What to See in Potomac - Top Sights and Attractions

Swains Lock and lock house are part of the 184.5-mile Chesapeake and Ohio Canal that operated in the United States along the Potomac River from the 1830s through 1923. It is located at towpath mile-marker 16.7 near Potomac, Maryland, and within the Travilah census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland. The lock and lock house were built in the early 1830s and began operating shortly thereafter.

Swains Lock is named after Jesse Swain and his family. Jesse Swain was lock keeper for Lock 21 beginning in 1907, and had been a canal boatman. His father had helped with the canal construction, and his grandson has lived in the house and operated an onsite concession stand into the 21st century. Some of the Swains from Jesse's generation were born on canal boats, and more recent Swains were born in the lock house. Family members lived in the house until 2006, when the house was turned over to the National Park Service.

Today, the lock and restored lock house are part of Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. Picnic tables at the lock site are located between the Potomac River and the lock house. The lock house is one of seven lock houses on the canal that can be used for overnight stays. It is only a few miles upriver from the Potomac River's Great Falls, and is a few miles downriver from a bird sanctuary.^[1]

Museum in the Travilah, Maryland. Glenstone is a private contemporary art museum in Potomac, Maryland, 15 miles from downtown Washington, D.C. The museum's exhibitions are drawn from a collection of about 1,300 works from post-World War II artists around the world. It is the largest private contemporary art museum in the United States, and is noted for its setting in a broad natural landscape.

The museum was developed and financed by billionaire American businessman Mitchell Rales, and is curated by Emily Wei Rales. Artists in Glenstone's collection are required to have already been exhibited for at least 15 years. First opened in 2006 in a building designed by Charles Gwathmey, the museum has been expanded several times between 2013 and 2018 on its 230-acre (93 ha) campus. Its largest expansion was opened to the public on October 4, 2018, with outdoor sculpture installations, landscaping, and the introduction of a new museum complex called the Pavilions designed by Thomas Phifer. In 2019, Glenstone added an environmental center with exhibits on recycling, composting, and reforestation.

Glenstone has been compared to other private museums such as the Frick Collection and The Phillips Collection, and has received generally positive reviews in the press. The museum is open, free to the public, via online booking.^[2]