Discover Bethesda

Bethesda brings together theater, galleries, and public art, with a specific connection to Battery Lane Park. When planning your stay, you can first consider whether performances and learning opportunities, visual art, or the park best match your interests.

Theater and architectural history

Round House Theatre is one block from the Bethesda station on the Metro Red Line. If theater is part of your plans, this distance provides a specific point of reference. Another historic theater landmark is the Bethesda Theatre: it was built in 1938 at 7719 Wisconsin Avenue. For Round House, the connection to the Metro station is foremost; for Bethesda Theatre, it is the year it was built and its exact address.

Galleries and public art

The Arts & Entertainment District in Bethesda includes theater, independent films, galleries, and public art. Its cultural offerings therefore span performances and film as well as visual art. Gallery B is located in Downtown Bethesda at 7700 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite E. This nonprofit arts space is managed by the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District and the Bethesda Urban Partnership. The Signal Box Public Art Project offers a different example: it features works by 15 artists installed on 15 utility boxes in Downtown Bethesda. Gallery B as an arts space and the artworks on the utility boxes represent two different forms of engagement with art in Downtown Bethesda.

Theater as a place to learn

Imagination Stage and Round House stand out for their different approaches to learning opportunities. Imagination Stage supports young people through theater education and professional theater. The Jim and Carol Trawick Imagination Stage building is in the heart of Bethesda, Maryland; its theater classes are for young people ages 1 to 18. Round House offers lifelong learning and educational programs at its theater in Bethesda. The difference is specific for travel planning: Imagination Stage gives an age range for its theater classes, while Round House frames its learning opportunities around lifelong learning and educational programs.

Battery Lane Park

The Bethesda Trolley Trail runs through Battery Lane Park, which has an accessible playground. These are two distinct aspects of the same place to keep in mind: the trail describes a route through the park, while the playground is a separate facility. You can therefore consider in advance whether the trail, the playground, or both are relevant to your plans.

A market as a historic landmark

The Farm Women’s Cooperative Market adds a different subject to the cultural history of theater and art: it is a surviving example of a market built specifically for women farmers and is individually listed in the Master Plan for Historic Preservation. Its original purpose makes it a distinct point of interest if you are interested in the history of local markets and the work of women farmers.

Explore more destinations: Germantown, Brookeville, Ashton-Sandy Spring, Boyds, Olney, Takoma Park, Gaithersburg, Potomac

For the main travel overview: Montgomery.