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Weddings
x2 Award winner
Award winner thanks to recommendations from couples on WeddingWire.com.
  • 2020
  • 2016

Rockwood Manor

From 30 to 120 guests
Ceremony/Reception
Outdoor/Indoor
Get Ready Rooms

Why couples loved this venue

  • Quality catering
  • Guests comfort
  • Amenities
Claire
D
J
D
T

Recommended by 94% of couples

About this venue

Rockwood Manor Retreats & Events encompasses a 30-acre wooded park and a historic 1920s country house nestled on the shores of the C&O Canal and Potomac River in Potomac, District of Columbia. The Manor House has stood for nearly a century and has hosted first ladies, international diplomats, and thousands of private events throughout its rich history.

For 40 years, Rockwood Manor was the National Girl Scout Camp, and over the last 30 years, the property has transformed into a unique retreat destination with charming camp lodging and converted cabins that accommodate up to 85 guests overnight.

Although just six minutes from the Capital Beltway, Rockwood Manor is far removed from the hustle and bustle of the big city. Once you have arrived, the champion trees will embrace you, and in no time at all, you will be relaxing in a rocking chair on the Veranda or sipping a warm mug of hot chocolate by the fire pit.

Rockwood Manor is owned by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC). It is one of three Montgomery Parks Event Centers.

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Scheduling a Visit

Schedule a tour of Rockwood Manor with someone from our Reservations Team. If you would like to see the event spaces now, view our 3D tour on our WeddingWire Storefront. For specific questions and availability, please get in touch with our Reservations Team.

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Booking Your Stay

Whether you stay for a whole week with friends, a long weekend with someone special, or just a quick getaway along the C&O Canal Trail, Rockwood Manor is the secluded wooded retreat you've been looking for.

Choose from a variety of guest house styles:

  • The Cottage (up to 10 guests)
  • Skyview Lodge (up to 17 guests)
  • French House Bungalow (up to 8 guests)
  • Weston Hill Bunkhouse (up to 12 guests)
  • The Oaks Bunkhouse (up to 20 guests)
  • Tall Timbers Bunkhouse (up to 20 guests)

Book today! Please enquire with our Reservations Team to book your guest room.

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Celebrations

The Manor House is the centerpiece of our property and accommodates up to 120 guests for a ceremony on the wooded Patio, followed by cocktails on the Veranda and a seated banquet in the rustic elegance of Brooke Hall.

The Hoover Hall ballroom and festive Sun Porch transform into a two-level party space for dessert and dancing. Flexible floor plans mean you can customize your guest experience and event flow to make your event completely unique.

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Wedding Retreats

When you book a retreat package, you give yourself the gift of time. Our packages give you exclusive access to everything in our beautiful wooded 30 acres, including every guest room and all the Manor House spaces.

Enjoy the convenience of hosting your rehearsal dinner, wedding day, and day-after brunch all on the same property. Catch up with out-of-town guests, decorate at your leisure with your friends and family, go hiking at Great Falls, and end each evening by the fire pit at the Greenwood Amphitheater.

Imagine your organization's strategic planning inspired by a group hike to Great Falls, the flow of the Potomac River, and the gentle sway of the trees. Ask about our custom weekday retreats for businesses.

**Rockwood Manor has a maximum capacity of 120 guests**

What You'll Love About Rockwood Manor

Couples adore the flexibility and beauty of the indoor and outdoor spaces at this venue. The team also makes its mark, going above and beyond to make the experience as seamless as possible. Check out their Virtual 360º Tour to get a feel for the layout and begin imagining your day coming to life.

Features

Small team (2-10 members)

Experience

  • 39 years in business

  • We speak English

Links

Visit website

FAQ

Do you have a site fee for wedding receptions at your venue?

Yes

What is the starting site fee for wedding receptions during peak season?

$2,850

What is the starting site fee for wedding receptions during off-peak season?

$1,785

Do you have a site fee for wedding ceremonies at your venue?

No

Which of the following are included in the starting site fee?

Bridal Suite
Chairs
Parking
Set Up
Tables

What is the minimum number of guests required to book your venue?

30

How many event spaces or rooms does your venue offer?

7

Describe your venue:

Banquet Hall
Historic Building
Mansion
Park

What kind of settings are available?

Indoor
Uncovered Outdoor

Which of the following wedding events does your venue service?

Ceremony
Reception
Bridal Shower
Engagement Party
Rehearsal Dinner

What event services do you offer?

Accommodations
Event Rentals
Get Ready Rooms
Outside Vendors
Wifi

What event items are available?

Audio Equipment
Chairs
Tables

What transportation and access is available?

Parking
Wheelchair Access

What months are included in your peak season?

April
May
June
July
August
September
October

What months are included in your off-peak season?

