Occupying a swath of land within reach of three main airports—Dulles International Airport, Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Montgomery County provides an easy-access locale filled with a blend of arts, culture and culinary sensations.
Planners can draw from a versatile lineup of city options as well as a sprawling expanse of nature nearby. Urban, rural or any imaginable combination of both, Montgomery County offers a sparkling variety of ways in which planners can craft unique experiences.
When it comes to transportation, Montgomery County provides 13 different metro stations that regularly take groups into Washington, D.C., as well as ferry service to Northern Virginia. Planners orchestrating meetings in the nation’s capital can reap the rewards of Montgomery County or vice-versa. Delegates can even head into Washington, D.C., and come right back before the evening is through.
Montgomery County presents a nexus of meeting points and excursions, explains Kelly Groff, president and CEO, Visit Montgomery, the Conference and Visitors Bureau of Montgomery County.
“Just in our county, we have several downtown areas, like downtown Silver Spring, and Bethesda and Rockville, and then we have a 93,000-acre preserved farmland in the upper part of our county,” Groff says.
As a result, whenever groups complete their meetings, a smorgasbord of activity awaits just around every corner. If planners prefer green space, rural delights in a setting like Great Falls Park or outdoor adventures like ziplining at Adventure Park in Sandy Spring, all are possible.
On the other hand, if groups desire an urban culinary expedition, a potpourri of restaurants populate Montgomery County that exceed all expectations.
Endless Options
The cities and outskirts of Montgomery County function like a giant interconnected web of meeting points, with endless pathways for organizing an agenda. Delegates often come away surprised at the options.
“They definitely won’t get bored when they’re here,” says Bethany Manimbo, the director of marketing for Visit Montgomery. “No matter where they meet, they will find other things to do.”
Several signature venues stand out, either for private events or for groups that want to remain together after the day’s events conclude.
Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club, an intimate old-school entertainment venue, is a premier destination for private and corporate groups. Common for private dinners, luncheons or awards ceremonies, the venue can seat 300 on the main dining floor with an additional 200 performance seats.
In North Bethesda, Strathmore is a multidisciplinary arts center providing a slew of options, including a concert hall and smaller intimate group spaces. The same presenting organization oversees another space, AMP, a 250-seat cabaret-style club with gourmet dining in the Pike & Rose neighborhood. Both are an easy distance from Washington, D.C., adding even more options for planners.
Similar options prevail at the Fillmore Silver Spring, which sits five blocks outside Washington, D.C., and is a common venue for corporate events. Also in Silver Spring, the American Film Institute’s AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center is a hot spot, providing numerous configurations for a wide variety of event options.
Groups looking for a shopping spree to augment their stay in the heart of Montgomery County can visit the RIO Washingtonian Center in Gaithersburg, an open-air retail and events destination on the waterfront. The center offers 760,000 square feet of retail, plus paddleboat rides on the lake, both of which are common activities for post-business functions in either of two properties, the Courtyard Gaithersburg Washingtonian Center or the Gaithersburg Marriott Washingtonian Center.
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Out to Eat
When it comes to culinary adventures, nearly 1,000 restaurants exist in Montgomery County.
Just in Bethesda, for example, if a group stays at the Hyatt Regency Bethesda or another downtown property, Visit Montgomery can organize a dine-around activity for the whole group. Guests can choose from a variety of restaurants—everything from mom ’n’ pop joints to chain eateries, from American cuisine to Lebanese.
With the CVB’s assistance, planners can partner with specific restaurants to receive special discounts or experience themed nights, depending on what the delegates prefer. Other cities in the county offer similar dish-driven crawls through the urban landscape. The culinary options in Montgomery County shatter all expectations, Groff explains.
“We’ve got pretty much everything a foodie would want here, when they’re traveling,” she says. “All kinds of restaurants. Different ethnicities. Pretty much any country in the world, we have a restaurant here.”
Agricultural Pursuits
But the real secret for groups in this part of Maryland is the Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve. Designed 35 years ago to protect 93,000 acres of farmland, the territory in the northwestern part of the county, bordering the Potomac River on one side, provides ultimate access for any group to quickly escape the usual urban meeting spaces and conference venues.
In this part of Montgomery County, explain both Groff and Manimbo, there are wineries, hiking trails, driving options, orchards, farms and a wealth of ideas for group getaways.
From today’s perspective, the original plans that went into the Agricultural Reserve now seem especially prescient and forward-thinking. Groups might not even realize they just came from the D.C. outskirts.
“You go from an urban and exciting and bustling area, then you drive a couple miles up the road and you’re in apple orchards,” Groff says.
Planners will have a field day. For example, Butler’s Orchard offers a Pick Your Own group outing for at least 20 people, which can feature a farmer-led expedition to pick a crop of the season or a 20-minute tractor-driven wagon ride. Another option, Phillips Farm, provides group tours, hayrides and campfires.
For small groups, Pleasant Springs Farm, the only inn located in the Agricultural Reserve, features English High Tea as well as garden tours.
Meanwhile, located along the Potomac, the C&O Canal National Historical Park offers birdwatching, kayaking, camping, cross-country skiing, cycling and a host of other outdoor group activities.
Throw in equestrian parks, animal sanctuaries, historic country stores, plantations, golf courses, roadside artisan galleries and stargazing farms, all of which are accessible from anywhere else in the county, and groups heading to the Agricultural Reserve have access to a grand palette of activities and venue options.
“To me, it’s one of the most unique things you’ll find in this country,” Manimbo says. “A destination with 93,000 acres of preserved farmland.”
