The Good Week | March 12, 2026

Yesterday offered a small hint of summer around Potomac and Bethesda. The kind of day that reminds you how good it feels to get out, try something new, or linger somewhere interesting.

And there is more happening here than most people realize. Talks to hear. Creative classes to try. Walks, tastings, performances, and gatherings built around shared interests.

The Good Week brings the most engaging experiences happening across Potomac, Bethesda, and nearby neighborhoods together in one place so you can discover something new and go.

✨ THIS WEEK'S TOP PICKS

If you’re only picking a few things this week, start here. Scroll to learn more.

🌸 Spring Wildflower Walk
A guided stroll at Locust Grove during the brief window when woodland wildflowers begin to bloom.

🪆 Puppet Slam: March Madness
An adults-only puppet variety show at Glen Echo that’s funny, creative, and a little unpredictable.

🛍 French Friday at Potomac French Market
Champagne, flowers, antiques, and Rocklands BBQ inside a charming barn. A relaxed way to spend a Friday afternoon.

If you’ve tried something because of this newsletter, we’d truly love to hear about it. Just reply or reach us at [email protected].

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Art, music, performances, and a few reasons to spend the evening out.

A Best Medicine Rep production, this area premiere of Cricket Daniel’s comedy follows four friends from a retirement community baking club who set off on a road trip to revisit the places where they each lost their virginity. Along the way come stories of first loves, regrets, and the complicated memories that shape a life.

Funny, candid, and occasionally poignant, the play blends humor with reflection as the women look back at defining moments in their past. $21.95+ or Pay What You Can during opening weekend.
👉 View showtimes

Part gallery talk, part cultural gathering. Artist and researcher Diego Borgsdorf Fuenzalida reads from his book tied to the exhibition Ya no son pilares, exploring the history of a Chilean seaside workers’ retreat that later became a detention site during the dictatorship that followed the 1973 coup.

As the conversation unfolds, guests sample Chilean wines and non-alcoholic beverages—bringing a taste of the country into a discussion about memory, history, and the physical traces political regimes leave behind. $5
👉 Reserve a seat

This adults-only puppet showcase is anything but kid stuff. Local and visiting puppeteers take the stage for a fast-paced lineup of short, original pieces—often funny, strange, and occasionally a little wild.

Part variety show, part creative experiment, Puppet Slam highlights the playful and irreverent side of the puppetry arts. Snacks and drinks will be available. $15+
👉 Get tickets

One of the world’s most celebrated sopranos brings a program that blends music, film, and environmental reflection. Inspired by her Grammy-winning album, Voice of Nature: The Anthropocene, Renée Fleming performs alongside a striking original film created by the National Geographic Society.

Together, the music and imagery explore humanity’s relationship with the natural world—pairing Fleming’s luminous voice with a meditation on climate, beauty, and responsibility.👉 Get tickets

Food experiences, tastings, and classes that make the week revolve around something delicious.

👨‍🍳 Hand-Crafted Hibachi Cooking Class

Bring the energy of the hibachi grill into your own kitchen. In this hands-on class, you’ll cook savory-sweet chicken teriyaki, fold shrimp and pork gyoza, and toss a bright salad with ginger-orange dressing—then finish the evening by torching the sugar crust on a ginger crème brûlée.

Work alongside a small group as a chef guides you through each step, then sit down to enjoy what you’ve made.
→ Reserve your spot

There’s something satisfying about an afternoon built around tea and small, beautiful things to eat. Hello Betty has started serving a proper afternoon tea—tiered trays with sandwiches, warm scones, pastries, and a pot of tea to linger over.

It’s an easy excuse to slow down for a couple of hours. Go with a friend, catch up with someone you haven’t seen in a while, or make a small occasion out of an ordinary afternoon.
👉 Reserve a table

Earlier picks still ahead — and still worth catching.

🍕 Build Your Own Pizza Night — Thu, Mar 12, 6:30–8 pm — a hands-on pizza-making class at Pinstripes in North Bethesda.

🧠 Rockville Science Center Trivia Night — Thu, Mar 12, 7–9 pm — an adults-only science trivia fundraiser supporting the Rockville Science Center’s campaign for a new facility.

🎬 The Rocky Horror Picture Show — Fri–Sat, Mar 13–14, 10:30 pm — a late-night cult film screening with a live shadow cast at Landmark Bethesda Row.

🚶 Walk with a Doc(tor) — Sat, Mar 14, 9:30 am — a short health talk followed by a relaxed group walk along the Bethesda Trolley Trail.

🎬 Stand By Me — 40 Years Later — Sat, Mar 14, 7:30 pm — a screening at Strathmore followed by a live reunion conversation with cast members.

✍️ Women Writers Mixer — Sun, Mar 15, 4–5:30 pm — an informal gathering for women writers to meet, share ideas, and connect at The Writer’s Center in Bethesda.

🎭 Bonnie Hammerschlag National Capital New Play Festival — Through Sun, Mar 15 — developmental readings and a world premiere production at Round House Theatre.

🍄 Mushroom Magic Cooking Class with Chef Cat — Wed, Mar 18, 6–8 pm — a hands-on cooking class focused on gourmet mushrooms at Casey Community Center in Gaithersburg.

🎛️ Soul and Sound Design with Chris Hon (Workshop) — Wed, Mar 18 — a sound design and electronic music workshop at Strathmore.

🎶 Emmet Cohen: Miles and Coltrane at 100 — Sat, Mar 21, 6:30 pm talk & 8 pm concert — a centennial tribute to Miles Davis and John Coltrane at the Music Center at Strathmore.

🍷 From Sicily to Sardinia: An Island Wine Dinner — Thu, Mar 26, 6:30–8:30 pm — a four-course Italian island wine dinner at Caruso’s Grocery in Pike & Rose.

🌸 Pinch Pot Bud Vase Workshop — Sat, Mar 28, 1:30–3:30 pm — a beginner-friendly clay handbuilding workshop at The Clay Co-op in Rockville.

✒️ Modern Calligraphy for Beginners — Tue, Mar 31, 7–8:30 pm — a beginner workshop in pointed-pen calligraphy at Whelan’s Beer and Wine in Potomac.

🕰️ First-Time Fusers Workshop — Sat–Sun, Apr 11–12 — a two-day introduction to fused glass techniques at Glen Echo Park.

🎤 Who’s With Me? — W. Kamau Bell — Fri, Apr 17, 7:30 pm — a new stand-up hour from the Emmy Award–winning comedian at Strathmore.

📚 Fiction Book Club: Megan Howell on Softie — Sun, Apr 19, 2–3 pm — a reading and discussion with author Megan Howell at The Writer’s Center in Bethesda.

📚 Plot Twisted: A Crafty Book Club — Wed, Apr 22, 6–8 pm — a book club at District DabbleLab pairing discussion with a creative project.

🎠 Glen Echo Park in Bloom: Gala in the Park — Sat, May 16, 6 pm — a gala evening with dinner, live music, and swing dancing in the Spanish Ballroom at Glen Echo Park.

If you stop by any of this week’s spots, let them know you heard about it in The Good Week.

If something landed well—or if we missed a place you think deserves attention—tell us at [email protected].

And if you know someone who’d appreciate a little local intel on Thursdays, forward this along.

See you next week.

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We double-check details, but plans change — confirm before you head out. All outings, reservations, and purchases are at your discretion; The Good Week isn’t responsible for any changes, cancellations, or experiences once you arrive.

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