RV Rentals Silver Spring, Maryland

Explore Silver Spring, Maryland, in an RVshare RV Rental

Silver Spring is a census-designated place with a population of just over 81,000. Francis Preston Blair, an advisor to several presidents across party lines, discovered the mica-flecked spring in this area in 1840, which is where it gets its name. Acorn Park is believed to be the exact location of the mica-flecked spring that Blair referred to. Benjamin C. King constructed an acorn-shaped gazebo in Acorn Park in 1842. Samuel Phillips Lee, the son-in-law of Blair, had the park's stone grotto created in 1894.

There are four major creeks that bisect Silver Spring: Rock Creek, Sligo Creek, Northwest Branch, and Long Branch. Each creek features parks where you can go hiking, bicycling, or picnicking. Some parks have tennis courts as well. The Rachel Carson Greenway Trail, a trail named after the author of the influential book "Silent Spring," is in Northwest Branch Park. The park transitions north into Wheaton Regional Park, where Brookside Gardens is located.

Blair had constructed a mansion in Silver Spring in 1842 that he called Silver Spring. Former President Abraham Lincoln visited the mansion several times during the Civil War. Blair's son Montgomery served as Postmaster General under Lincoln and represented the enslaved man Dred Scott in the Dred Scott v. Sandford case in an attempt to help him gain freedom. Confederate Army General Jubal Early occupied Silver Spring in 1864 and burned down Blair's mansion.

Silver Spring went through massive growth in the early 20th century with infrastructure being built and people moving there. The Silver Spring Shopping Center was one of the country's first shopping centers to orient the parking lot in front of the store. The accepted rule at the time was that products should be front and center, visible through the windows, so this was an unconventional move.

Events Near Silver Spring, Maryland

• Cherry Blossom Festival - Over a two- to three-week period in March or April, the upcoming Cherry Blossom Festival takes place in D.C. Plenty of exciting events take place during the festival, including martial arts demonstrations, sake and sushi tastings, koto players and rock bands, paddleboat rides, and photo safaris.

• Smithsonian Folklife Festival - The upcoming Smithsonian Folklife Festival invites practitioners of folk traditions from around the world to share their culture during the festival. It takes place in June every year.

• National Christmas Tree Lighting - Ever since former president Calvin Coolidge lit a Christmas tree at the Ellipse in D.C., it has been an American tradition to light a Christmas tree there every year. The National Christmas Tree Lighting takes place in early December, but the tree is available for viewing until early January.