Things to Do in West Springfield

Capital Yacht Charters' fleet of luxury yachts crisscrosses DC's waterways for corporate parties, sightseeing tours, and special events. Tours such as Monuments by Moonlight leisurely motor along the Washington Channel, affording guests the chance to ogle the capital's most famous sights. Each of their luxury yachts also comes equipped with a full bar with snacks for munching or feeding to the landmarks.

Rivers are difficult to navigate without a watercraft or a fish tail, which is why the owners of Rivershore Charters launched their 50-foot pontoon boat, the Miss Rivershore, to provide customers an enjoyable way of experiencing the scenic Occoquan River. Accommodating up to 46 passengers, the Miss Rivershore floats down the Occoquan, a river banked by lush, flourishing greenery and stately homes, for private charters, fishing excursions, and bird-watching tours.

During relaxed jaunts downriver, as eagles, ospreys, and herons patrol the skies or trick raccoons into selling their valuables for a song, the ship's captain relates historical anecdotes and intriguing tidbits about landmarks. As fans of the local food scene, crew members also happily ferry passengers to and from riverside eateries and can serve beer and wine onboard.

Hilltop Golf Club’s 9-hole, par 31 course lets clubbers hack their way through 2,268 yards of elevated Virginia countryside. Architect Lindsay Bruce Ervin modeled aspects of the executive course after traditional Scottish links, populating the course with berms, pot bunkers, and thick fescue grass that whisper Gaelic folk songs into the wind. The course climbs from an elevation of 80 feet to 240 feet, with crests giving way to sweeping vistas of the Potomac River and the Maryland shoreline. Five par 3s make each round a worthy investment for clubbers still seeking their first hole-in-one, while four par 4s allow players to unsheathe their drivers. The Club’s practice facilities include two practice greens—one for chipping and one for putting—and a multi-tiered driving range with 68 hitting bays, many of which are covered and heated to protect swingers from inclement weather or pelicans eating sunflowers overhead.

Course at a Glance:

• 9-hole, par 31 course
• Length of 2,268 yards from the farthest tees
• Course rating of 31.0 from the farthest tees
• Slope rating of 55 from the farthest tees
• Three tee options
• Link to scorecard

Students can walk into Brush N Blush with nothing but a bottle of wine and a dream and walk out with a self-completed reproduction of Monet’s Water Lilies. But not all classes use famous masterpieces as templates. Some teach students how to render a sunset bleeding orange behind a Georgetown bridge or an impressionistic panorama of the skyline. The instructors have developed step-by-step methods for recreating impressive works of art, although each student is still bound to produce something with original touches, especially if they hold their brush in their teeth.

The team at Brush N Blush strives to make evenings at their studio one of a kind. They dare couples to change it up by forgoing another dinner-and-movie date for an active, artistic affair that ends with a personalized souvenir. All painting materials are provided, although students are encouraged to bring their own beverages and snacks. The studio recently began selling a selection of wines by the bottle and the glass.

As the doors open for each evening's performance, Lazy Susan Dinner Theatre guests are treated to a brief cocktail reception before dinner. Then, they are beckoned onward to a hot buffet of made-from-scratch Pennsylvania Dutch dishes, including breads, roast beef, chicken, fish, and housemade desserts. Once the audience is fully sated, the curtain opens on a family-friendly Broadway-style show chosen to incite convulsive laughter, explore American history, or challenge theatergoers to discern which actors are real ghosts. The performers on stage are the same people pouring the coffee, and DC Metro Theater Arts notes that "the warm ambiance found at The Lazy Susan is indeed half of the fun of going."

Owned and operated by artist Kelly Hutchinson, Kelly's Art & Frame is home to a 2,800-square-foot art gallery where original paintings, watercolors, and limited-edition prints line the walls. Onsite custom framing services combine archival materials and meticulous work to properly preserve drawings, sculptures, and cherished pieces of ABC gum. With fellow artist Carol Fogelsong, Kelly also leads art classes, teaching the fundamentals to students during intimate group sessions.