North of the Potomac River, Travilah was established in the early 1800s as a wheat farming and flour mill community. Today, these industries no longer define the Montgomery County area, but it still has a rural character. “Traffic is more likely to get stopped by someone on horseback than by a traffic light,” says Jennifer Chow, a Realtor and broker with RLAH Real Estate who has sold several homes here. “It’s a very serene and private place to live because houses sit on huge lots, and it’s completely surrounded by nature.” White-tailed deer often run across Travilah’s hilly roads, which are shaded by oak and pine trees. Locals spend their days hiking the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath and wandering through wildflower meadows at Glenstone Museum’s sculpture garden. Despite this secluded setting, major employers are less than 20 miles away in Washington, D.C., and Rockville. “Lawyers, doctors and tech bosses live here. Everybody has to commute to work, but this is like a natural escape right outside those busier areas,” Chow says.
Travilah is located in beautiful Montgomery County, Maryland.
New condominium complex for convenient living in Travilah.
Welcome to the peaceful Travilah neighborhood.
The Lakewood Country Club is one of several courses for a game of golf in Travilah.
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Large lots and big homes
Travilah is made up of subdivisions developed between the 1980s and early 2000s. Horses trot behind shingle-style homes in Merry-Go-Round Farm, a community with equestrian boarding facilities. White fencing surrounds Colonial Revivals in the Round Hill neighborhood, while Greenbriar Preserve’s cul-de-sacs are lined with New Traditional homes. Houses in Travilah typically have five to eight bedrooms and long driveways leading to garages. The median house size is slightly over 6,900 square feet, and lots are typically 2 acres or bigger. Buying here can cost between $1 million and $4 million. That range is much higher than the national median price of a home.
Specific crime rates for Travilah are not readily available. However, according to the Maryland Department of State Police, Montgomery County’s violent and property crime rates slightly decreased between 2023 and 2024. Both rates are consistently lower than state figures.
Large custom homes sit on spacious lots in Travilah.
A Dutch Colonial on a large wooded lot in Travilah.
Travilah is a tranquil community with large homes on large tracts of land.
Many large custom builds are among the selection of homes in Travilah.
The Travilah Elementary School serves Travilah and the Montgomery County area.
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Hiking trails, a local park and nearby country clubs
Blockhouse Point Conservation Park is an entryway for the C&O Canal Towpath, a 185-mile-long trail stretching from Georgetown to Cumberland, Maryland. “Even if it’s 2 p.m. on a Tuesday, the trail is packed, and the parking lot is full,” Chow says. Gravel crunches as hikers, joggers and bicyclists travel along the path, dotted with Civil War-era lock houses and kayak launches into the Potomac River. A 7-mile hike south reaches the river’s Great Falls Overlook, where locals can view rapids and 20-foot-tall waterfalls from a boardwalk path. “People actually hike that far because you have to pay to enter that area via car, but it’s free if you get there by foot,” Chow says. Travilah is home to a few other green spaces, including Greenbriar Local Park on Glen Road. A looped walking trail surrounds the park’s soccer field, grass volleyball court and stone pergola. Kids can run around the boat-themed playground, home to crab-shaped climbing structures and a twisty slide. The park used to have another playground, but a fire severely damaged it in 2024. The county is currently raising money to rebuild it. Several country clubs are less than 10 miles away, and Chow says most locals are in one. “They’re the backbone of the social scene in this area.” Lakewood Country Club offers a tennis facility and an 18-hole golf course covered in ponds and hardwood trees. Presidents like Herbert Hoover, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have visited the two 18-hole golf courses at Congressional Country Club, which has been around since 1924.
Commuters can get to D.C. and Rockville
D.C. is a 17-mile drive southeast on state Route 190, which stretches across Travilah’s southern edge. Depending on traffic, the drive can take between 30 minutes and an hour. Montgomery County buses provide rides to Rockville, about 9 miles northeast. The city is home to data companies, biotech centers and several Metro stations along the Red Line. However, Chow says most people in Travilah don’t rely on public transportation. “It’s not as traffic-heavy as other D.C. suburbs, but it is still a driving-dependent area. People have nice cars, and they usually have multiple of them.” Dulles International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport are both about 25 miles away.
Glenstone Museum has contemporary art and a sculpture garden
Spanning 230 acres at Travilah’s core, Glenstone Museum combines art and nature. The modernist-style gallery, made of stainless steel and granite, is filled with contemporary pieces by artists like Jeff Koons, Jackson Pollock and Andy Warhol. Outside, visitors can walk alongside lily pad-covered ponds and through black-eyed Susan meadows, passing by sculptures like “Split-Rocker,” a 37-foot-tall horse head formed with live flowers. The museum is free to enter, and Chow says locals visit frequently. “People in Travilah will take their kids on a daily basis just to walk around outside.” She adds that The Café, with its sycamore tree-shaded patio and an all-teak interior, is also popular. “The on-site restaurant just serves rotating soups, sandwiches and salads, but they’re really high-quality. Sometimes, it’s busier than the actual museum.”
A ratings for Montgomery County Public Schools
Kids can attend Travilah Elementary and Robert Frost Middle, both earning an A grade from Niche. The elementary school is located in the community on Dufief Mill Road, but Chow says students typically take the bus. “There aren’t sidewalks, the roads are really wide and everything is very spread out. It’s not an ideal area for kids to walk around.” Students can continue to A-plus-rated Thomas S. Wootton High, where the Jumpstart to College program offers dual enrollment classes with The Universities at Shady Grove, about 6 miles north. The school is the partner campus of nine public colleges, including the University of Maryland and Salisbury University. Next door, Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center has an emergency room, a birth center and a cardiovascular unit.
Herbert Hoover Middle School in the Montgomery County School System.
Unleash your potential at Winston Churchill High School, where dreams take flight.
Travilah Elementary School provides education for elementary school students.
Winston Churchill High claims the #2 spot for best college prep high schools in MD.
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Small strip malls in Travilah and more shopping at nearby Potomac Village
On Travilah Road, Potomac Oak Center has a Thai restaurant, a convenience store and a Domino’s Pizza. A Giant grocery store and locally owned restaurants line red-brick sidewalks at Traville Gateway in the northern part of the community. Locals can grab a coffee at Black Lion Café, then walk to Bageltowne Deli for a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich. Even with these small strip malls, Chow says Travilah isn’t known for its commercial centers. “There’s not a huge shopping district, and people like that because it means fewer outsiders come to the area.” She adds that the Colonial Revival-style Potomac Village, about 5 miles southeast, is the most common place to run errands. “It’s got grocery stores, pharmacies and banks, so there are just enough places for everyday needs.”
Travilah residents can benefit from a Giant grocery store with a recent makeover.
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Travilah offers shaded outdoor seating for loved ones to gather over food and drinks.
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Video By
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