January
February
November
December

Still have questions?

Reach out about anything you didn't see answered here—no question is too small!

Wedding couple

Reviews of Rockwood Manor

Weddingwire
4.7/5 35 reviews
Google
4.4/5 103 reviews
Claire
Claire Sent on 10/08/2023
5 out of 5 rating

So glad I found Rockwood Manor!

I am so incredibly thankful to all the folks at Rockwood Manor. My husband and I had a great experience through and through working with their team. Ryan gave us a tour and answered all my questions thoroughly, Autumn and Ryan helped us and answered more questions as we waited for our wedding to arrive, and Lucy helped tremendously day of work fluffing my veil/train. They provide tables and chairs, which was very convenient for us. The space is so beautiful and prices were so reasonable. If you’re a resident of Montgomery County, you would be eligible for in county discount pricing. My guests raved about how much they loved the venue and how perfect it was. It truly was a perfect day.
D
David Sent on 05/20/2022
5 out of 5 rating

Great venue, highly recommend!

We were looking for an outdoorsy venue that allowed us extra time with our guests and Rockwood Manor was perfect for us. We ended up booking the venue for the entire weekend and had about 30 people stay on site, which worked out really well. It's a flexible space with lots of rooms/options for how to lay things out, especially if the weather is nice (we had our ceremony and cocktail hour outside). We got to hike down to Great Falls on Saturday and ended each night with smores and a campfire (we decorated that area with string lights, which helped folks find it).

There are some rules that come along with the county-owned venue: no big tents, no amplified music outside (except for ceremony music), licensed caterer and bartender/alcohol rules that depend on manor house hours. But Janelle was amazing and extremely patient explaining things to us, and it all worked out great. Highly recommend the venue!
J
Jr Sent on 12/30/2021
5 out of 5 rating

Rockwood: A+ Wedding Venue

Everything was great. Janelle was lovely to work with--super helpful and responsive. Couldn't have asked for a better wedding day!
D
David Sent on 12/29/2020
5 out of 5 rating

A great and ideal venue, overall amazing!

Rockwood Manor was a fabulous place to host our wedding. To start, they were incredibly flexible throughout the entirety of planning this wedding during the COVID pandemic. Our original wedding date was in March, and they helped us reschedule at least 3 separate times until we finally reached a date for enough out (Sept) and safe enough to host a wedding. Not only were they incredibly patient, flexible, and helpful, they we didn’t change our cost even though our wedding date was going from off-peak season rates to a date during peak season rates.

I can’t write enough good things about the venue and staff. During the wedding, we felt incredibly welcome and safe as all the staff took all the necessary safety precautions to promote a safe and healthy environment for the wedding.

Thank you again to all of the staff at Rockwood, and we highly recommend using their venue for your events!
T
Tracy Sent on 11/13/2019
5 out of 5 rating

Potomac's Hidden Secret

Rockwood Manor was the perfect venue for our smaller wedding and being able to host our out-of-state family on site was really special. We do not get to see them often, so it was great to be able to enjoy each other’s company for more than just the ceremony. We also held extra events on site within the weekend such as Friday night dinner and Sunday brunch. It was great to work with Janelle and Allison leading up to the event. They were very knowledgable and had lots of great ideas and advice to share, making it easier to plan our wedding event. Janelle worked with us on floor plans for both sunshine and possible rain. We held our reception outside on the patio and reception inside Brooke Hall. The natural beauty of the manor house and camp site was something to behold. We were very happy we were able to host our wedding weekend at Rockwood Manor!
I
Ilya Sent on 09/29/2019
5 out of 5 rating

Perfect wedding venue

Rockwood Manor was the perfect location for our wedding. It was beautiful, affordable, and adaptable. Set in a lovely wooded, secluded area just outside of Washington, DC, this former girl scout retreat has been converted into a venue that has both indoor and outdoor event space, as well as overnight stay options. Because our wedding was on the smaller side, we decided to rent only half of the venue. This is a great feature and it allowed us to have our wedding on a budget.

In addition to its delightful combination of rustic location and elegant charm, the staff was a pleasure to work with. They were responsive, and flexible. They met with us in advance to determine ceremony and dinner seating and table arrangements, overnight accommodations, discuss schedule, and other planning needs. They worked with us and our vendors to create our wedding vision. On the day itself, their staff set up and broke down the tables and chairs, and managed the facility. They also had staff on site throughout the event to handle any issues with the venue.

After our wedding, we stayed in the beautiful main room in Carolyn Cottage, and our friends stayed in the Skyview Lodge. We hung out in the screened-in porch, which was a wonderful way to end a memorable evening.

As soon as we first visited Rockwood, we knew where we wanted our wedding to be. As it turned out, we got exactly the day we hoped for. When you're looking for your venue, it is definitely worth checking out.

