Things to Do in Silver Spring

Already an award-winning photographer, Cindi Hobgood also spent 25 years scouting locations for Hollywood studios and TV programs. Her locations were showcased on The Amazing Race, used by Disney, HBO, and Columbia Pictures, and shot by Spike Lee and Sam Shepard. As a location scout, Hobgood recorded her finds with a camera, carefully composing each shot in order to convey each scene’s mood, landscape, and lighting.

Today, she teaches others how to hone a similarly discerning eye during instructive photo expeditions. Magic Hour walking tour send participants snapping shots of the Korean War Veterans Memorial and the Potomac just as the sun comes up. Memorials by Moonlight takes walkers on a nocturnal jaunt past sites such as the Lincoln Memorial, and Intro to iPhoneography helps pupils get the most out of their iPhone cameras. There are even a few out-of-town trips for adventurous shutterbugs.

Since founding Clay Hill Stables in 1964, British Horse Society–certified instructor Emmie Prettyman has passed her vast equine expertise on to legions of horses and their riders through a variety of services. Emmie captains a team of instructors certified to teach the English style of riding as well as administer first aid and CPR, ensuring safe and sound lessons for students as young as 6. Beginner classes work to establish fundamentals both on and off the saddle, including riding positions and basic grooming and tacking. Once riders have demonstrated proficiency at the paces of walk, trot, canter, and late-to-work, they may be eligible for the intermediate/advanced class, where they build on skills with more intricate flatwork and jumping exercises.

Frank Martz, Sr., started Gray Line DC, Martz Group in 1908 with a 1912 White bus and a route that took him through small mining towns in Pennsylvania. During the Great Depression, the economic collapse inspired Frank and other independent carriers to create the National Trailways Bus System. This system became part of a national network with Greyhound lines, setting schedules and fares for connecting service across the country.

Through the years, the company has passed down from father to son. Today, Frank's great grandson, Scott Henry, helms the company of more than 400 employees, 250 coaches, and one magic-pumpkin carriage. Additionally, Martz boasts a travel agency and repair operations in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Florida, and Washington, DC, and operates sightseeing tours in Washington, DC, such as DC After Dark, Monticello & Thomas Jefferson Country, and the Spy City Tour.

The combination of Capital Segway’s high-quality apparatuses and expert local guides make the touring establishment a go-to adventure for visitors to the D.C. area. The Segway PTs, or personal transporters, come outfitted with features such as noiselessness and off-road capability in case participants want to explore the White House’s backyard mud pit. Adding to the experience are the highly lauded guides, who fill the noggins of visitors with DC trivia on landmarks such as the FBI Building and the Air and Space Museum.

Across the 25 handgun and rifle lanes at Gilbert Indoor Range, sharpshooters can fire at traditional paper targets as well as running-man and pop-up targets for quick draws. The firearm emporium also invites marksmen to square off against zombies that bleed and demand more lines in their 3-D simulators. Aside from the action, classes cover practical topics such as shotgun home defense, basic pistol use, and safety recommendations. Guests can also partake in self-defense and karate training or scissor lessons in the event that the paper targets decide to rise against us.

Fencing Sports Academy teaches students to parry, lunge, and riposte in fencing classes that cater to everyone from beginners to Olympic-level competitors. Head coach Ervin Szucs previously worked as head coach for the Hungarian National Team and has trained U.S.A. North American Cup gold medalists and World Team members. In classes split by age and skill level, new students learn basic foot movements and guards while more advanced fencers explore tip control and complicated maneuvers, all while brandishing blunt-tipped swords or unsharpened rubber chickens.