Hyattsville, MD Area Guide

Hyattsville saw its share of wars including the Civil War in the 19th century. In the mid-20th century, the neighborhood saw a huge shift to counter-culture with shared homes and even businesses and organizations.

No museums exist inside Hyattsville, so people enjoy culture in surrounding neighborhoods. The Museum of Language located west just outside of Hyattsville invites people of all ages to explore the wonders of language. The museum remains one of only four like it in the entire world. The museum takes donations in place of admission.

A little south of Hyattsville patrons find Prince George's African American Museum and Cultural Center at Brentwood. Galleries and exhibitions featuring paintings, photographs and sculptures are enjoyed by visitors to the museum. The museum opens Tuesday through Saturday and costs $5 per person.

Hyattsville holds their International Festival annually in late September. Residents and visitors can attend for an afternoon of international crafts, food and dance.

Acapulco Spirit Restaurant on Hamilton Street serves traditional Salvadorean cuisine. Dishes like authentic Salvadorean beef stew with rice and tomato, and a giant seafood platter with shrimp and clams are crowd favorites.

Shagga Coffee and Restaurant located on Baltimore Avenue serves up great Ethiopean fare where customers are encouraged to eat with their hands. Sambusas are an East African traditional food, and Shagga does not disappoint. Lamb in herbed red pepper sauce with rice and beef in garlic ginger sauce are local favorites. The restaurant has very reasonable prices and large combo platters to share.

Franklins is worth mentioning here because it was the first microbrewery in the area. It remains the only brewery, restaurant and toy store all wrapped into one in the entire world. Located on Baltimore Avenue, Franklins has been a featured destination for visitors and a local favorite with residents. Locally grown ingredients are used in the food supporting local business, and specialty craft brew can always be found on tap. Kids enjoy the restaurant because of the large toy store attached. Adults can shop in the store for wine and beer brewed right there.

At night residents and visitors can go out to one of the many bars in the area since there are no nightclubs in the neighborhood. Old Dominion Brewhouse on American Boulevard provides 30 different beers on tap regularly. The bar also has an extensive food menu with appetizers and full meals including wings and sushi. The bar has drink specials on weekends and happy hour Monday through Saturday.

Traveling in and around Hyattsville proves to be quite easy. Several Metro stations exist inside the neighborhood taking folks to and from Washington D.C. and north to other areas of Maryland. The Metro provides the quickest and most cost-effective mode of transportation. A ride from the center of Hyattsville to Downtown Washington D.C. costs $3.10. A Metro bus will only cost $1.75, but proves to be much slower than the train.

Residents and visitors tend to find driving fairly easy with quick access to major roadways as Hyattsville finds itself inside the Capitol Beltway. Interstate 495 loops around Hyattsville with access to Routes 50 and 295. Route 1 runs directly through Hyattsville north and south.

Public parking can easily be found in the semi-urban neighborhood on the street. Parking lots and garages can be found at the University of Maryland on the north tip of the neighborhood and can only be used by students. Metered street parking can be found throughout Hyattsville in some areas.

Biking and walking prove to be very safe in the neighborhood. Because of the college on the north side of Hyattsville, students who live in the neighborhood choose to bike to and from school. Bike lanes can be found in some of the streets of Hyattsville especially when getting closer to the university.

Cabs are not readily available to hail so many choose to either call to schedule a pick up or use Uber car service. Uber service starts at $5 for the basic service and a short ride of a couple blocks and goes up to $50 or more for the SUV service depending on the destination.

Hyattsville houses several parks for residents and visitors to enjoy. The 32-acre Magruder Park located on 40th Avenue and Hamilton Street has basketball, tennis and volleyball courts as well as several playgrounds. Two separate picnic pavilions can be used after purchasing permits. Also available with a permit are soccer, football and baseball fields. The park also has a recreation center with public restrooms and a swimming pool open in the summer. Plenty of biking and walking trails wind throughout the park. Areas not requiring a permit cost nothing.

Heurich Park on Ager Road provides a dog park for residents and visitors. The park also houses the neighborhood's only mobility playground that costs nothing to use. Burlington Park on 46th avenue remains small, but has a clean playground and provides a quiet place for residents to enjoy the outdoors. Leashed dogs may be allowed in the park.

Melrose Park on Rhode Island Street has a skateboard park and basketball courts for avid sports fans. The park also has soccer fields and a long walking and biking path for cyclists. The park and amenities cost nothing to use, and leashed dogs are allowed.

Magruder Park is home to the carnival and fireworks that accompany the annual anniversary parade. This event takes place in early April.

The cost of living in Hyattsville remains about average compared to the rest of Maryland. A typical one-bedroom apartment can be rented for around $1,056 per month.

Transportation proves to be quite affordable with plenty of options like the Metro bus or train. Tickets for a ride into Downtown Washington D.C. on either cost under $5 per person.

Gas on average in Hyattsville costs $2.45 per gallon about two percent lower than the average in Maryland State and about five percent above the national average.

Beer at a local pub or restaurant can start at $2 for a domestic can during happy hour and go up to about $7 or $8 for a specialty or craft brew. Some pubs and breweries that produce their own beer charge upwards of $10 for a pint of their craft brew.

Hyattsville has The Mall at Prince Georges, is an enclosed shopping mall that has been open since 1959. The mall features anchor tentants such as Macy's, Target, Jcpenny, and Old Navy.

Ke'Chic Boutique proves to be another favorite in the area. The boutique located on Lehigh Road carries high-end fashion apparel and accessories for women of all shapes and sizes. The shop also carries beautiful and unique clutches, purses and jewelry to go with the clothing. The clean shop staffs helpful and friendly people making the shopping experience even better.

A few grocery stores lay claim to the best in the neighborhood including Giant located on East-West Highway and Bestway Supermarket on Hamilton Street. Those looking for super healthy and organic options can try Yes Organic Market on Baltimore Avenue.

The Hyattsville Farmers Market sits in the center of the neighborhood and provides fresh produce and homemade goods for residents here. The market opens from June 24th through October 28th on Tuesdays from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Residents enjoy the many vendors selling crafts and foods.