Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Bethesda (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Strathmore, KID Museum, and Chevy Chase Village. Also, be sure to include Congregation Beth El in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Bethesda (Maryland).
Table of Contents
Strathmore
Building complex in North Bethesda. Strathmore is a cultural and artistic venue and institution in North Bethesda, Maryland, United States. Strathmore was founded in 1981 and consists of two venues: the Mansion and the Music Center.
It is the home to hundreds of performances and events per year presented by Strathmore Hall Foundation, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, National Philharmonic, Levine Music, City Dance, interPLAY Orchestra, and others.
The Strathmore arts complex is connected to an upper floor of the parking garage at the Grosvenor-Strathmore Washington Metro station via an elevated pedestrian walkway, the Carlton R. Sickles Memorial Sky Bridge, named after late Congressman Carlton R. Sickles. The complex is thus accessible for patrons coming from Washington, D.C., as well as the northern part of Montgomery County, Maryland via the Metro rail system.[1]
Address: Bethesda, 5301 Tuckerman Lane
KID Museum
Museum in North Bethesda, Maryland. KID Museum is a children's museum and child-oriented maker space in the Washington, D.C. suburb of Bethesda, Maryland.
As of 2018, the small, not-for-profit museum operates on the lower floor of Bethesda's Davis Library, and hopes to expand to a larger site.
The Washington Post describes KID as "The museum’s hands-on programs teach skills such as collaboration, creativity and critical thinking, as well as such technical skills as designing and building and even using power tools."[2]
Address: 6400 Democracy Blvd, Bethesda (North Bethesda)
Chevy Chase Village
Chevy Chase Village, Maryland is an incorporated municipality in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, bordering Washington, D.C. It is made up of sections 1, 1a, and 2 of Chevy Chase, as originally designated by The Chevy Chase Land Company. The population was 1,953 as of the 2010 census. The town is the wealthiest in Maryland, with a median income of over $250,000, the highest income bracket listed by the census bureau, and a median home value of $1,823,800.
Chevy Chase Village includes 721 homes. It is known for its speed limit enforcement actions, which produce 24% of its annual revenue. The population has historically been over 95% white, while the non-white residents are mostly transient. Chevy Chase Village also includes Chevy Chase Club, a private country club with an initiation fee of over $50,000.[3]
Congregation Beth El
Conservative synagogue in Bethesda, Maryland. Congregation Beth El is a synagogue located in Bethesda, Maryland. Beth El is an egalitarian synagogue providing diverse worship in the Conservative tradition.
Congregation Beth El started in 1951 as a synagogue of 16 families and has grown to approximately 1,000 families.
Greg Harris is Rabbi, Deborah Megdal is Associate Rabbi, and Bill Rudolph is Rabbi Emeritus. Asa Fradkin is Hazzan and Abe Lubin is Hazzan Emeritus. Rudolph, Harris, and Lubin have each been featured on the PBS television program Religion & Ethics Newsweekly.
Congregation Beth El is housed in a modern structure of approximately 60,000 square feet (5,600 m2) on Old Georgetown Road. On the bimah of the main sanctuary are two large tapestries, installed in September 1997. Created by local artist Tamar Fishman and executed by British weaver Pat Johns, the tapestries are inspired by two narratives from the Book of Genesis that envision episodes in the life of the patriarch Jacob. One tapestry, named Beth El, reflects Genesis 28:10–19, and the other, named Israel, reflects Genesis 32:25–32. The tapestry Beth El was dedicated by former congregation President Walter Arnheim.
Congregation Beth El has received recognition for its award-winning adult education program, the Saul Bendit Institute. Beth El's adult b'nai mitzvah ceremony received special notice in 2010 when 94-year-old Esther Isralow became the oldest of 19 congregants to complete the 18 months of study led by Rabbi Harris that culminated in the service. And Congregation Beth El has held interfaith seminars, such as a 2010 seminar on leadership with perspectives from the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and the Koran.
In 2008, Congregation Beth El received a grant from the Pathways Awareness Foundation recognizing its actions to include worshippers of all abilities. In 2009, the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism gave Beth El an award for the quality of its bulletins.[4]
Address: 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, 20814 Bethesda (Bethesda)
United States National Library of Medicine
National library in Bethesda, Maryland. The United States National Library of Medicine, operated by the United States federal government, is the world's largest medical library.
