Ventured here today looking for some fresh fruits and vegetables…read more Was happy with the selection for today. Picked up some yummy fruits and veggies. Was excited to see seeded watermelons and seeded grapes! We also grabbed some jelly's and apple butter. The Apple Butter took me back to Sunday mornings breakfast at Grandmas. The bakery side had a variety of yummy treats from doughnuts, pies, cookies and cakes. Definitely grabbed a few for later. The Apple Pie ice cream my hunnie ordered was delicious. Tasted just like Apple Pie. Looking forward to our next adventure here already.

I visited the nursery section only and the variety was impressive. I found most of what I was…read morelooking for which was a win. However the service was very hit or miss. The woman who checked us out was an absolute delight, warm, funny, and exactly what you hope for at a local farm stand. Unfortunately my experience in the herb section was the opposite. When I asked about strawberry plants and was told they didn't have any, I mentioned I was a first time gardener and asked if she could recommend something beginner friendly. Her response was essentially "just pick something, all you have to do is water them." When I explained again that I was new and looking for guidance, she told me she couldn't help me. As a first time gardener trying to learn, that kind of dismissiveness was discouraging. If it weren't for the lovely woman at checkout, I likely wouldn't return. I ended up going to Ed's Plant World in Brandywine where the staff were warm, welcoming, and genuinely helpful to a beginner. The difference was night and day. That said, I'm giving 4 stars because the place is really awesome in terms of selection and variety. The woman in the herb section may have just been having a bad day. It's absolutely worth checking out.

This is my super delayed love letter to the Maryland Renaissance Festival. As a DND/role player, my…read moreSaturday in September at the Ren Faire was incredible. I went with my DND group and we had an amazing time. There is so much to do, eat, and see here. You can easily spend an entire day at the MD Ren Faire. INSIDER TIP: Come early and bring plenty of cash with you. The earlier you come, the less insane lines you have to fight. And if you already have cash on you, you don't need to wait in the never ending ATM line. I hadn't been since I was a child and the space was still magical. It's all in a forest with a bunch of unique buildings and stages to really bring the magic alive. The map is your friend. It shares where everything is and it also shares all the showtimes. We immediately met some charming acrobats and saw both of their shows that day. We learned that fire isn't allowed in shows here (probably because the forest), but all the performers impressed us with very sharp knife juggling. This ren faire has it all. You can get crab pretzels, beer, oysters, crepes, and more. You can buy corsets, masks, daggers, tapestries, and more. You can watch jousters, jugglers, acrobats, AND MORE. My favorite part of my visit this year the the miniature Venetian museum. If you're interested in attending, be sure to look at the correct dates to buy tickets in advance. They will put you in an online queue that can take up to hours to get through, but it's so worth it.

I've been to Renaissance festivals before, but nothing like the Maryland one. The festival grounds…read moreare well designed giving it a very immersive feel. It's also set back in the tree line a bit which really adds to the experience. There's a variety of entertainment options from Shakespeare to jousting and some very fine vendors. The best part though was definitely seeing all the attendees in costume, people really go all out! I tried to go last year but sadly missed out on getting tickets. I learned my lesson though and added the ticket release date to my calendar so I was ready! I bought my tickets the day they dropped, which was a good thing since they sold out quickly again this year. So my advice is plan on going and also get tickets asap!

The 2015 Montgomery County Fair is wonderful. Worth every penny of the $10 admission fee…read more The agricultural exhibitions are heartwarming. Seeing the 4-H kids care for and show their livestock is a privilege. These youngsters are carrying on a tradition that the USA mightily needs. The farm animals are adorable and many can be petted. Just talking with the Maryland farm families is fabulous. This year's food and drink vendors do not disappoint. Here's my recommendations: Be sure and get a grilled cheddar cheese sandwich sold at The Big Cheese booth. They're made right before your eyes and come out hot and gooey. Hands down this is THE BEST food item this year. The meals for sale at two competing church booths--St. Francis of Assisi Catholic and Germantown United Methodist--feature some highly respectable pulled-meat BBQ sandwiches (both chicken and pork), along with some killer fries. There's a vendor selling large ears of freshly roasted corn that be can dipped (or not) in butter before purchase. A condiment table offers all kinds of salts, hot sauces and cheese toppings. The roasting of the corn makes it nutty-tasting and plumps up the kernels. I could not finish my ear because it was so huge, and was depressed beyond words. Freshly-squeezed lemonade for sale all over the fairgrounds is tart, refreshing and addictive. The free entertainment is out of the ordinary and fun: piglet races; magic acts; a "chainsaw chick" who creates impressive works of art from wood; local dance troupes, etc. You name it, it's here. Of course no fair is complete without rides and amusements and the "Carnival" section has something for all ages seeking thrills. The high-flying swing ride is wildly popular. But you better act fast. This edition of the Montgomery County Fair closes at midnight on Sunday, August 23, 2015.

The 2016 fair is so-so. It's kind of a scam if you're not really careful about how much you spend…read more You can park at Lakeforest Mall and take the ''shuttle'' to the fairgrounds (it's just a school bus), and then you pay $10/person to get in, plus payment for tickets OR a $15 wristband on wristband days to ride all the rides you want as long as you get there before 5:00PM. So if you get wristbands, you're already at $25/person. If you get food and drinks, that's easily another $20-$30/person extra because the food and drinks are crazy overpriced. Fries for $7? A corn dog for $8? Lemonade for $5? It's insane. The games are an entirely different ball game. AVOID them. The people running the games will taunt you as you walk by and make you want to play but don't. They're all rip-offs. $5/game seems reasonable but it's really not because you're tempted to keep playing until you win something and before you know it you've spent $30. Plus, that $5 doesn't even give you much - 3 basketballs at the shoot-out games and 3 darts at the balloon ones. Again, it's insane. The rides, on the other hand, are actually not bad. Some of them are uncomfortable and rickety, but the others are pretty smooth and thrilling. Getting the wristband is a good investment because getting tickets if you wanna ride a lot of rides ends up being more expensive. Expect lines. And if it rains, the rides will definitely close down. The agricultural stuff is okay. I didn't see a petting zoo this time, but there is a rabbit house and barns where they keep cows and pigs and chickens. It's cool and all but beware of the smell and the nasty pathways.