Rio Entertainment Center

i’ve been to rio so many times over the years, whether to shop, dine, wine, stroll, or catch a movie. this mega-​mall/​shopping center has everything i could possibly want or need, and it’s also about a 5 minute drive from my parents’ place in rockville!
the stores/​amenities include:
+amc lowes cineplex with 18 screens
+rio sports & health with standard weight room, small group classes, and a swimming pool
+humongous 2-​story target
+large barnes & noble including their signature café
+various fashion stores such as ann taylor loft, blue mercury, and chico’s
+large pond in the middle of the complex which is great for a stroll or jog
+various restaurants and cafes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, including the corner bakery, joe’s crab shack, california pizza kitchen, potbelly and tara thai
there’s plenty of parking in the various parking structures, the tricky thing is remembering where you parked!
also, very convenient to 370 & 270, and many residential areas.
overall, a great place to get things done!

A really great place to just hang out, and in the summer, listen to the great live bands. They have two great walks — on the side with the shops and restaurants, and then a more quiet area on the other side of the lake, where it was more grassy and you could even bring a picnic. We went there a little later, but next time, we could definitely try the duck boats, carousel, or other activities. I would definitely go back.

Rio Entertainment Center has everything… food, fun, entertainment, music, shopping, exercise… you name it. There are plenty of shops, store for the shopper and a selection of restaurants and a movie theater. The lake is beautiful with paddle boats and many people get their exercise in by walking or jogging around the lake.
I especially enjoy the summer concerts. Friday and Saturday night live music. A good selection of bands that play a variety of different genres… soft rock, r&b, Motown, pop, blue grass. Its fun sitting out under the stars listening to live music.
Its always busy and crowded at Rio but there is plenty of parking. I’ve never had trouble finding a space. A great place to visit if you are bored on the weekend, you will definitely find something to do at the Rio.

Lots of shops and restaurants, but they’re jammed into a very small space with lots of apartments. Traffic and parking are a nightmare and it is always crowded and busy.

This is always a great place to come by every evening in the summer. You get to see tons of local bands and groups show off their finest. Also a great place to relax after a hard day, by yourself, with friends or family.
I think they should move the boating area though. First it’s horrible positioning as it gets the kids begging till you give up. Water isn’t as clean as it used to be so its a turn off, but doesn’t always impact the ambiance. What it does impact is the fountain nearby that sprays water on your face when you get near it by accident.
I also love the fact that the movie theatre is right next to it so I can enjoy a nice movie either before or after. The potbellys down the street sells tickets for $ 8 when you buy a sandwich which only sweetens the deal.

This is a nice little area to visit when the weather is nice and if you live nearby. The Rio has pretty much everything you need. Hotels, restaurants (both sit down and fast food), retail stores (both big brand names and boutiques), carousel, paddle boats, options for dessert, free parking, movie theater and my favorite… a large man-​made lake in where you can purchase food for $ 1 to feed the ducks and turtles. There are some restaurants and stores that we frequent in the Rio, but if I didn’t live close by I probably wouldn’t come here otherwise. There is a boardwalk in where you can walk around the entire lake and also a playground for children. I have brought my dog here multiple times, but noticed not many people do even during nice weather. They also have live music during the summers which is nice. A good place to take your family or loved one!

It’s sort of an outdoor mall area where I think the rents are little expensive, because many of the shops change. For example, the paint it yourself pottery shop is gone and a chipotle is coming in its place. But there’s lots of restaurants, a boardwalk, swan boats, train for the kids, and movies and the workout center and hotels. come here during the weekends where are lots of happy people enjoying music and food. Beware, lots of long waits during peak dining hour.

I grew up in this area before it became the high traffic area that it is so I’m a bit biased writing this review. I’m sure some people enjoy how crowded it is as it does set a nice family tone. No one wants to frequent an area where there’s absolutely no one either.
Parking here has gotten pretty ridiculous. I avoid this area as much as I can. I prefer Rockville Town Center which has less restaurants and stores. Rio has basically everything you’ll need but that comes with a price.
I’m not a huge fan of the movie theater being on separate floors. When you’re running late and have to run upstairs, it’s not super helpful. When I was a kid, upstairs was an arcade with skating rink and wall climbing. Miss those days.
A lot of nice establishments here but overly crowded and takes forever to find parking. From the looks of it, it looks like it will only get more crowded.

It’s a mall, really. There are a lot of restaurants and stores, and a number of them are nice, and the pond makes the whole place a little special, but in this day and age, having practically the whole mall be completely inhospitable to handicapped people, e.g. all of the doors in all of the garages and most, and possibly all, of the stores, and no elevator in the main building that includes the movie theaters on two if its floors.

I really enjoyed my time at the Rio Entertainment Center. My hotel was located in the middle of Rio (Washingtonian). It’s a great area for visitors and exploring. Most of the shops are located within walking distance of each other. There are hotels, restaurants, retail stores, dessert shops, theater, and a pretty lake. I’m sure it’s more to Rio. Exploring the area during my visit was cool. The parking is free. Definitely check out Rio Entertainment Center if you’re in the area.

