What a quaint venue! Didn't know this place excited and what a treat it was to visit. Love the…read morepottery on display in the gallery downstairs. The theater was intimate and comfortable for a night full of laughs with improbable comedy and Griefcat.

I seem to find myself in the Kentlands area a lot lately but my 1st time visiting the Art Barn…read more My Cousin was debuting his new Independent Film and, of course, I am going to support. The building used to be a stable that has beautifully renovated. It definitely has farmhouse touches with the wood, faux pocket doors and rustic touches. There is a reception area on the main floor where there was coffee(I love it already!) and refreshments. There is accessible parking out front and an elevator for those who may need it to get to the theater upstairs. The theater is small and intimate with 99 seats. I wanted to take pictures of the theater, but they were doing panel discussions and I just didn't feel comfortable snapping pictures during such a thoughtful process. As I understand it, they also provide services to the community around art in the form Of classes, discussions and even camps for the kids. So yes. . . Gaithersburg has begun to grow on me even though I live in Southern Maryland. I live over an hour away but I didn't mind the drive. I would definitely come back again.

Great framing shop, with good customer service, a good selection of frames and framing options,…read moregreat turnaround times, and competitive pricing. Thanks!

Steve offers his expert advice with each frame I've purchased. The selection is large, the price…read morecompetitive and the finished work is always impeccable. Terry R.

This is an interesting and pretty place to walk and relax, hidden away from the main roads but…read morestill conveniently placed in the middle of Rockville...I believe you can schedule events in the main building which I've never been in but have often seen groups visiting...the lawns are spacious and bordered by woods and a trail system (which I have been on and recommend) and there is a nature center, the Scott Fitzgerald theater, and two old cemeteries nearby...definitely worth a visit if you're in the area...

Beautiful old historic building in Rockville. They host events (and I believe rent space out for…read moreevents) in various sections of this large structure that has the feel and sound of decades and decades of time. The grounds are lovely as well. And it is adjacent to the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theater where community plays and many events are also hosted.

Artisans is a fantastic place to shop for the women in your life, especially moms, aunts, grandmas…read moreand teachers. Yes, they have gifts for men too, but it's mostly an afterthought. Great selection of Vera Bradley, Scout, and Spartina bags, Maryland-themed items, housewares, and unique jewelry at lots of price points. Friendly staff are always available to give suggestions, and hands down the best thing ever - free gift wrap when you purchase full price items! (Sale items can also be wrapped for a nominal fee.) It's a store that contains all the cutest items that you don't need, but that you definitely want to take home. Whenever I get a gift that's wrapped by Artisans, I know there's something fun inside!

This gift store has something for everyone on your gift list. There is a whole Maryland section…read morewith products showcasing the state of Maryland. There is also a section of gifts created by artists that reside in Maryland. I fell in love with the beach candle. It really smells like the beach. There is a children's section with both toys and clothes. They had some really cute toys. And, there was a section devoted to people who love pasta. They also had jewelry and clothing for women too. I was warmly greeted when I walked in the door. I really liked their selection of gifts. So, much so that I joined their mailing list. Prices are a bit higher, but you are paying for the unique items and the one of a kind gifts. Thanks Amy for sharing your thoughts on gifts and the selection. It was a pleasure meeting you. I will definitely be back to see you soon.

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.

Visarts regularly has Groupon vouchers, and we purchased one to give ourselves a chance at the…read morepotter's wheel. This is located in a building on the third floor in the Rockville Town Center, and there are garages abundant in the area with up to 2 hours of parking free. The class is 2 hours so you'll end up paying $3 for the overage. Class started on time, the session was "full house," and one lady snuck in a child even though class was meant to be 14+ years only. The instructor went over the process and demonstrated how to begin and form the shape of the piece you intend to make (or end up with!). The instructor was helpful, friendly, and upbeat. I think playing some music would have enhanced the experience! You get three shots at creating something out of clay, and whatever you create can be kilned and picked up in 2 weeks. You may want to arrive early if you are in a group and want to sit together. I recommend wearing an apron as you'll get your clothes dirty. The stools aren't comfortable. You are advised to remove rings, watches, and bracelets for optimal experience.

I visited Visarts for a stained glass class this past Saturday (2/22) and it was awesome more or…read moreless from start to finish! The teacher provided us instruction at the start of the class to get us going. We each picked a pattern and glass as we saw fit. From there, we followed the instructions and asked questions of the teacher as we went along. Since I was alone, I was able to work wearing headphones, listening to an audiobook as I cut and grinded glass. Overall, I absolutely enjoyed this class and want to have stained glass as a hobby in the future! Definitely recommend the stained glass class at Visarts!

More experienced photographers may disagree, but as a beginner, I found WSP's "Focus on…read moreComposition" course super helpful. The class tried to instill a habit of thinking through a checklist before taking a picture (or evaluating it afterwards). The checklist included, among other things: * What's the subject? * Do the direction and quality of light work for your subject? * Does the background distract from the subject? * Check the frame's edges: Is the cropping awkward? * Is there comfortable spacing between the elements of your photograph? Our class was small, so in addition to the lectures and the pithy, informative handouts, we could spend more time going over our homework, getting concrete suggestions for how to improve. For example, the instructor (Joe Yablonsky) would sometimes suggest moving the camera up, down, right, left, closer, or further, to get a cleaner background, a more flattering portrait angle, or more interesting "directionality" in the photo's lines. Other times, the instructor would notice patterns-- that my ISOs tended to be too high, or that there's dust on someone's sensor, or that the focusing was sometimes off. He'd then ask how we took the shot, and suggest new settings or focusing methods (or suggest cleaning the sensor!). Sometimes he'd ask the class to weigh in on the critique, so we could also benefit from our talented (and opinionated!) classmates. One session was a fun field trip to the National Mall. At the National Gallery of Art sculpture garden,we chased photogenic squirrels and captured tourists' hilarious reactions to Joan Miro's Personnage Gothique, Oiseau-Eclair. (Google it if you don't know it). I watched as one classmate got several amazing portraits of strangers, just by walking up and asking. The instructor also gave me a demonstration of how to get my camera to focus with a neutral density filter. (I had been having trouble with that). The course just ended last week, and I still need a lot of practice. But it's made my photos noticeably better. (One of my homework assignments even got published last week, as the page 2 photo in the Washington Post Express!) The downsides: Classes can be expensive! (Luckily I had a gift certificate). Sometimes you can find coupons or Living Social deals, e.g. here's one that's on right now (as of late March 2014): http://conta.cc/1jNpdud Washington School of Photography can be a pain to get to without a car. It's somewhat walkable from Twinbrook Metro, but the commute from DC (especially with weekend red line schedules) took me more than an hour.

Love these guys...they've taught me so much about the technical and functional aspects of…read morephotography, from how my DSLR works to how to better frame and compose my shots. I'll be taking my third class, on composition and design, next month. The 2 teachers I've had, Joe Yablonsky & Cortney Jackson, are instructors that I would recommend to anyone who wants to pursue photography as a hobby or as a profession.