Suggested Itineraries

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Passport to Montgomery County, Maryland

 

Single Day Sample Itineraries 

A Tour for All

Arrive in Montgomery County, Maryland and begin your day with a guided tour of the Clara Barton House. Clara Barton National Historic Site commemorates the life of Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross. The home served as the headquarters and warehouse for the organization.  

After this educational session, continue down the street at the famous Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O) National Canal, which was operated from 1828-1924 as a transportation route, primarily hauling coal from western Maryland to the port of Georgetown in Washington, D.C. Hundreds of original structures, including locks, lockhouses, and aqueducts, serve as reminders of the canal's role as a transportation system during the Canal Era.  In addition, the canal's towpath provides a nearly level, continuous trail through the spectacular scenery of the Potomac River Valley.  Every year millions of visitors come to hike or bike the C&O Canal in order to enjoy the natural, cultural, and recreational opportunities available.  

Next enjoy an active and amusing lunch at Dave & Busters where there is an incredible assortment of state-of-the-art games.  

Spend the remaining of the afternoon shopping in one of our three major malls or in downtown Bethesda.

Conclude your evening with dinner and a show at Imagination Stage, a family arts center that puts on many live shows each year.

Make it Montgomery for a Day

Begin your day in Montgomery County at Brookside Gardens. Brookside Gardens is Montgomery County’s incomparable, award-winning 50-acre public display garden.  Included in the gardens are several distinct areas; azalea garden, rose garden, children's garden, formal garden, fragrance garden, Japanese style garden and trial garden. The garden also features two conservatories for year-round enjoyment. A horticultural reference library is located in the airy Visitors Center.

After leaving this breathtaking attraction, depending on the time of year, attend one of our exiting annual events including the SilverDocs Documentary Film Festival, Sugarloaf Crafts Festival, East Coast Jazz Festival and many more.

Break for lunch in downtown Bethesda, followed by world-class shopping and antiquing.

During the afternoon, Red-line it on the Metrorail (the county’s subway system leading into Washington, D.C.) and enjoy the attractions the nation’s capital has to offer.

Return from Washington D.C. in time to eat dinner at one of our 900 ethnically-diverse restaurants and end the night with a performance at the new Music Center at Strathmore.  This magnificent new structure houses a 1,978-seat concert hall, which welcomes world renowned performers.

Kensington Shopping/Antiquing Tour

All aboard!  Spend the day antiquing in charming Kensington, Maryland -- where the train still stops and the people still walk.  Kensington hosts more than 50 antique and specialty shops, a historically restored train station and numerous Victorian era homes.  Kensington's Antique Row has cozy coffee shops and a multitude of quaint stores, including antiques, furniture, art galleries, a stylish boutique and a total of five independent bookstores.  

Visit the nearby West Howard Antiques District, where you can enjoy many more shops.  French antiques, amazing Indonesian imports, beautiful modern pieces, and more await you in the stores that line this eclectic hillside shopping district.  The bus will drop you at the top and await your return at the base.  The buses depart at 4:00 p.m. for your return to the hotel.  And remember:  Purchases may be shipped to the location of your choosing.

Multi-Day Sample Itineraries:

Urban Sophistication … Country Charm

Day 1

Arrive in rural Montgomery County and begin your day at Butler’s Orchard, your one stop shop for fresh fruits and vegetables in season. Butler’s Orchard also hosts special events throughout the year.

After leaving Butler’s Orchard head over to RIO Entertainment Center, which houses dozens of restaurants and offers shopping on all budgets.  RIO is nestled inbetween two lakes that are great for taking an afternoon stroll or just enjoying the view and feeding the ducks.  

Jump on the Metrorail (the county’s subway system leading into Washington, D.C.) and enjoy the attractions the nation’s capital has to offer or catch a National’s baseball game or Redskins football game (depending on season).  

Bring your group back to Montgomery County for dinner at one of our 900 ethnically-diverse restaurants and top of the day with a show at AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center or The Fillmore..

Finally, rest your head at one of our 50 hotels in the county, offering nearly 10,000 guest rooms.  

Day 2

Head to downtown Bethesda and enjoy an array of unique shops. From art galleries and home furnishings to specialty stores, shoppers can find it all in downtown Bethesda. Additionally, downtown Bethesda offers more than 100 home fashion retailers.  Whether your style is contemporary, casual or traditional, Bethesda’s shops can satisfy all of your personal design tastes. 

After spending the morning shopping and enjoying everything Bethesda has to offer stay in downtown Bethesda for its legendary restaurants. No matter what you're craving, anything from American to Vietnamese cuisine, you will find it in Bethesda.

Before dinner, spend your afternoon at Brookside Gardens.  Brookside Gardens is Montgomery County's incomparable, award-winning 50-acre public display garden.  

To top off your 2 day excursion to Montgomery County, catch a performance at the Music Center at Strathmore.  This magnificent new structure houses a 1,978-seat concert hall, which welcomes world renowned performers.

Heritage Experience

Day 1 

Begin your back-in-time adventure at Glen Echo Park for Arts and Culture, originally a Chautauqua retreat and then an amusement park, home to the Dentzel Carousel and its 52 handcarved animals, in operation for 80 years.

Next to Glen Echo you will find the Clara Barton National Historic Site, home of the founder of the Red Cross.  Enjoy a guided tour throughout history from one of the tour directors.  

After these two visits, enjoy lunch in Downtown Silver Spring and then head over to the National Capitol Trolley Museum to ride one of the 17 streetcars operating on a one mile track.  The Trolley Museum was founded in 1959 to preserve and interpret the history of area electric street railways. 

Enjoy your last tour in Rockville at the Beall-Dawson House, constructed in 1815 as a residence of the Beall family and now home to the County’s Historical Society.  Also on site here you will find The Stonestreet Museum of 19th Century Medicine, the outfitted office of a country doctor.

End your day at one of our 40 hotels, offering over 8,000 guest rooms sure to suit anyone’s budget.

Day 2

Begin your day with a complimentary breakfast at your hotel and then make your first stop at Sandy Spring Museum, organized in 1980 to preserve a vanishing agricultural landscape in Quaker tradition.  The museum also houses an interesting collection of Montgomery County artifacts.

After this rewarding stop, it’s off to Oakley Cabin, which was constructed from logs in the 1820s to house enslaved people.  The Oakley Cabin is now a living history site and museum.

Hungry?  Make your way to one of Montgomery County’s 900 ethnically-diverse restaurants before catching the historic White’s Ferry, a unique cable ferry crossing the Potomac, short distance downriver from White’s Ford where J.E.B. Stuart’s Cavalry crossed in the Civil War.  

Then it’s off to the Seneca Schoolhouse Museum, a interpretive museum built in 1865 of Seneca sandstone, and operated as a one-room schoolhouse until 1910.

Finish up at the John Poole House and General Store Museum, another interpretive museum which is a one room log store built in 1793 that served as the first post office.