Introduction to Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda is an unincorporated municipality located in the southern part of Montgomery County, Maryland. Situated just outside of Washington, D.C., Bethesda is a wealthy and well-educated area, many of whose residents commute to Washington for work. The community derived its name from one of its long-standing landmarks, the Bethesda Presbyterian Church. Other notable landmarks in Bethesda include the National Naval Medical Center (also known as Bethesda Naval Hospital), one of the nation’s largest and most renowned military medical centers; the headquarters of Lockheed Martin Corporation, largest provider of information technology services to the U.S. Government; the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division; and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.
Arts and Entertainment in Bethesda
Venues for the performing arts in Bethesda include Imagination Stage, a family arts center that fosters youth participation in professional theatre and arts education experiences. Round House Theatre, one of the area's largest and most acclaimed professional theatre companies, produces hundreds of performances each season at its 400-seat Bethesda facility. Bethesda also boasts a number of parks and outdoor recreational sites. Among these is the Capital Crescent Trail, a shared-use (walking, jogging, biking, and roller blading) trail stretching from Georgetown to Silver Spring, which passes directly through the center of Bethesda.
Bethesda hosts a number of events and festivals throughout the year. Some of these include: the Bethesda Fine Arts Festival, a May weekend event featuring arts and crafts, live entertainment and food; the Bethesda Literary Festival, a 3-day event held in April; Imagination Bethesda, a June children's street festival; the Summer Concert Series, which takes place on Wednesday afternoons and Thursday evenings during May, June and July; October's Taste of Bethesda, a food and music festival featuring four stages of entertainment and samplings from 50 restaurants; and December's Winter Wonderland, featuring concerts, a live ice sculpting presentation, and a visit from Santa.
There are attractions galore in Washington, D.C., only minutes away. Included are the following:
- The White House
- The Lincoln Memorial
- The Washington Monument
- National Air & Space Museum
- United States Capitol
- Ford's Theatre
- JFK Center for the Performing Arts
- The Smithsonian Institution
- Library Of Congress
- The National Zoo
- The Washington Opera
- Fraser Gallery
Washington has plenty of pro sports teams too. Franchises which call Washington home include the Redskins of the National Football League, Major League Baseball's Washington Nationals, basketball's Wizards (NBA) and Mystics (WNBA), the National Hockey League's Washington Capitals, and Major League Soccer's DC United.
