My daughters have been going to the camp for years and they LOVE It! It's Educational, Empowering,…read moreLife Changing and gets our youth off on a Excellent start for the real world! I am Grateful for the Sumner Family and the Camp!

Its Sumner Time camp lead by Kathy and team has been a safe haven and life saver for my two…read moredaughter's and I over the past years! The flexibility and cost is essential as my kids may not be able to attend an entire week but rather a few days and Kathy is always able to accommodate us without breaking my pockets. The variety of activities offered caters to the age ranges of the kids from toddler to teenager so there is something for everyone to do. I love the amount of outdoors and aerobic activities the kids get to experience as MOVEMENT is key! Overall my children got the opportunity to learn how to mentor and support their younger brethren and because of my oldest daughter's participation in this summer program. She was the recipient of the Community Service Award for Middle School this year! Thank you Kathy for providing our community with such an enriching program, please continue the work that you do!

If you like people, this is the spot for you! There's a whole myriad of them scattered all over…read morethe place. All ages, all sizes! If you want to have no parking, yep, come on down. This is THEE hub. Because of the egregious amount of people, expect to park far as hell from the complex. Even better, use your phone flashlight to illuminate your walkway because there only a few street lamps. Perhaps this is why, even in the crosswalk, you too can have an invigorating rush as your life flashes before your eyes in the stark headlights of a metro bus who never heard of a brake! Finally, enjoy the amenities in the aquatic center two informational desks down in a basement where lockers require $1.00 in coins. Quarters to be exact! Because why not! You've paid for a membership and/or a class, why not pay for the nostalgia of loose change! Who needs the year 2026?! Extroverts, this is the spot. Introverts, you will feel overwhelmed and wonder what fresh hell did you step in, probably try to power through until the pesky locker thwarts all defenses. You'll throw your hands up and peace tf out and say to yourself, yep I shall stick to the aquatic centers only. More manageable.

Hey friends! My friends and I started a new workout journey together. We decided to come here for…read morethe gym, the fitness classes, and the pool. It's an amazing facility. The fitness center is suitable for all levels. Equipment is well taken care of and has a great variety of equipment. There's two levels of workout space. The top floor has a walking track and many cardio machines. There's cubbies to store your things, if not, locker rooms are available as well. If you're shy like me, you'll enjoy this facility. Even on the weekends it wasn't too busy. Also there's plenty of space to workout with no one near you. The pool is nice! Great for children, it has a slide and waterfall. The hot tub is warm and clean. -Day pass is $5. Memberships are $20. -There's a cafe on the main floor. -Plenty of parking. -Staff is very friendly. -There's a gymnastics studio and a track where local students practice. I'm excited to try one of their fitness classes. I hope you enjoy.

Holy cow! We just attended a 4 year old birthday party here and it was incredible. Everything is…read moreover the top decorated like a jungle or rain forest. They have tons of cool animals, mostly reptiles and sea animals but also some birds and an armadillo. All the employees seemed super passionate about their job, they were great with the kids, and they facilitated the party well. There was plenty of space for the kids and their families and I'd say the adults were as engaged in the activities as the kids. There was free time for the kids to look at all the exhibits, the charismatic host brought out a lizard, an armadillo, a boa, and a cayman to teach us about and let the kids touch. There was time for pizza and a dinosaur egg hunt. Everything was clean and they did a great job sanitizing between animals and doing hand washes before food.

Amazing staff! From the first hand knowledge and professionalism of/with the animals to the…read morebirthday party set up and picture taking! Simply splendid!

This is a wonderful facility! They have so many camps and…read moreprograms to keep kids entertained, while educating them. If your child is interested in STEM, definitely check them out. Chrissy and her staff are very welcoming. They also tend to let other organizations utilize their space for a different workshops and events. This is a great idea because it gives them additional exposure to people who might not have reason to visit them otherwise, while also providing a resource to other organizations that might not have the space to do certain things. They are very community oriented and a wonderful local owned business.

Went to the little learners lab for the 6 and under crowd. It was great. Wonderful activities for…read morethe little one. And a room with a small ball pit, tunnel and floor toys. We enjoyed our visit and will be back.

