Historic Jerusalem Mill Village, Kingsville MD.

 Historic Jerusalem Mill Village is a cute little old fashioned "town" from the 18th and 19th centuries, which makes for a fun and educational trip. About an hour or so from Silver Spring, this historic area has a blacksmith, woodworking, a living museum, and a general store. The staff was incredibly friendly and were very knowledgeable about this history. They also had some old fashioned wooden toys that our kids enjoyed playing with. I would say that we were able to get about an hour out of this trip, watching the demonstrations from the staff. Additionally, they sometimes have concerts and other activities.

However, I would definitely make sure to look for other things in the area as well if you want to make a full day out of it. We typically try to swing through Baltimore on the way home. Also, make sure to check the website for the hours of operation and for which times the activities will be taking place as they have a few different things going on at different times. There are also some nice places to walk near the old mill. We found a nice bridge with some running water, that was fun for pictures.

Website: https://jerusalemmill.org/
Check the website for hours of operations and special events.
(not wheel chair accessible)

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Rockville Escape Room, Rockville MD.

Escape rooms have been popping up all over the DMV area over the past few years. This year, Rockville Escape Room opened its doors to the public. Groups of 2-10 people can sign up try out one of four different rooms. The current rooms available include Pharaoh's Quest, The Great Diamond Heist, A Pirates Quest, and The Mad Dentist. They also have several other rooms that will be opening soon. See their website for age restrictions and the number of participants allowed for each one.

The purpose of this activity is to use skills, smarts, and teamwork to crack the clues that are found throughout the room to help you escape. Each room has a 60 minute timer that is shown on a screen. If the timer runs out before you get out, you lose. The clues are helpful, but if you think that it is going to be simple to crack the codes, and find your way out, you are going to be surprised. The clues are definitely breakable, but also provided a true challenge.
The staff provides you with a walkie talkie so that you can receive help up to three times while you are in the room. Those clues should help propel you forward to the next task. During my group's 60 minutes, we made it through all but two clues before our time ran out.  Despite not "escaping the room," all participants had a lot of fun.  I definitely think this activity is geared towards students high school aged and older.

Cost: $29 dollars per person
Website: http://www.rockvilleescaperoom.com/

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