Maryland State Fair Timonium Fairgrounds (410)252-0200 late
August/early September
Renaissance Festival Crownsville, Maryland
1-800-296-7304 late summer/early fall
Fort Meade Outdoor Concerts lawn at
Mapes Rd. & Cooper Ave every summer Sunday evening
Meade Fest Burba
Park week of Fourth of July Burba Park - located between Roberts and Llewelyn
Avenues and Wilson Street. Unit picnics and other special
celebrations are sometimes held on the grounds. Five picnic pavilions
and a cottage are available on a reservation basis for a nominal
fee. There is also a playground with swings and other equipment, as
well as a lake which runs through the park. The playground is open
every day from dawn until dusk. For information, contact the Leisure
Travel Office at (301) 677-7354.
Gaffney Sports Arena - In April 1973,
the Gaffney Sports Arena opened. It was named in honor of the late
Colonel Leo Francis Gaffney, a former First United States Army special services
officer here. The sports complex, located on Broadfoot Road, has
three basketball courts, two squash courts, three racquetball courts, sauna
room, weight room, workout rooms, a 23-station Nautilus center (with lifecycles,
stairmaster, treadmill, jazzercise, and aerobics), 25-meter swimming pool (with
water aerobics), and separate locker room facilities for 150 women and 350
men. Call (301) 677-3716 for hours of operation.
Arts and
Crafts Center - located in Building 6530B, on Gordon Street and York Avenue
offers the following facilities to members of the Fort Meade
community:
Woodshop Engraving/T-shirt Shop
Black and white
photolab
Custom Framing Shop
Ceramics
For more information about
the Arts and Crafts Center, call (301) 677-7809.
Automotive Crafts Center
- located in the Thomas W. Jenkins Arts and Crafts Center, Building 6530, on
Gordon Street and York Avenues contains state of the art equipment for the
front-end alignment, engine analysis, as well as hydraulic lifts and 24 open
bays for patrons' auto repair and preventive maintenance. Tools and equipment
are available for use on all domestic and foreign vehicles. A mandatory safety
orientation video (approx 20 min long) is available for viewing during regular
hours of operation. For more information call (301)
677-5542.
Murphy Field House, Building 8451, is located on Zimborski
Avenue. Currently Murphy Field House is used for indoor physical
training and intramural sports activities. For more information, call
(301) 677-2402.
Checkitout - located on Wilson St, has camping equipment,
boats, canoes, snow skis, recreational trailers, and a variety of other outdoor
recreational equipment for a nominal service charge. Items are
available to active duty, reservists, and retired military personnel and their
family members. DoD civilians working on Fort Meade or at NSA are
authorized use of this equipment on a limited basis. For additional
information, call (301) 677-3825.
Swimming Pools - An outdoor swimming
pool is located on Rock Avenue. Another outdoor pool is located off
Cooper Avenue behind the AAFES Gas Station, and a third is located adjacent to
the Officers' Club. The swimming pools are open from Memorial Day to
Labor Day. In addition, an indoor pool is located at Gaffney Sports
Arena.
Golf Courses - Applewood and Floyd L. Parks are the two 18-hole
courses which comprise the Fort Meade Golf Course Complex. To
compliment these two fine courses, a new clubhouse facility has been built which
features a lounge, pro-shop, and snack bar. Club storage, locker
rooms, golf lessons, club and cart rental and a driving range are available to
club members or causal golfers. Drop by the pro shop for particulars
on fees and a copy of the rules and regulations, or call (301)
677-5326.
Tennis Courts - Seventeen tennis courts are located throughout
the post. Four courts are at the corner of Zimborski Avenue and Dutt
Road; four at the corner of York Avenue and Gordon Streets; two are at the
corner of Ernie Pyle Street and Reece Road; two at Taylor Avenue and Simonds
Street; two on Officers' Club Road; two on O'Brien Road; and one on 26th
Street.
Post Theater - The post movie theater is located at Llewellyn and
Roberts Avenues. Movie schedules are published weekly in the post newspaper,
Soundoff!. Movie information can be obtained anytime by calling (301)
677-5324.
Riding Stable - The Riding Stable facility includes 56 boarding
stalls, 55 paddocks, five turnout arenas, two lounges and two lighted riding
arenas. Horses are boarded on a self care basis for $100 per
month. Boarders are designated a stall, paddock, tack area, grain
area, and hay storage area for each horse they board. Lessons are $80
per month for four one-hour group lessons on program horses, or $62 per month on
a privately owned horse. Horse sponsorships are available to
qualified riders who want to ride more often. The sponsorship program
is designed for people who do not have the time for a horse of their own. Prices
fluctuate depending on duration of the sponsorship. Horse shows are
conducted once every three months and are open to the public. The
Riding Stable is located south of Route 32. To reach the stables,
exit Fort Meade on Route 198 and turn left into Patuxent Environmental Science
Center (PESC) at Bald Eagle Drive. All visitors must check in at the
PESC Visitors Center prior to visiting the stables. For more
information, call (301) 677-7101.
