Things to Do in North Bethesda

Since its first tour of local landmarks in District of Columbia, CapitolCity DC Tours and Events has chaperoned visitors and the city's own curious residents on motor-coach, walking, and bicycle-mounted tours of the city. Dozens of available tours bring to life the history of the notable and little-known local neighborhoods and historic buildings that occupy the Washington DC's celebrated acreage. Licensed tour guides lead outings in seven languages, such as Mandarin, Spanish, and Italian, to make it easier for all to take in the city's breadth of historic, architectural, and municipal themes. Depending on the tour, some stops may include informative jaunts to the White House and the National Mall—places that evoke American ideals and where British tyranny in the form of unjust taxation and irresistible Phil Collins ballads were once publicly denounced.

The rambunctious Brew Crew amasses its legions of beer connoisseurs to carouse from bar to bar and celebrate the end of the school year. Participants receive discounts and can sip or shower in local breweries' choicest beers while mingling with other revelers. Each attendee also receives a complimentary T-shirt that commemorates the night.

Since 1984, the crew of trained instructors at Reddemeade Equestrian Center have taken time out of their own competitive schedules to teach students horseback riding. Each instructor boasts certification from the Reddemeade Instructor Training School, which allows them to conduct horseback lessons in the English style of riding in accordance with the standards of the British Horse Society. Students receive their instruction atop trained and patient school horses inside a large indoor ring or one of several outdoor rings that grace the center’s 44 acres of rolling Maryland farmland.

The Lincoln and Washington monuments stand out against the setting sun. Cherry trees rustle in the breeze, and the Potomac River ripples as the evening air cools. Aboard Boomerang Party Yacht's double-decker yacht, crew members in striped uniforms step behind a custom-built wooden bar, plying passengers with custom cocktails, frozen drinks, wine, and beer during lively afternoon, evening, and nighttime party cruises. Live DJs spin international, house, and electronic beats on a dance floor in the enclosed main cabin, prompting passengers to dance and scare away inquisitive fish. Panoramic views of the Capitol's historic structures and avenues surround passengers on a top deck outfitted with wraparound seating and light-blue cushioned benches. In addition to river trips, Boomerang's guides operate a fleet of party buses that embark on seasonal countryside vineyard and tubing tours, and explore D.C.'s nightlife scene with bar-hopping tours.

Not many events can combine puzzles, obstacle races, and charitable giving-all while filling the downtown area with people in gorilla suits. Gorilla Challenge accomplishes all of these things in a single afternoon. With annual events held across the country, it is quickly becoming the premier event for raising fun and social responsibility. Several of the event's clues are designed to bring awareness to topics such as literacy, poverty, environmental concerns, animal welfare, and elder care. Amid these consciousness-raising events, the company's gorilla-suit-clad staffers make surprise appearances to award participants prizes and collect bribes in the form of fresh bananas or sign-language-speaking kittens.

Barely an inch of wall space at Stars Beads remains visible. The rest hides beneath a rainbow of bracelets and necklaces, as well as dangling baggies of shiny beads, semiprecious stones, and the materials to turn them all into expressive accessories. Drawing from this stock, jewelry-weavers of all skill levels can plump up home arsenals or gather together in the shop to bolster the beading community. Classes led by experienced crafters guide groups through projects such as creating beaded clasps, learning the arts of metalsmithing, or using pearls to create bracelets and necklaces instead of decoy-gumball collections.