Kensington (Maryland)

Kensington is a suburb of Washington, D.C. in the Capital Region of Maryland with a population of about 2,100 people in 2020. The main reasons to visit are antique shopping at Antique Row, to see the enormous Mormon Temple, and one great pizza place. Aside from that, it's just a quiet suburban town with some odd quirks. Sections of the "Town of Kensington" are really beautiful, with big old Victorian homes set in a nice community by parks and Antique Row&mdash;looking much as it did when Kensington was a summer getaway from the big city.

Understand
Kensington borders Bethesda to the southwest and Silver Spring to the east.

Usually a quiet little suburb, Kensington made national news in 2001 when the city council banned Santa Claus from the neighborhood, citing the separation of Church and State. How on earth can this be possible, you ask? Some of the townspeople objected to having the local fire department flying around the neighborhood with a religious figure in tow, tossing candy to kids, so the town council banned Santa Claus from his usual fire engine tour of the town. Following national media attention, there was an enormous Santa Claus protest, where dozens of Santa Clauses arrived on motorcycles to assure Kensington that St Nick would indeed be coming to town!

By car
The main arteries leading north from Washington, D.C. and the Beltway are Connecticut Ave and Wisconsin Ave. Connecticut Ave runs straight through the center of Kensington. Turn right at Strathmore/Knowles Ave and follow it to the end to get to Antique Row.

Despite being so easy to see from the Beltway, the Mormon Temple is somewhat difficult to find because there is no direct way to get there from a Beltway exit. The easiest and most navigable path is to take Connecticut Avenue to Beach Drive eastbound and, when it ends, make a left turn on Stoneybrook Drive.

By rideshare
Uber is a popular method of transport in Kensington for those without a car.

By train
MARC operates service to/from Union Station in Washington DC on the Brunswick Line. The train also stops in Frederick, Gaithersburg, and Germantown. The train station in Kensington is on Antique Row. Trains are not frequent and usually only run during rush hour.

By bus
The bus fares are $1.75 and can be paid using a SmarTrip card.

Ride On Bus #5 operates service from the Silver Spring Metrorail Station. The bus stops near the Mormon Temple and on Antique Row.

Ride On Bus #34 operates service from the Bethesda, Medical Center, and Wheaton Metrorail Stations.

Get around
The center part of Kensington is small and compact enough to be easily walkable. Other parts of Kensington are easiest to get around by card. RideOn Bus 4 has stops at Antique Row, the Mormon Temple, and the center part of Kensington. The National Park Seminary is not connected by public transportation.

Sleep
Kensington does not have any hotels. Look in adjacent Bethesda or Silver Spring, both of which have plenty of hotel options.

Go next
The two natural destinations coming from Kensington, aside from heading back into Washington, D.C., are the dining and nightlife scenes in Silver Spring and Bethesda.


 * Silver Spring is easy to get to by car (via the Beltway to the Georgia Ave exit) or Ride On Bus #5
 * Bethesda is easy to get to by car via Wisconsin Ave south, or by Ride On Bus #34