I’ve watched this place grow over the years. Used to be I’d drop off my pre-​teens because there was a climbing wall, dodge cars, movies, and roller skating. Had to stop that when I realized that pushers also noticed the large number of pre-​teens. That’s probably changed as it seems to have grown into family friendly.
I had a date take me to a movie and dinner here in the mid 90’s and the hordes of kids were unbearable. I did not go on a second date because of it. Rio was my date’s favorite restaurant and movie destination.
In the 20 or so years, Target has arrived (thank you very much), Kohl’s, and many more restaurants. Oddly, there’s a great burrito place inside the adjacent gas station.
The lake is nice to walk around and if you’re with kids of the right age, renting a paddle boat is fun.
Despite the huge amount of free parking, it can be challenge finding parking near the movie theaters.

I visited Rio Entertainment Center, next to a lake, in Gaithersburg, MD back in mid-​September. I visited with my family and it was a nice early fall day when the weather was still warm. The Rio Center offers a number of fun activities, including paddleboating on the lake, riding the little train across the plaza, and a number of stores and restaurants. It’s a great place to take kids.
I rode the train with my little cousins and it was lots of fun! The kids absolutely loved it and we took tons of cute pics! :)
Afterwards, we had dinner at Uncle Julio’s Grand Café, which was a nice Mexican restaurant with a nice lakefront view.
In all, I had a pretty fun experience at Rio Entertainment Center.

Rio is a very artificial, very boring locale. There is a large amount of free parking, but it can fill and navigating it can be painful. Can’t say the lake they built holds much attraction, and most of the stores and restaurants are mediocre entries of big box corporate stuff. There are much better places in Maryland and the District to eat, shop, and watch a movie than Rio, and I don’t see any real attraction to being able to do all of those things next to each other.
I’ve been in when they had a screening of a movie that I really wanted to see, or as a last resort after other shopping failed, or when the power went out and I needed some AC.

It’s one of those newer, vacuous, gentrified suburban shopping centers. In other words, if you’re an Asian or Latino family, it’s a great place for packing the horde in the Jesus van and heading on over for the day to mill about in the middle of every f***ing walkway you can. Older Asian men are advised to always walk with their arms joined behind their backs in that pastoral style, to ensure they are walking in others’ ways as slowly as possible.
Since there isn’t sh*t to do otherwise around town, make sure you make a special day of it, like you’re going to the carnival. I know little kids only have about 2 hours of steam before they throw a tantrum, so get them here early and keep them here for 6 hours past nap time, even though you probably live a 20-​minute drive away.
I would take a date here if I was too passive-​aggressive to just dump her.

A great place for dates, groups of friends. Walking around here can be romantic when its nice out. Nice place to take a girl for a long peaceful walk to have alone time and talk. Many private benches to sit at around the lake. The restaurant range has REALLY improved in the last 3 years. It’s definitely a destination spot now and it’s only missing japanese food now!

I’ve been to the movie theater several times. I’ve never had a problem getting a decent seat during opening weekend for movies. The staff is nice and the concession moves pretty fast.
I love the restaurant choices. They range from Red Rock Canyon, Joe’s Crab Shack and Uncle Julios (to natives the Rio) to Calfornia Pizza Kitchen, Starbucks and more.
When the weather is nice I love to walk along the water. I like to watch others on the lake in paddle boats. I will remain a spectator because I cannot justify the money they are asking.
Marriott dominates the surrounding area with Sodexho, the Marriott, Residence Inn and a few others that I cannot remember right now.
I love to shop at the Target here. This was the first store that I have ever been to where shopping carts have their own escalator. Pretty cool.
I recommend the Rio.

This is not a shopping center. This medley of all that is bland in America was created by the Great Old Ones to lure in sacrificial victims. (That would be you, the shopper). Don’t believe me? Check out the architecture. The claustrophobic layout is bad for the psyche, great for herding you, the shopper, to the altar between Joe’s Crab Shack & Uncle Julio’s.
And then there are the sidewalks. Obviously they weren’t created by anything with a remote understanding of (never mind pity for) your fragile human physiology.
And you don’t want to know what lives under the drainage ditch disguised as a lake.
You’ve been warned.

The food options are great, parking is ample, and it’s safe!
It’s basically my everything in one!

best place to hang out for locals and out of towners!
Plethora of free parking, plenty of sites to see, people to watch, restaurants to rest at; pretty much, you won’t be bored here!

Dear Rio,
I’ve watched you grow up and mature into an ubiquitous suburban «town center».
In a way, I guess it’s better then what you used to be. A little ghetto wannabe strip mall with a skeevy arcade center with few dining choices, but at least then, you were unique and different. You weren’t the most original kid on the block, but you didn’t shop at Benneton and wear swatches either.
Now you’ve grown a certain gentrified polish, with a cupcakery and timid mid-​level upscale food chains to your name. I suppose that this is a good thing; lord knows that I hit up your Target all the time, but part of me misses the younger, sillier, free-​er you.
But then, I too have grown older, more boring and bland, so I guess I can not fault you for doing the same. I just hope that somewhere deep in your vaguely whitewashed, over-​planned, suburbian soul, the spark of what was, is still alive and will surprise me someday.
I doubt it though.
Sincerely,
~F