It was an enjoyable experience. Came during a weeknight to see mean girls. I have been in around…read moreHoward County for most of my life and never had an opportunity to go see a show at Toby's dinner theater. Since they are now doing construction for the new building, I figured this would be one of my last opportunities to see a show in the old theater. It was easy to buy the tickets on Ticketmaster. The shows rotate every couple of months. Right now mean girls is the play for most of the summer. The price includes the play buffet and regular fountain drinks. Any specialty drinks or alcohol alcoholic beverages cost extra. Arrival was easy I didn't have physical tickets, but when I gave my name at the front table, they were easily able to locate my reservation. If you have a small group, you will be seated with the strangers that you can make friends with.. It is a very unique place because all of the staff are also the actors. So you will have to place any orders you want at intermission early because they don't have much time since they have to prepare for the second act. Overall, the show was very entertaining. You can tell there is a need for a new theater due to the age of this one, but it was still quaint. I do recommend that you tip based on the original ticket price and not just on the drinks that you get. Speaking of drinks, the prices are very reasonable. If you get the signature show drink you also get to keep the souvenir cup. For this show, it was a cream sickle that you could either get with alcohol or without. I think it was only 1250 for the cocktail that included the souvenir cup. I think I will try to make one more show this year. I know my dad would probably love it so I plan on bringing him before the summer is done.

It has been years since I have brought my family to Toby's. This particular time, this was a trip…read moreorganized by my daughter's Girl Scout troop. We came to the evening show of The Little Mermaid. The theater was under renovation on the outside however, it looks exactly as I remembered it inside. The food is traditional buffet style which is just ok~ nothing special. My alcoholic drink tastes like cough medicine. The wait staff is the actors and actresses in the show so they are really busy trying to prepare for the show. The show was great. I love musicals with all theatrics and singing. My suggestions would be to provide additional support to the servers especially during the show. Revamp the entire buffet menu to include some buffet options and made to order options like sandwiches/wraps, burgers, fries, Caesar salads. I would love to return after the full renovations are completed. There is plenty of parking which is a huge plus.

The professional experience of theatre that you get watching young actors at CCTA, enable you to…read moreescape into the storylines and be moved emotionally by their performances. Bravo!!!!! To the whole production team and cast!

My son is a sports kid whose best friend had been taking camps with CCTA for years he finally…read moretalked him into it. He took the camp & LOVED it! He NEVER would get up and speak in front of others in class or sing at church in the youth programs it took a lot of coaxing to do this camp. Gerald one of the instructors was the best he helped him feel right at home helped him to build his self confidence even played Basketball with him on breaks. He enjoyed all the kids and wanted to go everyday. I couldn't have been more proud to watch him at his performance. What a change. He truly benefited from this camp and will speak in front of groups and give presentations at school and church without hesitation. GO CCTA and thank you Gerald!

Top-tier Regional theatre. Beautiful Storytelling. For many decades this theater has been shining…read morejewel of Howard County.

We saw fortunate to see Rep Stage's adapation of "An Almost Holy Picture' this afternoon, and it…read morewas an outstanding play--particularly because of Michael Stebbins. It's a 1-man show, kept us enthralled with his intelligent, engrossing, thought-provoking dialogue about his relationship with those he loves, and the connection between love, God, spirituality, etc. Outstanding production at the Horowitz Center for the Arts at Howard Community College. Who would've thought that a top tier, certainly as good as anything in DC--was in the burbs, but it is--and well worth seeing. We've also seen a baroque music concert at the same Center for the Arts, and it was first-class as well. Check it out--less crowds, we found an excellent Vietnamese pho restaurant close-by, world class performances!

The theater is inside the school. I have only been there to attend recitals. It has 2 levels, but I…read morehave only been on the first level. The seats are tight - there are arm rests, yes, but you can't really share it with the person sitting next to you. There is not much space between you and the chair in front of you. The only positives I would say is that the theater is pretty big and parking is plentiful.

The Columbia Orchestra plays here and they are wonderful! The acoustics are not fantastic, but…read morethey are good for this size theater. If you have a chance to see the Columbia Orchestra, do so. They are really a delight and the price is right!

