Glen Echo Park

Address: 7300 MacArthur Blvd, Glen Echo, MD 20812

Glen Echo Park is a preserved amusement park and is one of the treasures of Washington D.C.. In addition to a historic carousel, the park also features an enormous ballroom that has been featuring dancing for over a century.

In the 2000s, the ballroom was restored to its Spanish-style appearance in 1933, and today is one of only a handful of remaining historic ballrooms on the east coast of the United States that would regularly host big band dances during the swing era.

All of the classes and dances will be held at Glen Echo Park.

Classes will be held in the Spanish Ballroom, in the Backroom Ballroom and in the Glen Echo Park Classrooms.

Dances will be held in the Spanish Ballroom and in the Backroom Ballroom.

The schedule available online lists which rooms will have different class levels and dances.

The map indicates where different buildings are in Glen Echo Park.

Planning Your Visit

Planning Accommodations

There are limited accommodations directly near Glen Echo Park. There are affordable hotels and home/room rentals nearby especially in Bethesda and Chevy Chase.  When you register, you will receive a confirmation email with a form to sign up to offer or request housing.  You can use this form to coordinate your own housing; Stardust Slow Balboa Weekend cannot guarantee housing for the event. 

Planning Rides to and from Glen Echo Park

Glen Echo Park is only accessible by public transit from Bethesda during the day and early evening. A taxi or Uber ride from Bethesda will usually cost $10-$20 one way. You can use the Facebook event to solicit rides. You can take the metro to the “Friendship Heights” stop (red line) and then arrange a ride from there to Glen Echo Park. There’s a bus from that metro stop to Glen Echo Park, but it only comes every 30min and doesn’t past ~10:30pm. There is a Comment Thread on the Facebook event page to solicit and offer rides. Stardust Slow Balboa Weekend cannot guarantee rides to and from the event.  

Food Options

Food options at Glen Echo Park are limited as is noted below. Otherwise, the closest restaurants and grocery stores are a mile away in either the town of Glen Echo or in Bethesda. Attendees should plan to bring their own food for lunch and snacks. You can also order food to be delivered to the Park.

Food at Glen Echo Park:

Food options near Glen Echo are limited, but we recommend

  • Praline Bakery in the Spanish Ballroom building (food options limited)
  • Irish Inn (next to the park)
  • 7-11 Convenience Store across from Glen Echo Park

Food Close to Glen Echo in Bethesda:

There are plenty of food options nearby in Bethesda in various price ranges.  Here are some suggestions:

  • Tatte Bakery (great for breakfast, coffee, or a snack)
  • Fish Taco- Cabin John (all sorts of tacos, good price, get the guac)
  • Joe & the Juice
  • Chiko (Asian fusion)
  • Sweetgreen
  • Levain Bakery
  • Dolcezza Gelato
  • Poke Dojo

There are also many options for coffee:

  • Ceremony Coffee Roasters
  • Tatte Bakery and Cafe
  • Grace Street Coffee
  • Starbucks

Here are some nearby familiar chains:

  • Potbelly
  • Tropical Smoothie Cafe
  • Panera
  • Smoothie King
  • Five Guys
  • Chopt
  • Cava
  • &Pizza
  • Chipotle

Scroll to Top