Leisure Travel Office (LTO), located on
York Ave., is a centralized point where the total community can obtain
information concerning activities available, not only on post, but also in the
nearby civilian communities. LTO is a distribution point for discount
tickets to all types of entertainment and sports events. Discount
tickets are available for amusement parks in Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, and
Pennsylvania, as well as Florida. The staff will assist in planning
vacation trips with information on discount hotel accommodations across the
country when traveling by either car or camper-trailer. Burba Park
reservations may also be made at LTO. The LTO staff welcomes active
duty and retired military, including family members, DoD civilians as well as
their families. For more information, call the LTO at (301)
677-7354.
Mullins Stadium Track - The Mullins Stadium Track (one-quarter
mile) is available for daily use from dawn to dusk, year-round. The
main entrance to the track is located on York Street, near Broadfoot
Road. Field event facilities are also available.
Bowling
Center - The Fort Meade Bowling Center is a renovated 36-lane
house. Co-located with the post office, commissary, PX, and bank, the
center features synthetic pin decks, new rest rooms, new entrance, the new
Brunswick Command Network computerized automatic scoring program, audio-visual
lesson programming, and a full-service dining area. The bowling
program caters to active duty military personnel, reserve personnel, retirees,
DoD civilians, and their family members by offering open league bowling, bumper
bowling for youngsters, individual and group instruction and a new full-service
Pro Shop. Stop by or call (301) 677-5541.
Oriole Park at
Camden Yards - Go out to the ballpark and have a few franks while enjoying
America's favorite pastime. Oriole Park at Camden Yards opened for
the 1992 baseball season and is the new home of the Baltimore
Orioles. This beautiful stadium has a capacity of approximately
47,000 and a light rail train system that takes fans directly to the ball
park. Call (410) 685-9800 for more information regarding tickets or
home schedule dates.
The Baltimore Zoo - The Baltimore Zoo is located in
northern Baltimore. See the more than 1,200 animals while learning
more about the animal kingdom. The main zoo features a three-acre
African elephant park and a hippo and African flamingo exhibit. Bring
the children along as the zoo also includes a special eight-acre children's
zoo. The animals are awaiting a visit every day except
Christmas. Call (410) 396-7102 for more information.
Six Flags
- Take the day and spend some time in the sun while enjoying thrill rides, water
slides and shows which will awe young and old alike. Adventure World,
located in Prince Georges County off I-495, spans 280 acres and packs enough fun
for anyone who loves an amusement park. The park features a wave
pool, a roller coaster, an almost one-half mile long water slide, and many other
rides and games. The park is open from Memorial Day to Labor Day, 10
a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays, and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends. For
more information, call (301) 249-1500.
Ocean City - Enjoy a weekend on
the shore, soaking up the rays and tumbling in the waves. Maryland's
30-mile share of the Atlantic Ocean is less than three hours from Fort Meade by
taking Route 32 east to Route 50 east. Take a walk along the
three-mile boardwalk down into games of chance and thrill rides and tasty treats
that will tame the savage sweet tooth. Call the Ocean City Chamber of
Commerce at (410) 213-0552 for tourist and resort information.
Laurel
Race Course and Pimlico - Baltimore's Pimlico race course has been the home of
the Preakness since 1873. This second leg in Thoroughbred's Triple
Crown is run on the third Saturday in May and has evolved into an all-day
festival. All seats are reserved on Preakness Day, so call ahead for
tickets. The phone number is (410) 542-9400. The Laurel
Race Course is located on Route 198, about seven miles from Fort
Meade. For more information, call (301) 725-0400.
National
Zoological Park (DC)- Giant pandas from China and white tigers are among the
thousands of animals and birds living in one of the nation's finest zoos at 3000
Connecticut Ave., NW. The grounds open daily, May 1 through Sept. 15,
from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The buildings are open from 9 a.m. to 4:30
p.m. Parking is $3 for the first three hours and $2 for each
additional hour. The Metro stop is Woodley Park. Call
(202) 673-4821 for more information.See Recreation opportunities under the
category
LOCAL COMMUNITY.Fort Meade's Youth Services program provides
sports, classes, Summer Day Camp, Pre-teen activities, Teen activities, Banquet
facilities, information about Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, and other activities
of interest to children.Football, soccer, track, basketball, cheerleading,
ballet--you name it, we've got it!Chapel activities include religious services,
pastoral counseling, religious education, Bible studies, youth groups, choirs,
and retreats. Services are regularly conducted for the major faith
groups - Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish. Non-denominational
services and activities are also held at various locations around
post. A service schedule is published in the weekly newspaper,
SOUNDOFF. See Chapel Activities under the LOCAL COMMUNITY
Category.Check the current schedule at Youth Services, (301) 677-1847, to see
"WHAT"S UP"!!!!!!!!!!!