Bethesda is a city in Montgomery County in the state of Maryland. It's located right on the outskirts of Washington (D.C.), but inside the Beltway. Bethesda was a quiet suburb until 1984 when the Metro red line was extended out. This brought an explosion of growth and many high rises were built.

Metro
Bethesda has its own stop on the Washington, D.C. Metro red line at the intersection of Wisconsin and Old Georgetown Avenues.

Attractions

 • The grave of American novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald (The Great Gatsby) at the nearby Saint Mary's Cemetery in Rockville.
 • The National Institutes of Health
 • The National Naval Medical Center. This is the official hospital of the President of the United States of America.
 • The Madonna of the Trail statue.

Shopping

There are many places to shop in Bethesda. See http://www.bethesda.org/shopping/shoppingdatabase.asp for a full list.

Dining

Bethesda had 180 restaurants at the end of 2004. It is known throughout the Washington D.C. area for the abundance of restaurants in the downtown area. There are 29 different categories of restaurants according to the Bethesda Urban Partnership.

Lodging

See http://www.bethesda.org/bethesda/hotels.htm

Get out

The Capitol Crescent Trail passes through Bethesda, and provides a bike trail from Georgetown to Silver Spring. Between Bethesda and Georgetown the trail is smooth asphalt suitable for rollerblading, while from Bethesda to Silver Spring is currently loose gravel.