Located in Bethesda, Maryland, the NLM is an institute within the National Institutes of Health. Its collections include more than seven million books, journals, technical reports, manuscripts, microfilms, photographs, and images on medicine and related sciences, including some of the world's oldest and rarest works.
The current director of the NLM is Patricia Flatley Brennan.[5]
Address: 8600 Rockville Pike, Bethesda (Bethesda)
Francis Griffith Newlands Memorial Fountain
Fountain in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Francis Griffith Newlands Memorial Fountain is a historic fountain located at Chevy Chase Circle, on the border between the Chevy Chase neighborhood, Northwest, Washington, D.C. and the community of Chevy Chase, Maryland. The fountain was designed by Edward W. Donn, Jr. in 1933 and erected in 1938. The project was funded by Newlands' widow.[6]
Address: Chevy Chase Circle NW, 20015 Washington (Chevy Chase)
Bethesda Theatre
Movie theater in Bethesda, Maryland. The Bethesda Theatre, constructed in 1938, is a historic Streamline Moderne movie theater located at 7719 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, Maryland, United States. It is a multi-level building composed of rectangular blocks: an auditorium block and a lower street-front lobby and entrance block, including shops. The theatre retains its original configuration of lobby, foyer, lounges, and auditorium. Many original interior finishes, including painted murals, remain intact, with the exception of the original seating. It was designed by the firm of the world-renowned "Dean of American Theatre Architects," John Eberson.
In 1983 it re-opened as the "Bethesda Cinema and Drafthouse" showing movies on a single screen and serving food and beer. In 1990 it changed its name to the "Bethesda Theatre Cafe". In 2007, under the leadership of Executive Director Ray Cullom, it underwent a major renovation and became a venue for theatrical productions. Cullom produced well-received DC-premiers of “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change”, the hit musical “Altar Boyz”, Smokey Joe's Cafe” and brought over several innovative productions from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. In 2009, the theatre was forced to shut down after a severe water leak in the building directly above the auditorium and technical control booths caused the landmarked Art Deco ceiling to fall in, and rendered the theatre uninhabitable. The theatre was auctioned off on June 29, 2010, and reopened years later as the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.[7]
Address: 7719 Wisconsin Ave, 20814-3521 Bethesda (Bethesda)
Willoughby Park
Park in Friendship Village, Maryland. Willoughby Park is a city park in Friendship Heights, an incorporated area on the edge of Washington, D.C. Named after the adjacent Willoughby Condominium Building, it is at the intersection of Willard Ave and Friendship Boulevard. It is served by the Friendship Heights metro and bus station of the Washington Metro, which is located two blocks from the park.
Designed by Robert (Bob) Good, of Stephenson & Good Landscape Architecture, The park is characterized by its location in the midst of high-rise luxury condominium buildings. While there is some traffic noise, the park is generally quiet with few users. Sharing the intersection is a Chipotle Restaurant, the edge of the Geico Corporate campus, and another park directly across the street.[8]
Bradley Hills Presbyterian Church
Presbyterian church in Bethesda, Maryland. Bradley Hills Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian Church located at 6601 Bradley Boulevard in Bethesda, Maryland. The church has a unique partnership with the Bethesda Jewish Congregation, in which they share the same space for worship. It is believed that this arrangement, which is 46 years old, is the oldest such relationship in the United States.
In 1998 the BJC and Bradley Hills Presbyterian Church signed a pact, which reads:
We wish to acknowledge and celebrate commonalities and differences. We see this relationship as a living example of understanding and respect among people of different heritage.[9]
Address: 6601 Bradley Blvd, 20817 Bethesda (Bethesda)
Fourth Presbyterian Church
Church
Address: 5500 River Rd, 20816 Bethesda (Bethesda)
Woodend
Woodend is a historic home located in the Montgomery County, Maryland, town of Chevy Chase. This Georgian Revival house was built by Chester and Marion Wells in 1927–1928, and owned by the Audubon Naturalist Society of the Central Atlantic States. It is a 2+1⁄2-story house with Flemish bond brick walls and brick quoins. The house was designed by John Russell Pope.
The society maintains the Woodend Nature Sanctuary on the 40-acre (16 ha) property, which is open to the public.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.[10]
Address: 8940 Jones Mill Rd, 20815-4725 Chevy Chase (Chevy Chase)