Things to Do in Rockville

Terrapin Adventures offers an array of activities for indoorsfolk seeking enthralling outdoor expeditions. With the Terrapin Tower adventure package, guests get two hours of climbing time, with a climbing lesson and climbing equipment included, on Terrapin Adventures' 43-foot-high outdoor climbing tower. The four-sided tower serves up a dozen different ascents, with a canopied platform at the tower's pinnacle offering a peaceful view of the Little Patuxent River and its ghosts of Revolutionary War–era extreme sportsmen. Terrapin Tower allows scalers of all skill sets to conquer the edifice with ease. The tower offers flat routes, overhang routes, and cargo nets for a variety of scaling surfaces, and climbers can simulate the digestive process of a timber rattlesnake by descending the tower headfirst through the stretchy Rainbow Serpent tube net.

With no studio fee and an open-door policy, the Studio at Fulton is always ready for customers to stop in to create whenever the creative juices flood. Select from hundreds of pieces to personalize, including mugs, plates, and a variety of seasonal pottery. Items range from $5 up to $60 for the largest vessels. The Studio at Fulton's selections are all non-toxic and food safe. Deck out your design with more hues than a neon-splattered Lisa Frank Trapper Keeper dipped in a rainbow, or make a statement with a mod motif. Aspiring artists can also try their hands at fusing glass pieces, with no experience required.

You'll be led in the ways of matching and loving under director Ron "Ald" McDonald, aka Tennis the Menace, aka the Count of Volley Cristo—a US Professional Tennis Association–certified coach and 35-year veteran of successful tennis-knowledge transmission. You'll be grouped with a handful of swingers at your own skill level, allowing you to reap the benefits of group training and assign each other catchy nicknames. Through fun drills and lightly competitive scrimmaging, you'll build on fundamentals and incorporate new flourishes into your victory dance.

Brothers in arms, strings, and reality, Sérgio and Odair Assad hail from Brazil, where they were steeped in the Brazilian musical tradition like two man-sized sachets of tea. Over the years, they studied with some of the best guitarists in South America, honing their skills and musical partnership. More recently, the duo began further exploring the music of their ancestral homeland, Lebanon. Following the success of Sérgio's Lebanese-influenced composition Tahhiya II Oussilina, the Assads arranged a show that explores modern and ancient Lebanese work, the rhythmic motifs that Brazilian and Middle Eastern music never realized they had in common, and new, original compositions. The result was De Volta As Raizes, Portuguese for "back to our roots." Joining them on tour are the thoroughly embodied vocals of Lebanese-American singer Christiane Karam, the intricate dum-tek-kas of percussionist Jamey Haddad, and the double-handed support of pianist and singer Clarice Assad.

Families can choose to paint ceramics ($15 and up), such as a piggy bank that will one day be priceless, or at the very least exceed the value of its contents. Mosaic projects ($18 and up) are a disciplined way to practice for future bathroom-tile touch-ups, while glitter-awaiting painting projects ($17 and up) use colorful acrylics to introduce children to the rainbow without the false hope of pots of gold. Parents who don't really understand how glass is made can bypass the awkward silence by introducing themselves to a glass-fusing project that utilizes pre-made materials ($19 and up).

DC Cruises allows adventuring sightseers to witness the nation's capital on the water, as only the ducklings of democracy have done. During the 90-minute Fall Foliage cruise, passengers drift past the colorful foliage surrounding the city's protected park areas and monuments, such as Washington's popsicle-stick sculpture of Betsy Ross. A complimentary cup of hot apple cider with cinnamon combats river chills alongside light snacks and beverages available for purchase onboard. DC Cruises' boats carry only 90 passengers, ensuring that everyone enjoys an intimate sightseeing experience without the mass overcrowding and mosh pits of many boat tours.