Holy concrete, glass and art! Glenstone is a canvas for adults' imagination. This retreat is if a…read moreminimalist billionaire and Mother Nature had a serene art child. Every turn of concrete and glass leads to a magical surprise. My favorite was the Alex Da Corte exhibits which were full of color and textures.

Glenstone is one of the country's most well-respected and influential modern art galleries. The…read moreRales' have amassed a private post-War art collection worth more than $2 billion, and they have built a private museum to showcase their collection, spending more than $200 million to build the structures over the years. The property encompasses 360 acres and includes not only the two buildings housing the art, there's also an arrival center, a cafe/cafeteria, a patio cafe/coffee shop, and a beautiful woodland walking path, along which one can experience many outdoor sculptures and pieces of art. And all of this is open to the public for free. You are advised to schedule your visit in advance via the website, but walk-ups are accommodated during the winter months. If you arrive via the Ride-On bus (the Rales' worked with Montgomery County to ensure that a bus would be routed right to the front door of the arrival center), you are guaranteed entry. Students 12 and older (including college and graduate students), educators, active-duty military members, veterans, and museum professionals enjoy guaranteed entry for themselves plus one guest, 12 or older. You might read articles about Glenstone that disparage what the Rales' have created, but the reality is that they are doing good in the world: they are making world-class art available to the public for free. I've visited Glenstone about a half dozen times over the years. There are some permanent exhibits but the majority of the galleries rotate art from their massive collection. The cafe has great food. The grounds are quiet and beautiful. The staff are all unbelievably knowledgeable and helpful. A visit to Glenstone is a gift to yourself.

This was my first time visiting Morven Park. It's a beautiful park with a garden and a historically…read more protected mansion. I went here to take some scenic pictures with my wife and daughter. We were hoping to see some blooming but it's still a little early in the season to see its full glory. There were two beautiful magnolia trees in full bloom and that was worth the visit in itself. There are some picnic tables next to the public parking lot which makes for a nice place to have a picnic. There's an equine center in the park and I'm sure it's awesome for horse enthusiasts. I'm looking forward to coming back and enjoying a nice walk with my family.

We purchased the guided tour. Tickets were $16. Our tour guide Lizzy was very knowledgeable about…read morethe history of the house and the Westmorland Davis family. Westmorland Davis was the governor of Virginia. The rooms were opulently decorated. See the many photo! The upstairs guestrooms have been turned into the museum of hounds and hunting at Morven Park. which is a self guided tour. Lots of paintings of horses, foxes dogs.

The MOOseum is a dairy barn that is opened on Saturdays, from May through October, from 10AM-3PM…read more They also have a special program/event offered on the fourth Sunday of each month (from 1-4PM), such as Montgomery County History Tours, Farm Tour & Sales, County Fairs, etc. Admission is free! With your admission ticket, we participated in one of their offered tours (you can see their collection of dairy farm-related items (like milk bottles, cans, and related equipment from local farms), check out their dairy maps, photographs, hear oral histories, and were able to peruse their research library that has a collection of books/print/videographic material that's related to the dairy industry. Just note that there aren't any 'live' animals, as this is more of a museum/educational set-up. There is also plenty room to picnic and a children's playground for the little ones. We also stopped by the shop where you can purchase gifts of local artists/artisans, books, and anything 'MOO'-related. If you're into barns, the farm-life, or just curious and want something interesting to do, check out the MOOseum - it's close by, too, in Germantown :D

So....not quite what I expected. I had hoped for a bit more liveliness out of a barn, but hey, it…read morewas still fun. And free. Free is awesome. Just so we are clear though, there are no live animals at this barn. There are no dead ones either. But fake ones aplenty. The volunteers were very knowledgable and friendly and there was a lot of education to be found regarding Montgomery County's disappearing dairy farm history. You can "milk" two different cows and play conductor with the toy trains. At most you need maybe 30 minutes to see everything. For kids, there is a little playroom off to the side where they can color. And the park just right out front is very nice with a play set for kids and lots of room to run.

Pros: play street, I think one of the only ones in the area. (Although there is a cute one in WV…read morethat has a cafe with food too). It's clean, bright. I love that there are also crafting options, some tables with puzzles as well. In a shopping area so plenty of easy parking. Your child gets to pick a snack at the end which helps with the "I don't want to leave" tantrums Cons: The price is hefty $16 for 1.5 hours. It's hard to get behind this when I can go to a place like me land in chantilly for $10 and unlimited play time with a much bigger space and a lot more to do. The snack helps with that but still, at this price I'll come maybe every other month. At $10, I go every week sometimes multiple times a week. The space is small and they are cleaning while you're playing, in such a small space this feels rude/ puts unneeded pressure on the customer. Especially since they have a gap to clean before the next time slot. Overall: I would come again but not often due to the price. If you have a really crafty kid and only one younger kid I feel the price might become worth it. If you have kids in a spread out age range, or who don't like crafts, or you don't want to deal with the stress of having to be there at a certain time, and leave after just 1.5 hour. There are certainly better options both from an affordability standpoint as well as quality.