A
Annette Sent on 04/15/2019
5 out of 5 rating

Perfect location

We had our ceremony here and couldn’t have been happier. The staff was very helpful and the venue itself was beautiful.
J
June Sent on 04/02/2019
5 out of 5 rating

Lovely venue!

Rockwood Manor is a lovely venue with lots of space and different rooms to hold a fun wedding. Their staff is very warm and friendly and extremely accommodating. I highly recommend.
K
Kat Sent on 01/04/2019
5 out of 5 rating

Beautiful nature for fall wedding

We had a wonderful experience hosting our fall 2018 wedding at Rockwood Manor. We did a wedding weekend retreat which worked out perfectly especially for our out of town family members. The space was absolutely beautiful and we got fantastic photos within the nature setting, the guests loved the gazebo as well. With the large building and many rooms and spacious grounds, there was something for everyone- kids could run around, people could dance, sit, talk, whatever they wanted to do. We felt the price was a bargain for all that was included. It is more work to "DIY" but it saved a lot of money and was more personalized. We were lucky to have family and friends pitch in, decorating and carrying things etc., but if that is not an option we'd recommend paying extra for the caterer to do the extra logistical tasks. The Rockwood staff was incredible- flexible, available, and able to offer expert advice and recommendations. We are so grateful to them for their hard work and all their support leading up to the event which was a dream realized. We highly recommend Rockwood!
K
Kelly Sent on 08/06/2016
5 out of 5 rating
We absolutely LOVE Rockwood Manor and the staff that work there. We used Rockwood Manor for a wedding weekend retreat on July 23, 2016. Gina and Will were especially helpful and accommodating before and during our wedding weekend. They met with us several times for walk throughs with different vendors, or just for us to see the space and talk about the best layout. We loved that our families and friends were able to be together all weekend. On Friday, we had a pizza truck (Pizza Brama - amazing!) come and feed 80 guests for our rehearsal dinner. We got sides from the Market at River Falls which is an amazing little gourmet grocery store nearby. During the day on Saturday, our family and friends went for a hike while the bridal party got make up and hair done in the bridal suite. After our wedding, we continued to hang out down by the cabins. On Sunday morning we had a small brunch for guests that stayed overnight. Logistically, Rockwood Manor allows you to DIY as much as you want. They have tables and chairs but you have to rent everything else - caterer, linens, glassware, ect. This is a little more work but gives you the opportunity to "shop around" and potentially save some money. We bought all our own alcohol, kegerator (for beer), linens, string lights and a selfie station. The dance floor is a little bit separate from the rest of the upstairs which is the perfect set up for a no judgement dance floor (aka amazing party)!! Our DJ brought dance floor lights that amplified the energy on the dance floor even more. Our wedding was so much fun thanks to Rockwood manor!!!!
We're all about trust. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.

Awards

35
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2020 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2016 Winner
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Professional Network & Endorsements

Katy Murray Photography, LLC Katy Murray Photography, LLC Wedding Photographers

Rockwood manor is great to work with, we have done a few sessions here and they are always easy and fun! And their manor is so pretty, it's the perfect back drop for any event!

Creative Floral Designs Creative Floral Designs Wedding Florists

Love this Venue. The venue is beautiful with so many options from all out side to a beautiful inside. . Beautiful grounds, and gardens. The staff is wonderful to work with.

Helen Don Photography Helen Don Photography Wedding Photographers

Gorgeous and unique location for a wedding. Would love to shoot there again.

Map

Location

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Rockwood Manor frequently asked questions

Rockwood Manor includes the following items and services for wedding events in its starting site fee:
  • Bridal Suite
  • Chairs
  • Parking
  • Set Up
  • Tables
The space offered by Rockwood Manor for wedding events is known for:
  • Banquet Hall
  • Historic Building
  • Mansion
  • Park
Rockwood Manor offers the following indoor/outdoor options for weddings:
  • Indoor
  • Uncovered Outdoor
Rockwood Manor offers the following types of wedding events:
  • Ceremony
  • Reception
  • Bridal Shower
  • Engagement Party
  • Rehearsal Dinner
Rockwood Manor offers the following services for wedding events:
  • Accommodations
  • Event Rentals
  • Get Ready Rooms
  • Outside Vendors
  • Wifi
Rockwood Manor offers the following furniture and decor items for weddings:
  • Audio Equipment
  • Chairs
  • Tables
Rockwood Manor is recommended by 94% of couples who have used their services. Their overall rating is 4.7 out of 5 with the following breakdown: 4.9 in value, 4.8 in flexibility, 4.7 in quality of service, 4.7 in professionalism and 4.4 in average response time.
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