Montgomery County, Maryland, is opening free, temporary picnic spaces in North Bethesda to encourage people to support local restaurants and eat their takeout in a safe, outdoor environment during the coronavirus pandemic.
The four “pop-up picnic parks” are located in the Pike District and adhere to the county’s Phase Two reopening guidelines.
The Pike District businesses, which include a number of restaurants that have had to significantly reduce their in-person capacity, worked with Montgomery County, the county’s Parks and Recreation department and the North Bethesda Marriott and Conference Center to launch the initiative.
The parks have free tables and marked seating areas for people to have a bring-your-own-picnic space. People are encouraged to bring tables, chairs and blankets.
That said, the county is telling people to continue abiding by the 50 or fewer crowd-gathering regulations for all groups.
The Pike District’s four temporary picnic parks locations are:
- The Hill: Corner of Rockville Pike and Old Georgetown Road
- Market Street Park: Corner of Market Street and Executive Boulevard (next to the Conference Center parking garage)
- The Patio: Corner of Rockville Pike and Marinelli Road, near the west side entrance to the White Flint Metro station
- Wall Park: Corner of Executive Boulevard and Nicholson Lane
The county plans to keep the spaces open through the fall.
Montgomery County remains in Phase Two of reopening with no plans yet to loosen current restrictions any further.
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