Olney Theatre Center lies in the heart of Maryland’s Montgomery County, 10 miles due north from the tip of Washington, DC, and just a few miles from DC’s major suburbs: Bethesda, Silver Spring, Gaithersburg and Rockville.
As a former summer stock theater on the Straw Hat Circuit, Olney Theatre’s campus is not easily reached via metropolitan transit options. It’s car country here, so we recommend driving or renting a car to get here for easiest access.
Travel
Though OTC is easily reached from DC’s Union Station (20 miles), Reagan National Airport (35 miles), and Dulles Airport (40 miles), the closest and easiest option for rail or air is BWI (28 miles). We recommend flying or training into BWI and renting a car from there. One can also Uber or Lyft from BWI to and from the theater. Parking at the theatre is free.
If you don’t want to rent a car, the easiest option is training to Union Station, where you can hop a Red Line Metro to Glenmont Station (7 miles from the theater), then Uber or Lyft from there.
GPS Address: 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, MD 20832
Hotels
If you stay in Olney, Airbnb or VRBO are your best options, as there are no hotels nearby. We house visiting artists at the Hilton Homewood Suites in Laurel, MD, about 20 minutes away. There are also hotels we recommend in Rockville, Gaithersburg, North Bethesda and Silver Spring. Click "view larger map" in the map below to see all options in the region.
Staying in the heart of Washington, DC is a great option, but rush hour travel from the city can be fierce, and it’s all surface roads (not highways) to Olney. So while it’s less than 20 miles, at rush hour the travel time can easily exceed an hour.
Making the Most of Your Visit
If you are looking for other things to do during your trip to Olney Theatre, here are a couple of resources to help you find activities to keep you busy (or just relaxed).
- Visit Montgomery
- TheatreWashington
- CultureSpotMC
- Visit Howard County
- Visit our dining page for a list of restaurants, local farm breweries, and vineyards
- The Sandy Spring Slave Museum is our community partner and we encourage you to include the museum in your plans for any potential visit to the area.
