1. Oktoberfest
City: Reston, VA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Description: More than 20,000 people usually attend this four-day beer, polka, and sauerbraten festival in lively Reston Town Center. This is a big, open area where you can let the kids run, and there’s plenty to amuse them, from balloons to dancers and musicians. Admission is free.
2. Reston Hospital Center
City: Reston, VA
Category: Health Care
Telephone: (703) 689-9000
Address: 1850 Town Center Parkway
Description: With the opening of Reston Hospital Center in 1986, many residents of western Fairfax County, particularly those in Reston, Herndon, Great Falls, and parts of greater Vienna, realized the luxury of not having to travel across the county to Fairfax Hospital for comprehensive medical care. Residents of booming Eastern Loudoun County also visit this facility. To meet the growing area’s needs, an expansion project has added 60 beds, and made all of the hospital’s rooms private. Its services are numerous and include most surgical and medical procedures as well as a new 24-hour emergency department, opened in 2003. Of particular note is its maternity center, pediatric center, and a new radiation oncology program opened in 2004. Now patients can receive complete cancer care, including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, at Reston Hospital Center.The same-day surgery department has seen significant growth in recent years, reflecting a national trend toward outpatient services. Reston Hospital Center is the “official” hospital of Washington Dulles International Airport due to its proximity, easy access (just a couple of minutes off the Dulles Toll Road and parallel Airport Access Road), and wide range of services.
3. Reston National Golf Course
City: Reston, VA
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (703) 620-9333
Address: 11875 Sunrise Valley Drive
Description: This 18-hole, par 71 course, noted for its tree-lined fairways, is one of the Metro Washington area’s top-ranked public golf courses, according to the Washington Post and Washington Flyer magazine. Yardage from the middle tee is 6,506. The 460-yard, par 4 hole number 10 proves most challenging, with an elevated green guarded by two bunkers. Although not required, tee times preferably are made a week in advance at this bustling course. The course has a driving range and putting and chipping greens, as well as a snack bar and pro shop. Fees, including carts, vary. The course also features an enclosed deck for parties and a state-of-the-art irrigation system costing nearly $1 million.
4. Reston Community Center
City: Reston, VA
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (703) 476-4500
Address: 2310 Colts Neck Road
Description: This center, serving the community in western Fairfax County, includes an indoor pool, art exhibits, and a theater that hosts performances by its resident theatrical troupe and nationally known performers.
5. Paolo’S Ristorante
City: Reston, VA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (703) 318-8920
Address: 1898 Market Street
Description: Paolo’s Reston branch is inviting, with its outdoor tables in the town square, its cafe-style seating just outside the front doors, and the curved, sunny room within. There’s also a bar that hops on weekends, complete with loud music and attractive guys and gals out on the town. As soon as you’re seated, you’ll be served Paolo’s signature breadsticks, soft and warm, along with a zesty green-olive tapenade. The main courses feature lots of pastas, some quite imaginative, along with meat that’s mostly grilled and infused with light sauces. Balsamic vinaigrette plays a big role in the cooking here, and that’s just great as far as we’re concerned. Pizzas cooked in wood-burning ovens are a house specialty, and the crusts are smoky, thin, and delicious, just as you’d expect. You can make a meal of Paolo’s salads—which range from steak over greens to grilled chicken with Greek-style accompaniments—and you’ll always be offered fresh grated Parmesan as a garnish. Also try the Georgetown location, at 1303 Wisconsin Avenue (202-333-7353). Paolo’s serves lunch and dinner daily and Sunday brunch.
6. Pam Newton & Company
City: Reston, VA
Category: Retirement
Telephone: (703) 262-7929
Address: 11153 Lake Chapel Lane
Description: This interior design company specializes in working with seniors who are downsizing their residences. The firm helps clients choose furnishings to move and select colors and accessories for decorating their new home. The business also oversees the move, organizes household goods, and unpacks and puts away items in the new residence.
7. The Greater Reston Arts Center (Grace)
City: Reston, VA
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (703) 471-9242
Description: In Reston Town Center, the lively downtown hub of one of the nation’s first planned communities, this gallery features changing exhibitions of contemporary works. In December of 2003 the nonprofit center moved into a brand-new, larger building. GRACE sponsors an annual spring arts festival and sells unique artistic holiday gifts each December. Hours are from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
8. Reston Storefront Museum & Shop
City: Reston, VA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (703) 709-7700
Address: 1639 Washington Plaza
Description: After closing for extensive renovations, the Reston Museum reopened in September 2009. Changes to the museum include reconfiguring the exhibit and store space as well as adding new displays on the history of the unique planned community of Reston.
9. Lake Fairfax Park
City: Reston, VA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (703) 471-5415
Address: 1400 Lake Fairfax Drive
Description: The park’s Western-themed Water Mine Family Swimmin’ Hole features several slides, bubblers, water cannons, and shallow play areas geared toward children ages 10 and younger. The park itself is an all-round kid-pleaser, offering rides on a miniature train, carousel, and sightseeing pontoon boat for nominal fees, plus a new marina with canoe-launch facilities. Call for hours, which vary throughout the summer months. Admission to the pool is $13 for adults, $11 for visitors shorter than 48 inches in height, and free for children younger than age two. Admission is $8 after 5 p.m. Admission includes unlimited rides on the park’s tour boat, train, and carousel. (See the Parks and Recreation chapter for more information.)