The City of Hyattsville has put a frame at the Centennial Park overlook, 5215 Baltimore Avenue. It looks down on the lot where The Spot used to host concerts and murals, and it carries the words "Hyattsville's Trolley Trailhead Park, Coming Soon." Hyattsville Wire reported that the city built the viewing spot for "construction vehicle enthusiasts of all ages."
That frame is a good way to read the whole corridor this fall. The Rhode Island Avenue Trolley Trail runs 3.8 paved miles through Hyattsville, Riverdale Park and College Park. All three public projects touching it are fenced or half-built, and two of them are due in the same early-2027 window. The coffee, beer, bikes and the Thursday market along the trail are open now.
Three Projects, Two Shared Deadlines
The public improvements are spread over the trail's whole length. The two with published dates have targets within a few months of each other, and the third has no date yet.
| Project | Where it touches the trail | Status this fall | Stated finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trolley Trailhead Park, Phase 1 | The Spot, 4503–4508 Hamilton St., Hyattsville | Under construction; Hamilton St. segment closed | First quarter of 2027 |
| Purple Line | Riverdale Park and College Park crossings | Nightly test runs; road closures nearby | Construction by end of 2026; riders late winter 2027 |
| Southern trail extension | Farragut St. south to the Northwest Branch Trail | Underway | No date published |
If those dates hold, next spring's trail will have a finished first phase of the trailhead park and working light rail, and the southern reach will follow on a schedule nobody has published. This fall's trail has none of the three.
What Is Actually Closed at The Spot
The Spot sits on three city-owned parcels at 4503, 4505 and 4508 Hamilton Street, where small auto repair shops once stood. Since 2021 the SoHy Co-op has run it as a community gathering place under an agreement with the city. The Trolley Trail runs along its west side.
The city's project page says the north and south sides of the park, plus the short piece of Hamilton Street between them, are closed for construction that started in summer 2026. Phase 1 starts on the south side with a picnic pavilion, game tables, misters, kids' play equipment and movable lawn seating. The north side will be graded and seeded as lawn, and the city will consider further work there after Phase 1 wraps up.
As of the city's October 5 update, the crews had finished these steps:
- Installed the underground stormwater elements
- Poured the concrete curb for the playground area
- Dug the bioswales
- Set up the viewing frame at the Centennial Park overlook
- Got the electrician's trade permits pulled
Sources differ on how they describe the work. Hyattsville Wire calls it the park's second phase. It describes a covered stage facing a lawn for 60 people, plus bike parking, a bike repair station and a tree-lined path to the trail. Those features come from the city's conceptual site design. The Wire also reports the work is funded with $1.4 million in grants. The city's own construction schedule targets the first quarter of 2027.
We could not find any announcement saying where events that used to happen at The Spot have moved during construction.
The Trains You Might Hear After 9 p.m.
A few blocks from the trail's Riverdale Park stretch, the Purple Line is running test trains. According to the Purple Line's updates page, crews test light rail vehicles nightly from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. between Veterans Parkway and the College Park-UMD Station. Police or traffic control staff are posted as trains move through intersections.
The road closures matter more for getting to the trail than for using it. The same page lists these:
- 66th Avenue at Riverdale Road: closed through the end of 2026, with pedestrian access maintained
- Rittenhouse Street at Kenilworth Avenue: crossing closed through fall 2026, reducing Rittenhouse to right turns only, with a pedestrian crossing maintained
- River Road, College Park Metro to Kenilworth Avenue: intermittent lane closures and pedestrian detours
- Riverdale Park-Kenilworth Station: elevated station work continuing at Riverdale Road and Kenilworth Avenue
None of these notices says the Trolley Trail itself is closed.
The public got an early look at the line on September 24. Hyattsville Wire reported that the Maryland Transit Administration parked a railcar at the Baltimore Avenue stop, just south of the Hotel at the University of Maryland. The Wire also noted that line staff have been regulars at street fairs and farmers markets along the route. Construction is set to finish by the end of this year, with first passengers riding in late winter 2027.
