Montgomery County

We’ve compiled the best of the best in Montgomery County - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.

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  • 1. American Film Institute Silver Theatre & Cultural Center

    This three-screen, state-of-the-art center for film is a restoration of architect John Eberson's art deco Silver Theatre, built in 1938. The AFI hosts film retrospectives, new releases, on-stage appearances, and tributes to stars that have included Jeanne Moreau and Russell Crowe. Each June, in partnership with the Discovery Channel, the AFI hosts the glitzy SILVERDOCS. This documentary film festival is one of the world's best, supporting independent storytellers and honoring artistic excellence of the caliber of Spike Lee and Martin Scorcese through the Charles Guggenheim Symposium.

    8633 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring, Maryland, 20910, USA
    301-495–6700
  • 2. Audubon Naturalist Society

    A self-guided nature trail winds through a verdant 40-acre estate and around the headquarters of the Audubon Naturalist Society. The estate is known as Woodend, as is the mansion, which was designed in 1927 by Jefferson Memorial architect John Russell Pope. The society leads wildlife identification walks, environmental education programs, and—September through June—a weekly Saturday bird walk at its headquarters. The bookstore stocks titles on conservation, ecology, and birding, as well as nature-related gifts such as jewelry and toys.

    8940 Jones Mill Rd., Chevy Chase, Maryland, 20815, USA
    301-652–9188

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Free, Grounds daily dawn–dusk; bookstore weekdays 10–5, Sat. 9–5, Sun. noon–5
  • 3. Brookside Gardens

    At the rolling 50-acre Brookside Gardens, the series of theme areas highlight roses, azaleas, flowers with particularly potent fragrance, and plants that attract butterflies, among many others. Two conservatories house seasonal displays and exotic tropicals throughout the year. The visitor center has an auditorium, classrooms for adults and children, a 5,000-volume horticulture library, a gift shop, an information booth, and horticulture-related works by local artists on display.

    1800 Glenallan Ave., Wheaton, Maryland, 20902, USA
    301-962–1400

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Free, class fees $11–$50, Conservatories daily 10–5, visitor center daily 9–5, gift shop Mon.–Sat. 10–4 and Sun. noon–4, horticulture library weekdays 10–3
  • 4. McCrillis Gardens

    More than 750 varieties of azaleas bloom in the 5-acre McCrillis Gardens from late March through July, and usually peak around May 1. Ornamental trees and shrubs, including a remarkable collection of rhododendrons, bloom in the warm months. The Brookside Gardens School of Botanical Art and Illustration classes are held inside the home.

    6910 Greentree Rd., Bethesda, Maryland, 20817, USA
    301-962–1455

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Free, Gardens daily 10–sunset
  • 5. Montgomery County Farm Women's Cooperative Market

    This market is one of the remaining vestiges of Montgomery County's agricultural society. In the midst of the Great Depression, women gathered goods from their gardens to sell in Bethesda to residents of the District of Columbia and its growing suburbs. Today the tradition continues. Baked goods, fresh fruits and vegetables, crafts, and flea-market goods are still sold in and around this low, white building in the midst of office high-rises. (A view of the market in the 1930s is depicted in a mural on the wall of the Bethesda Post Office at 7400 Wisconsin Avenue.)

    7155 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda, Maryland, 20814, USA
    301-652–2291

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Wed. and Sat. 7–4, Fri. 9–5, Sun. 8–5
  • Recommended Fodor’s Video

  • 6. National Capital Trolley Museum

    A selection of historic trolleys have been rescued, restored, and put on display at the National Capital Trolley Museum, along with streetcars from Europe, Canada, the District of Columbia, and elsewhere in America. The museum is run by volunteers whose childhood fascination with trains never left them at the station. Take a short ride through the countryside or play with an interactive model trolley display.

