Bowie

Bowie is a suburban bedroom community of Washington, D.C. in Prince George's County, Maryland.

Understand

While Bowie's history goes back over a century, much of the city consists of ranch and Cape Cod homes built in the 1960s and 1970s as a planned community by Levitt & Sons, a noted real estate development company. Lately, Bowie has grown by annexing various developments that have sprouted up around the city's edge since the mid-1980s. The visitor can still find vestiges of historical Bowie—most notably, the railroads and horse farms that defined Bowie in the pre-Levitt era. One of America's oldest historically black universities is Bowie State University, located in Old Bowie.

Get in

By plane
  • Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI IATA) is 20 miles southwest of Bowie via MD197 and MD295.
  • Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA IATA) is 23 miles southwest of Bowie via US 50 (through Washington, D.C.).
  • Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD IATA) is 45 miles west of Bowie via the Capital Beltway.

By train

MARC operates train service on its Penn Line to/from Baltimore and Washington, D.C.. Nearest station is 🌍 Bowie State at 13900 Jericho Park Rd.

By bus

Metrobus B27 operates service to/from the New Carrollton Metro Station. For more information on riding the Metrorail and Metrobus, see Washington DC#Get_In.

Get around

By car

Bowie is best navigated by car.

By bicycle

The Washington, Baltimore & Annapolis Trail runs through the northern part of Bowie and there are various other networks of bike paths and on-street bike routes.

Unfortunately, Route 50 bisects the city and has few bike-friendly crossings.

See

Do
  • Bowie Playhouse, 16500 Whitemarsh Park Drive (from Route 3, enter Whitemarsh Park and drive to the back parking lot). Tucked away in the woods at the back of Whitemarsh Park, the 150-seat Bowie Playhouse is home to four amateur theater companies and features dramas, musicals and Shakespeare year round. 
  • Bowie Center for the Performing Arts, 15200 Annapolis Road, ☏ +1 301-805-6880. A concert hall that features a variety of college, high school and community concerts and theatrical productions. 
  • Governor Bridge Natural Area, 7600 Governor Bridge Rd. (updated Dec 2019)
  • Fran Uhler Natural Area, 10300 Lemons Bridge Rd. (updated Dec 2019)

Buy

Bowie has a variety of malls, but little that's likely to pique the interest of the picky shopper. Two of the malls are Bowie Town Center and Free State Mall. Some of the antique shops in Old Town may be worth your time.

Eat
  • Ichiban Sushi, 3921 Evergreen Parkway, Bowie, ☏ +1 301-352-9160, fax: +1 301 352-9136. Su-Th 11AM-10PM, F Sa 11AM-11PM. Try the "Sushi Red & White", or for non-sushi eaters, the Chinese menu. 
  • Lima's Chicken, 3552 Crain Hwy, ☏ +1 301-464-5370, fax: +1 301 262-6989. M-F 10:30AM-10PM, Sa 11AM-10PM, Su 11AM-9PM. Charbroiled chicken and other Peruvian specialties. 
  • Rip's Country Inn, 3809 Crain Hwy (US 301 at the MD 197 intersection). Not one of the too-many plastic chain restaurants that infect Bowie. Rip's has served Bowie with casual dining for more than 50 years 
  • T.J. Elliott's, 6814 Laurel-Bowie Road (Rte. 197 & Old Chapel Road), ☏ +1 301-262-6282. Su 8:30AM-10PM, M-Th 11AM-10PM, F 11AM-11PM, Sa 8:30AM-11PM. Owned by the Marcos family that started the original Ledo restaurant in College Park, T.J. Elliott's serves tasty Italian food in addition to Ledo pizza. 

Drink
  • DuClaw Brewing Company, 4000 Town Center Blvd, ☏ +1 301-809-6943, fax: +1 301 809-0833. Su-Th 11AM-midnight, F Sa 11AM-12:30AM. This Maryland brewpub in Bowie Town Center has good food in addition to their own brews. 
  • 🌍 Old Bowie Town Grille, 8604 Chestnut Avenue (corner of Chestnut and 11th Street in the old town area), ☏ +1 301-464-8800. Tu-Su 11AM to late, closed M. Live music several nights a week. Craft beers on draft in an Irish-pub setting with a family-owned restaurant. (updated Oct 2017)

Sleep
  • Comfort Inn, 4500 Crain Hwy. (US 301 at US 50), ☏ +1 301-464-0089. 
  • Hampton Inn, 15202 Major Lansdale Blvd. (near US 50 and MD 197), ☏ +1 301-809-1800, fax: +1 301 809-2515. 
  • Rip's Country Inn, 3809 N. Crain Hwy (US 301, 1 mile south of US 50). 
  • Towneplace Suites, 3700 Town Center Blvd. (near US 50 and MD 197), ☏ +1 301-262-8045, fax: +1 301 262-8046. 

Go next
Routes through Bowie
Washington, D.C. ← New Carrollton ←  W  E  → Annapolis → Salisbury
Glasgow ← Annapolis ←  N  S  → Upper Marlboro → Richmond
Washington, D.C. ← New Carrollton ←  SW  NE  → Baltimore-Washington International Airport → Baltimore


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