The South End Is Getting Longer
Right now the trail's southern end is at Farragut Street. The City of Hyattsville says an extension is underway from there down to Charles Armentrout Drive and the Northwest Branch Trail, which would connect the trail to points farther south. The city has not published a completion date, so this fall's walks still end at Farragut.
The Part That's Open
The businesses along the trail don't depend on any of these timelines. The list below is limited to places whose own websites list current details or whose openings local outlets reported. It runs roughly from Hyattsville north to College Park.
Hyattsville
- Vigilante Coffee, 4327 Gallatin St. This roastery and café lists daily hours of 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Streetcar 82 Brewing, 4824 Rhode Island Ave. Its site lists hours Tuesday through Sunday.
- Franklins, 5123 Baltimore Ave. It runs a restaurant, brewery, general store and ice cream shop at one address. Hyattsville Wire reported that the ice cream shop opened October 7, 2025, with a back entrance facing the Trolley Trail.
- Sangfroid Distilling, 5130 Baltimore Ave. The cocktail bar is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
- Maryland Meadworks, which posts a full October event calendar.
Riverdale Park
- Denizens Brewing, 4550 Van Buren St. The taproom lists service every day of the week.
- Riverdale Park Farmers Market, Town Center, 4650 Queensbury Road. The town lists it year-round on Thursdays from 3 to 7 p.m., with December hours shortening to 3 to 6:30 p.m. The page carries no date, so check it before you go.
College Park
- Wonder Food Hall, 7423 Baltimore Ave. Hyattsville Wire reported its opening in early November 2025.
- Duck Donuts, 4360 Knox Rd. Hyattsville Wire announced a September 19 grand opening.
- Proteus Bicycles, 9827 Rhode Island Ave. It's a bike shop with the Proteus Brews coffee shop inside. Posted hours run Tuesday through Sunday, with no Monday hours listed.
Two changes are on the way at the College Park end. Hyattsville Wire reported that Black Lion Café is planned for the ground floor of the Union on Knox, with more than 100 seats and a quiet-study mezzanine. A Diamondback headline says the café plans to open this December, though no exact day has been set. Chick-fil-A told the Wire that its Little Blue Menu location at 7242 Baltimore Ave. will close this fall and reopen as a traditional Chick-fil-A in 2027.
Why the Printed Guide Lags
The Anacostia Trails Heritage Area's trail page, dated August 2026, names many of the stops above, along with Melrose Skate Park, James Adams Park, the Berwyn Business District and Hollywood Shopping Center. It also still lists Shortcake Bakery. Hyattsville Wire reported that the bakery closed at 4700 Rhode Island Ave. after 13 years, with its license ending October 31, 2024. A trail with this much turnover is hard to keep a printed directory current for. A business's own site is the better check before you head out.
On the Calendar Through Halloween
Saturday, October 17: Riverdale Park's Walk & Talk starts at 9:30 a.m. The town lists the starting point as TBD.
Maryland Meadworks' October lineup:
- Hyattsville Jazz Collective, Friday, October 16, 7 to 10 p.m.
- Too Hot Mamas and the Dead Sea Squirrels, Saturday, October 17, 7 to 10 p.m.
- Open Mic Night, Thursday, October 22, 7 to 10 p.m.
- Hyattsville Irish Session, Sunday, October 25, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Thursday, October 29, 8 to 10 p.m.
- Anniversary party with the Jim Stephanson Trio, Friday, October 30, 7 to 10 p.m.
- Halloween party, Saturday, October 31, 7 to 10 p.m.
Every Thursday: the Riverdale Park Farmers Market runs at Town Center, 4650 Queensbury Road.
At Charisse Callender Scott, we follow projects like the Trolley Trailhead Park and the Purple Line because they change how the Route 1 corridor works day to day. If you'd like to talk through what these early-2027 milestones could mean for your corner of Hyattsville, Riverdale Park or College Park, contact us and we'll walk you through it.
