7014-A Westmoreland Ave.), boasts workshops, author talks, community discussions and performances by local artists-as does local bookstore-café chain Busboys and Poets (235 Carroll Ave.), which opened its Takoma Park branch in 2015. House Mouse (7006 Carroll Ave.) offers a surprisingly wide selection in a (suitably adorable) small space.

A chalk sign at Busboys and Poets distills the vibe: "Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy a book." (William Atkins/GW Today)

Wander

19th-century developer B. F. Gilbert, who founded Takoma Park, created it as a "sylvan suburb," and to this day it remains one of the area's most walkable neighborhoods. On a sunny day, stop by Gazebo Park (7035 Carroll Ave.) for people watching and the occasional live performance. Bikers, joggers and birdwatchers can stroll by the water down Sligo Creek Trail, which meanders through the end of the neighborhood and northwards.

Autumn is a perfect time to visit Sligo Creek Park as the leaves change color. (Benjamin Sky Brandt/Montgomery County Council)

In line with the neighborhood's character, there's public art around every corner, including the Bird Calls Phone (8000 Flower Ave.), a repurposed pay phone that plays only the songs of local birds. Many residents are artists and friends of artists, so homes and businesses sport murals and striking outdoor sculpture. On the main drag, a statue commemorates beloved neighbor Roscoe the Rooster (6927 Laurel Ave.), who crowed over the neighborhood throughout the 1990s.

A mosaic points to the House of Musical Traditions. (William Atkins/GW Today)

If you're a history buff, the Thomas-Siegler House(205 Tulip Ave.) was the first to be completed in the neighborhood, and its gardens remain open to the public from dawn until dusk.