Blair Mansion Inn in Silver Spring, MD: The Place for Murder, Mayhem and Lots of Laughs

A group of friends and I went to the historic Blair Mansion Inn in Silver Spring for a performance of Motown Murder Mystery. It's definitely one of the more interesting places to dine in Silver Spring, not to mention the most fun.

When we arrived at the mansion, we had some misgivings, since it seemed to be falling apart. The roof is undergoing some renovations at this point. Once we entered, we were greeted by a fancifully decorated lobby filled with antiques and a woman who offered us some tasty appetizers, such as mini pizzas and spinach pockets, while we waited in line to pay for our tickets (the computer system was also undergoing some renovations.)

Once we got through the lobby, we were escorted to our dining room, which was smaller than I expected. I'd say it accommodates roughly 200 people. I was also surprised that there was no stage for the performers. The diners are literally in on the action.

After a few minutes of waiting at our nicely set table, having our drink orders taken, and being offered appetizers a couple more times, we got our turn to check out the buffet. I use the term buffet loosely, since buffets are usually, at least in my experience, at a long table with a way for guests to serve themselves from either side. The buffet area at Blair Mansion Inn was tiny, with all of the food in a corner room the size of a walk-in closet. It was difficult to navigate without ending up with your elbow in someone else's pasta salad.

However, the pasta salad was very good, as well as the other options, such as vegetarian lasagna, fruit salad, Caesar salad, apple fritters, roast chicken, green beans and lots more. (The buffet menu varies each performance.) My fellow guests enjoyed their meals as well, although some wished there were more main dish options.