    1313 Bonifant Rd., Wheaton, Maryland, 20905, USA
    301-384–6088

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: $4, Hrs vary seasonally; call to check latest information. Last train leaves station ½ hr before closing time
  • 7. National Institutes of Health (NIH)

    Library/Archive

    National Library of Medicine, 8600 Rockville Pike, Bldg. 38A, Bethesda, Maryland, 20894, United States
    301-496–7771
  • 8. National Institutes of Health (NIH)

    One of the world's foremost biomedical research centers, with a sprawling 322-acre campus, the NIH offers tours for the public, including an orientation tour at the NIH Visitor Information Center and one at the National Library of Medicine, that will likely be quite interesting to those interested in medicine and a little dry to everyone else. The visitor center tour discusses how health and medicine has been transformed through discovery—discoveries that have kept the blood supply safe from disease and begun mapping the human genome. There are about 1,500 ongoing clinical trials at this facility at any given time, and tours will take you through the pediatric day unit, which offers a playroom for children and a program for them to connect with pediatric patients across the country via Internet. Then the tour continues to the pediatric oncology lab, where researchers are working to improve methods to help these very children. Although best known for its books and journals—there are about 14 mi worth of them—the National Library of Medicine also houses historical medical references dating from the 11th century. A library tour includes a look at historical documents, the library's databases, and "visible human" anatomical simulator. The library was built during the Cold War, and as guides will explain, the building's roof was designed to collapse in the event of an attack from the Soviet Union, protecting the books kept below ground.

    45 Center Dr., Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, USA
    301-496–1776

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Free, Call for tour times, library hrs, and information on forms of ID to bring, plus other security measures
  • 9. National Museum of Health and Medicine

    Founded in 1862, this museum chronicles the history and practice of American medicine—especially military medicine—over the centuries. It has one of the world's largest collections of microscopes and human remains. Because some exhibits are fairly graphic (with wax surgical models and preserved organs), the museum may not be suitable for young children or the squeamish, but may be perfect for teenagers. It's a rare opportunity to see the effects of different diseases on the human body. In the presidential display you'll see one of the most famous artifacts: the bullet that killed Abraham Lincoln. "Trauma Bay II" shows the floor of an emergency room of an Air Force tent hospital in Balad, Iraq during the Iraq War. In commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the museum is exhibiting artifacts and specimens from 1865. For up-to-date information check www.facebook.com/MedicalMuseum.

    2500 Linden La., Silver Spring, Maryland, 20910, USA
    301-319–3300

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Free, Daily 10–5:30
  • 10. Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

    The Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is impossible to miss from the Beltway near Silver Spring. One of its white towers is topped with a golden statue of the Mormon angel Moroni. It's closed to non-Mormons, but a visitor center provides a lovely view of the mammoth white-marble temple and runs a film about prophet Joseph Smith and an interactive exhibit hall. Tulips, dogwoods, and azaleas bloom in the 56-acre grounds each spring. In December locals of all faiths enjoy the Festival of Lights—650,000 of them—and Nativity scenes.

    9900 Stoneybrook Dr., Kensington, Maryland, 20895, USA
    301-587–0144

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Grounds and visitor center daily 10–9
  • 11. The C&O Canal National Historical Park

    This park extends along the Potomac River 184½ mi from Washington, DC, to Cumberland, Maryland. Three miles south of the town of Potomac, the Great Falls Tavern, a museum and visitor center, serves as the park's local anchor. Barge trips and a vista on the powerful Great Falls are the draws here. A ½-mi, wheelchair-accessible walkway to the platform on Olmsted Island provides a spectacular view of the churning waters. Swimming and wading are prohibited, but you can fish (a Maryland license is required for anglers 16 and older) or climb the rocky Billy Goat Trail; only experienced boaters can go white-water kayaking below the falls—all along this stretch of the river, the currents are deadly. The tavern ceased food service long ago, so if you're hungry, head for the seasonal snack bar a few paces north or bring your own picnic.

    11710 MacArthur Blvd., Potomac, Maryland, 20854, USA
    301-767–3714

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: $5 per vehicle, $3 per person without vehicle, good for 3 days on MD and VA sides of park, Park, daily sunrise–sunset; tavern and museum, daily 9–4:30; barge trips, May–Oct., Wed.–Sun. 11, 1:30, and 3

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