OVER THE EDGE! building, which with its grand archway, columns, and dome looks more like a Roman temple than an art museum in mid-Maryland. Although this immediately bred high expectations, it could not prepare me for the beauty and grandeur within. This little park museum houses genuine original paintings from the Italian Renaissance, as well as several galleries full of classical sculpture, pottery, woodwork, and paintings that span about five centuries. As a medievalist, I was floored. It was as though an entire wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art had been airlifted to a location where I could easily access it. What’s more, admission is naught but your choice of donation. This might be the best museum I’ve even seen for introducing young children to classic art and history. Speaking as a huge fan of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, even I found the D.C. museums somewhat oppressive as a child, because they involved awaking before the sun, riding in scary traffic and then walking more miles than my little legs could support. But this museum lies in easy reach and allows the public to get really close to the exhibits. The best part might be that after children tour the art, they can rush outside to explore the massive park’s several playgrounds, including one just behind the museum near a natural pool full of large fish. Not far from here up on a big hill is a long wooden staircase that divides off into several landings with outdoor dining areas. During the warm months, this would make an excellent place to bring a picnic basket and enjoy a sweeping view of the green park below and the opposite hill lined with Victorian-era homes. The
museum
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ARTS Photo by Perk Hull
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