First time here, had a little oldie feel of the place, there were a good local crowd during our…read morevisit, it was nice and not too noisy. Food: bar food, fried, unhealthy but party worthy Lane quality: the one we were originally assigned to #15 was not working and moved to 13 Service: check in and shoe service was great, but the lady at the bar was a little harsh speaking, given it was our first time there, I wasn't aware that WE HAVE TO order all of our drinks through our waiter, so I went to the bar ordered two drink drinks and was harshly told I cannot add it to my tab , so I walked away & ...:-( ... about 20min later the drinks were brought over by our waiter ‍ Price: we paid about $100 for 5 ppl for 1 lane of 2 he with shoes, and over $100 for a mixed platter with 4 drinks, not bad for the bowling part, a bit pricey for the food and drinks. Will return & hope to receive a better servive from the bar side.

Had a fun Saturday night at Lucky Strike Columbia. It was busy but we were able to get 2 lanes for…read moremy group. The front desk staff were helpful and pleasant. They had a DJ who was playing great music and kept the party going with early 2000s tunes. Our server was okay, she seemed pretty busy and difficult to find at times. The bar was packed and challenging to get a hold of the bartender. The food came out quickly and was tasty

Found the website for this place and saw they had a Taylor Swift trivia night so I decided to give…read morethem a try! This is connected to The Collective Off Shore, hence the similar name. It's located right on the lake, which is beautiful. I came in by myself and was able to find some friendly people to talk to and sit with. The prices of the drinks and food were a bit high, I spent over $20 for one cocktail plus tip. The trivia experience was a bit confusing and over-complicated, but it wasn't a horrible experience either. If they had another event I was interested in going to, I would definitely come back, but maybe not in my regular rotation of places.

They have great bands and performers at The Collective Encore on Lake Kittamaqundi in Columbia MD…read more (You might recall Tomato Palace restaurant and then Clyde's Soundry music venue at this location, if that helps you place it.) This was a re-scheduled performance by acoustic roots band Charm City Junction, whose January gig was cancelled by a snow-ice-tornado-storm! Judging from the full house, everybody held on to their January tickets. We were all greatly rewarded. We come for the music, but also for the creative menu, and we arrived early to our assigned-seats so we could have our meal before the music. Their staff is quick, and we also used the QR-code menu to get a head start. We stayed with classics: a salad and a flatbread. The Caesar was fresh and crisp with a fairly-light amount of tangy dressing and fun flat croutons. The non-cube crouton-shape is a surprise that cleverly matches their crunch closer to the crunchiness of the lettuce. The pizza was a clever flavorful shrimp and veggie creation, and we finished every bite. We had a tart craft beer from their varied list and a well-made French-75 from their creative cocktails, which included non-alcohol options, too. Caleb Stine opened, with great acoustic country-music originals, excellent guitar-playing, and his deep sonorous voice. But ask anyone, the most fun song was this one: "Something that can bring us all together. Something I believe in ... I'm eatin' butter, I'm eatin' cheese. I'm eatin' anything I please, No need to tell me the calories ... I'm eatin' butter." A whole song about Butter :-). Hilarious! After a full set by Caleb, the headline quartet Charm City Junction took the stage, showing off masterful skills on fiddle, clawhammer banjo, button accordion and upright bass. They played a really enjoyable mix of traditional roots, bluegrass, and Irish originals, often featuring whichever of the musician who composed a particular song. Some leaned toward band-supported solos, and some were rousing audience-engaging call-and-response, such as Boozy Suzy, from their Duckpin album. They reprised John Prine's "Please Dont Bury Me", from that same album, and played "I Ain't Gonna Work Tomorrow" from their newest album, Salt Box. We learned the traditional Irish "hup!" to shout when a musical phrase is just too great to hold quiet about! Many in the audience were pretty good at that, though i could not really land it. Several of the band members called out family in the audience, in fun friendly engaging real-time conversation that made us feel like family, too :-). We had a great evening! They made this cozy space feel like a backyard bluegrass roots jam. This space has great acoustics and a skilled sound-board. You choose assigned seats when you purchase the tickets to their performances, and i think they have first-come seating as some jams and game night. They offer so much! There's rock bands, R&B bands, pop, jazz, blues, local musicians, candlelight classical performances, sensory-enhancing "dining in the dark" experiences, brunches, a Mother's Day Soul / R&B sing-along, history spoken-word nights, a bookfair with bar, Motown music trivia, regular trivia, and even rentals of their venue. There's plenty of free parking, and a flat path from the parking garage across the street. It's a nice venue.

