Primarily a residential suburb, Chevy Chase also is near a popular shopping district, Friendship Heights,
featuring several malls and a variety of shops and restaurants.
Arts & Culture
Washington is rich in marble shrines to art and culture, from the National Gallery of Art to the Kennedy Center. Museums celebrate fine art and antiques, textiles, American craft and decorative arts, American history, women artists, the postal service, and the American Indian.
Monuments and the Holocaust Museum honor victims and heroes of wars and other international conflicts. DC theater offerings span the full range from experimental drama to corny musicals. Washington also has its own ballet company, and Placido Domingo oversees The Washington Opera.
Imagination Stage
For 22 years, the mission of BAPA has been to integrate the arts into the lives of all young people by actively involving them as
* Students of arts education programs
* Performers in student, pre-professional and professional productions
* Participants in arts-based teaching and learning programs in schools, and
* Audience members of professional theatre productions.
Round House Theatre
Now in its 25th Anniversary Season, this critically-acclaimed professional theatre company has recently opened its new 400-seat performance space at Wisconsin Avenue and East-West Highway in Downtown Bethesda.
Kennedy Center
It represents a unique public/private partnership, since it is both the nation's living memorial to President John F. Kennedy and the "National Center for the Performing Arts", which includes educational and outreach initiatives, almost entirely paid for through ticket sales and gifts from individuals, corporations, and private foundations.
Washington National Opera
Washington National Opera has earned its position through the number and quality of its new productions and by championing lesser known works of significant musical worth rarely presented on today's opera stages.
Glen Echo Park
Glen Echo Park is a magical place situated on the Potomac palisades near Bethesda, Maryland. Originally a Chautauqua retreat, then an amusement park, this National Park is now host to a variety of arts, environmental and history programs.
Smithsonian
Welcome to the Smithsonian Institution, the world's largest museum complex and research organization composed of 16 museums and the National Zoo in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, and 2 museums in New York City.
U.S. National Arboretum
The Arboreutm's mission is to serve the public need for scientific research, education, and
gardens that conserve and showcase plants to enhance the environment.
It covers 446 acres with 9.5 miles of winding roadways.
Preserving America’s colorful Canal era and transportation history, the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park is 184.5 miles of adventure. Originally, the C&O Canal was a lifeline for communities and businesses along the Potomac River as coal, lumber, grain and other agricultural products floated down the canal to market. Today millions of visitors hike or bike the C&O Canal each year to enjoy the natural, cultural and recreational opportunities available.
Whether you’re a scratch golfer, weekend player or beginner, you'll find plenty of
championship golf courses in the Bethesda Maryland area. There are private and
public courses throughout the Washington DC area including Maryland and Virginia.
Bethesda Row, located in the central business district of Bethesda, Maryland, illustrates the revitalization of a suburban downtown area into a mixed-use, walkable shopping and restaurant district. It has become so successful it draws people from the surrounding county and Washington D.C.
With more than 200 shopping centers and thousands of restaurants offering a variety of world cuisine, Montgomery and Fairfax County offers one of the best shopping and dining experiences on the east coast.
Tysons Corner, the "downtown" of Fairfax County, is home to several malls that feature such retailers as Macy's, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Abercrombie and Fitch, Bloomingdales, Urban Outfitters and Joan and David.