Hi there!

Welcome to the second issue of Clovie's Newsletter: The Little Loop.

Update from the heat wave and July Fourth Weekend with two little ones: we survived it. Lots of hot dogs, and mostly indoors, exactly as promised. But it turns out I wasn't the only one having a big weekend in the middle of a 100 degree holiday. Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce got married at Madison Square Garden on Friday night, which means we may have a future Swift Kelce baby soon.

So naturally I started thinking about where this star-studded couple may bring there baby if they happen to pop over to Montgomery County, MD anytime soon. Here's this week's issue: five places Taylor and Travis would take their firstborn, three things actually happening in MoCo this weekend, and what's new over at Clovie.

Clovie Keeps Growing

Clovie keeps growing every single day. This week:

• The directory map now runs on Google Maps, so pins are accurate and the "how far is this from me" math works.
• Ask Clovie, the AI search bar on the site, got smarter. It can now help you build a schedule based on your parent profile.
• We onboarded three new businesses to the directory, and we keep growing every week.

5 Places Taylor & Travis Would Take Their Firstborn in Montgomery County

​1. Bethesda Row (Bethesda)
​Free to walk around · Cobblestone pedestrian street · High end boutiques and cafes · Best for a stroller stroll​
This is the pick for anyone chasing the wedding weekend aesthetic on a Tuesday afternoon. Bethesda Lane is a cobblestone street lined with string lights, resort wear at Morley, and fine jewelry at Pampillonia. Grab a bite and a coffee at Maman, all exposed brick and flowers on every table, it's a chic garden party in its own right, and if the wedding decor rumors are any indication, that's exactly Taylor's aesthetic. It's a stroller friendly, see and be seen kind of afternoon, which tracks for two people who just got married in front of every A-Lister.

​2. Strathmore (North Bethesda)
​Free summer lawn concerts on Wednesdays · Indoor concert hall for the serious stuff · Stroller friendly grounds​
Obviously the future superstar needs a stage adjacent childhood. Strathmore's free Wednesday concert series on the Gudelsky Gazebo lawn is exactly the kind of low stakes, high production value outing that lets a baby crawl around on a blanket while actual musicians perform ten feet away. It's training wheels for a life around live music, minus the stadium tour.

​3. RIO Lakefront (Gaithersburg)
​Free parking and admission to walk around · Carousel and playground on site · Paddleboats seasonal​
A lake, a carousel, a playground, and enough restaurants and shops that both parents can get what they want without negotiating. It's the kind of low key, wide open, easy to spot a stroller in space that reads more "off-duty famous person" than anywhere with valet. Feed the ducks, ride the swan boat, nobody's storming the place for a photo.

​4. Maryland SoccerPlex (Boyds)
​Free to watch most matches, ticketed for some · 24 fields plus a playground and splash park on site · Best for a full family day​
This is the one actual pro athlete venue on the list. The Washington Spirit play here, it's hosted US Open Cup matches and a CONCACAF Champions League game, and international teams like Argentina's Boca Juniors have trained on these fields. It's also home to the Soccer Association of Montgomery (S.A.M.), which runs camps and weekend clinics for kids ages 2 to 17, so plenty of MoCo parents already treat this as their regular weekend spot, not just a special occasion. It's inside South Germantown Recreational Park, so while the grownups soak up genuine stadium energy, there's a playground and a splash park right there for anyone too small to care about the scoreline.

​5. Glenstone Museum (Potomac)
​Free admission, reservation required · 230 acres of grounds · Infants under 1 welcome, no ticket needed​
Here's the twist: Glenstone doesn't actually allow kids under 12 inside the galleries, infants under one are the exception. So this is the one spot on the list that's basically built for exactly one very specific age. A newborn Swift Kelce baby could be wheeled through 230 rolling acres of sculpture and meadow in total, reservation only privacy, while everyone else's kid has to wait a decade to get in. Fitting, honestly.

3 Things to Check Out in MoCo This Weekend

​1. Bethesda Summer Concert Series (Woodmont Triangle, Bethesda)
​All ages · Friday, July 10, 6 to 8pm · Free · Walk-in, no reservation​
Free live music on the streets of Woodmont Triangle every Friday through the summer. Bring a chair, grab dinner from one of the restaurants nearby, let the kids dance it out on the sidewalk. Low commitment, easy to leave whenever bedtime wins.

​2. Parks Playhouse Junior: Rocknoceros (Cabin John Regional Park, Rockville)
​All ages, best for little ones · Saturday, July 11, 10 to 11am · Free · Walk-in, no reservation​
Rocknoceros is one of the better known kids bands in the DMV, and this is a free outdoor concert made for the stroller crowd. Bring a blanket, a snack, and low expectations for how long anyone stays seated. It's outdoors, so plan for sun and bring water.

​3. The Butterfly Experience at Brookside Gardens (Wheaton)
​Under 3 free, ages 3-12 $10.99, 13+ $15.99 · Open daily through September 7 · Reservation required, timed entry​
Hundreds of live butterflies from four continents in the South Conservatory, and it runs all summer so this weekend is just one option of many. Book a timed slot in advance since same day tickets are limited, and know that strollers stay outside the Conservatory itself. Warm and humid in there, so dress light.

Have a great week, whatever your version of a royal wedding after party looks like.

Carole
Founder, Clovie

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Less Planning. More Playing.