Hello, Nala from BCV again, and here to write another great review! I love the staff, the students…read moreare nice, and I love being on the competition team. I've been here for 7 years and love it! I Wish you guys the best! Nala

Hello, its Nala Ansah from the Competition Team and Nutcracker team. I've been going here since I…read morewas 2. I've learned so much from my Teachers, Friends, and Family. You guys are the best dance center, and I love going here everyday. I love going to competitions monthly and Recitals. Thank you BCV for being a second home.

Representing a 4th of July visit is Merriweather Post Pavilion. I won tickets to M3 Music…read moreFestival, which then was 4th of July weekend, which was a Sunday in 2021. I had been here multiple times over the years. This is a nice venue with a lot of great musicians here. I've eaten here on a couple of occasions, but standard overpriced foods. Chicken tenders were pretty good as I recall. But I generally will try to eat beforehand. In the 4th of July example, it was actually a 1st date of several that summer, and we met at Mod Pizza beforehand by Columbia Mall and walked over from there. Coincidentally, my girlfriend & I are probably going to Mod Pizza this Friday, 7/3 before seeing Young Washington (very apropos for America 250) & Lucky Strike (about an American hero during World War II). The first time I ever went was in July 2015. I won tickets to see Sam Smith, no not a friend of mine I know, but the excellent musician. Wow, that was an awesome show. And I was impressed with the venue. Back then, I lived in VA, and my date lived further out in VA on the far side of Centreville, west of VA-28. I picked her up and drove in lots of traffic to get there, but it was worth it for my very first visit to Merriweather. Even though the concert was in 2015, I had met her in summer 2013 at an event. We went on one date in July 2013; she was kind of weird and one of the most right-wing women I've ever gone on a date with. I don't think she was high on my list, but she was the one who said yes to see Sam Smith. I will say I had a better time on this July 2015 date, but the backdrop of Merriweather & awesome Sam Smith helped boost this date. Other noteworthy visits were a couple of visits in summer 2019 with a girlfriend of mine at the time. For 11 months from April 2019 to March 2020, I had a membership on INWEGO, which was an events based platform, where you paid a monthly fee for 1, 3, or 5 events in a month. I often stuck with the middle priced 3 events per month. A couple of the events were at Merriweather, Third Eye Blind & Pentatonix. Also, I went with a woman I was interested in June 2022. She had invited me, and this was one of the rare times I paid for a concert, but it was Tears for Fears, which was great! I had more good luck in summer 2024 with winning concert tickets, with my girlfriend, 2 of which were at Merriweather, which Alanis Morrisette & Glass Animals were great! Most times I've been on the Lawn but a couple of times won seats. Seats are better because they are closer and covered if it rains. Lawn is still a good vantage point, but can be crowded and hard to find a good spot to lay a blanket down. Also, they do a great job on the concert lighting here, with the best example being my most recent example, the Glass Animals show. In summary, Merriweather is a great venue with great musicians.

I came here for concerts before such as Weekend in the Country but I always wondered what would…read morehappen if this venue was used for a big event for sports fans? I was able to test that theory out because I'm a season ticket holder for the Ravens and I was able to see a different view of the Merriweather Post Pavillion. Happy to say this venue still holds up really well! The parking situation can be extremely tricky and a headache but thankfully the Ravens managed to provide free parking in a parking garage in the Merriweather district near one of the Pavilion's entrances (I think it's the West enterance(?) I know there's a big bridge and trail you can follow).