I brought my youngest here for their Easter event and she had a blast! The session was 90 minutes…read moreof play with opportunity to take pics with the bunny. This is hands down the cleanest indoor space we've been too and we've been to lots. The staff here were super friendly and regularly cleaning and putting things away. The play space has a town motif with a crafting and art area and then a vehicles, blocks, and dinosaur area. My daughter's favorite was the vet space, followed by the recycling truck. She spent a fair amount of time with the dinosaurs and at the grocery too. We never made it to the play areas on the left side. 90 minutes just really isn't enough time to cover it all if your little spends a long time in one area. I looked online to book play for another weekend and was shocked to see they only offer play 9-1030 on the weekends. I'm a working single mom, child in preschool, and we live in Springfield-essentially the weekend schedule means we won't be able to return without setting out super early. I love the imaginative play concept so I really hope they open a space closer to Fairfax or open up additional weekend play hours.

This little museum is charming and free to visit, so well worth visiting if you're in Loudon County…read moreor Leesburg for the first time. It's on the smaller side, but has exhibits that explore the history of the county in the civil war and revolutionary war periods. It also had an exhibit of artworks by local and county artists when we visited. The staff member there when we visited was really friendly and answered several questions we had when we walked around. It's a great introduction to the county, and I'm glad we stopped by - even though we only had time for a short visit!

If you live in a Loudoun and is interested in local history, this museum is a great. Currently…read morethere is a free admissions for a civil war exhibit. First Fridays in Leesburg has great restaurants and drinks. You can feed your mind and tummy!

Great local art center, has a super wide variety of concerts and events. I particularly love their…read morefree festivals like Octoberfest and Juneteenth. I'm excited for their artisans markets to start again too! Staff is always very friendly, venue is beautiful and clean. I would highly recommend BlackRock to anyone in the area!

I came here for a memorial celebration of Prince's birthday, and it was a really good time. Parking…read morewas surprisingly easy, especially with so many other guests in attendance. I was able to park directly in front of the entrance and walk right in. The setup was really nice--plenty of tables and a huge area for dancing. The DJ was spinning not only the hits but also deep cuts and some previously unreleased versions of his songs. Behind her, a projector played clips from Prince's past performances, which added a great visual vibe to the night. There was a small cash bar offering Prince-themed cocktails, plus beer and wine. The staff were fantastic and even popped in a few times to dance and celebrate with us. The venue itself was absolutely gorgeous--cool and comfortable despite all the dancing. I never imagined this would be such a great place to host or attend a party, but I'd definitely come to another event here.

The Heritage Farm Museum is one of my favorite ways to entertain a toddler on a rainy / hot / snowy…read moreday! You can spend a full morning here, running around, playing, and exploring all the different exhibits and not get bored. The general store is a personal favorite and my kiddos love putting on an apron, stocking and restocking shelves, and pretending to purchase bread and potatoes. There is also a little interactive farm, one room school house, and recreation of an old timey kitchen that are a big hit with our toddler set. In nicer weather days, they have actual farm demonstrations and lots of tractors and other wheeled contraptions for kids to look at. The cost of a morning of fun? $5 for adults, $3 for kids, and FREE NINETY NINE for the two and under set. You can tire your kiddos out, grab lunch at nearby Ridgetop Coffee (which has an indoor playroom), and have a peaceful car nap home. Truly one of the best hidden gems for families here in Nova.

Great spot to spend a few hours with your toddler! The museum is small but perfectly sized for…read moresmall toddlers that need to burn energy on a hot or rainy day. The woman at the front desk was incredibly nice and helpful. The play areas were clean and creative. There farm area and general store were our toddler's favorite! Would definitely recommend and we will be back soon

Very nice tour and house of George Marshall. Tickets are not required in advance, and as I wasn't…read moresure when I'd be in town, we just called to confirm they were open for a tour, and that worked out. Just look up the address of where to park (as it's in the back on a different street) and you're good to go. The tour starts off with an informative movie. The house stayed with Marshall's family until it became a public historical site, so all the rooms were just as he left them. The tour guide had a lot of good stories about the private life of Marshall, which was really interesting to hear about. I'm glad the house was preserved, despite it being in rough shape when the last family member sold it. It's a gem of a site. There is a very small gift shop section. The tours are a bit over an hour and totally worth it to visit.

I loved this place! Good docents made for a great experience. Highly recommend coming here. Each…read moretour is led by a different guide, and has a slightly different experience based on their stories. But it was fascinating to really learn about the role George Marshall played in history, and about how impressive he was in putting Service over self.

This tiny but quaint Library is pretty awesome. The management and staff are are certainly very…read morehelpful, informative and generous. All of the awesome rooms are certainly well maintained, organized and taken care of in a storefront just a a side street of Poolesville Maryland By The Way.