It's been almost 1.5 years of riding here at Merkel, so I have finally have a well formed view of…read moreMerkel Farm. Stephanie (the owner) is, by far, the most caring, understanding, and helpful instructor I have EVER had. She understands each person's needs and can help each person grow not only in confidence, but in self-reliance. Stephanie always looks out for every person and makes sure they are getting the help they need, as well as being given the push to jump higher (sorry about the pun) as well. Her horses are all loved dearly, taken care of, and get to roam in spacious fields all day like horses should. No horse is forced to stand in a stall all day only to be ridden once, and returned. They get to stretch their legs and take in the serene backwoods Bowie scenery. Every lesson is formed around making each person better, with focuses in different areas. One day might be a balance day, strength day, cross country day, position day, ect. I never know what fun experiences lay for me on the other side of the white fenced arena. The grounds are well groomed, with several large paddocks full of happy horses. There is a spacious outdoor ring, covered indoor ring, and a host of cross country fences around the property. There are several friendly furry friends roaming around the grounds, including Brandy the ever present Goldendoodle, and Pepper, the most friendly cat in the world. I will continue to make Merkel my home and hope that everyone sees the beauty in this lovely farm tucked back on a piece of paradise.

This place is like therapy for my daughter. Great kids riding program that teaches them how to…read moreboth care for and ride the horses. Can't wait for summer camp!

My family is deeply disappointed with this daycare, its owners and staff. My son joined in…read moreSeptember 2025 and clearly it was a bad choice because we have had no peace since he joined. My son was at a previous childcare facility and we had to move him to this one for logistics reasons. However, he seemed to have a hard time settling into this daycare and the "owner" made it her personal responsibility to call me every single day to tell me how badly my child was behaving. we agreed to meet once about three weeks after he joned the center and we discussed ideas on how to help my son settle into the transition, i did everything i had to do and the school never reported back on what they had to do. We had a meeting scheduled for the following wednesday to discuss progress/concerns but instead the owner thought it was best to send me an email on saturday instead to tell me how she has decided to immediately terminate my son's enrollment, two months into the program. I'm sure everyone has a different experience but here is mine and i wont recommend this center to another family looking for childcare in the area.

My son goes to the school and he loves it! The administrate staff is amazing and his teachers are…read morefantastic. I'd highly recommend this school to anyone looking for quality education in the Bowie area!

Their cancellation policy is criminal. You cannot cancel without a doctor's note. Even with a…read moredoctor's note, you are charged a $50.00 fee. I cancelled in January, but even with a doctor's note stating that I cannot exercise due to my injury, I was still charged for February. I was told the reason was that I did not cancel earlier. I guess I should have known in advance I needed to cancel.

Why is the steam room still closed? It was supposed to be open a week ago. As a member,…read morecommunication is expected.

Fantastic place to Jazzercise. Safe area. Great parking. Facility is always clean. Bathrooms,…read moreincluded. I always felt safe walking to my car at night.

From the owner: art classes, yoga classes, senior fitness, ceramics, summer camp, theater, dance classes, art…read moredrop-ins, community center

I'd like to give kudos to Art Works Now for their summer day camps. My girls loved their…read moreexperiences at the camp. Each session has a theme and the artwork and the field trips reflect the themes perfectly. The self-portraits they painted for the "I am somebody" theme are so special that we plan to hang them on their new bedroom walls. My girls went to two sessions and they learned so much. They came home excited every day. At the end of the week, they had an art show for parents. Unfortunately, I could not attend but the staff posted a short video of the children's artwork on Facebook. I definitely appreciated that gesture.

My three yr old loves it here. They have a parents night out once a month, where we drop the babe…read moreoff and have date night. Four hours later our daughter is fed, has watched a movie and has lots of art work to display on the fridge! Toddler time is also great too.

Ms. Julie was amazing. She catered to our every need. The children were engaged the entire time…read more Her prices are much cheaper than the competitors! She set up the tables with decoration. I decided to bring my own and all I had to do was add the Hello Kitty plates to the colorful plates she had. Don't forget to tip her! She is way worth it!

From the owner: Artworks Studio encourages kids of all ages to develop their full creative potential through art…read more Artworks strives to create a unique environment in which kids of all ages, abilities and experiences can feel free to imagine, create and welcome the arts into their lives. Artworks offers after school art classes, a home school art program, summer art camps, birthday pARTies, workshops and more!