Herndon has a hot and cold Saturday
Colvin Run Mill is one of those places many of us have driven past or vaguely known about for years, but it is worth a closer look. The working mill, general store, family home and old Fairfax County landscape all make it feel less like a museum stop and more like a reminder of what was here long before traffic circles, town centers and trail underpasses. It is close enough for an easy weekend visit, and interesting enough to make you slow down once you get there.
Also inside this week, we have a closer look at Nan Thai in Herndon, where the cocktails and house-made sauces deserve more attention than they probably get. The local news roundup covers late-night cookies at Reston Town Center, Lake Fairfax trading fireworks for drones, changes near Herndon Metro, Dulles airport’s possible future without mobile lounges, and a few Fairfax County decisions worth knowing about. Source content provided in this week’s newsletter draft.
For the weekend, I would keep an eye on a few bigger community picks. Tephra ICA Arts Festival brings Reston Town Center to life with artists and hands-on activities, while Herndon’s Polar Heat on Lynn Street looks like the liveliest local option if you want food, music and a full downtown festival feel. If you want something quieter, Bike to Work Day along the W&OD is a good excuse to start Friday outside with other early risers.
Feature Story
HISTORIC MILL NEAR RESTON
Colvin Run Mill is the kind of nearby escape that makes you slow down and remember how much history sits just outside Reston. With a working early-1800s mill, a preserved general store, family home tours, grain for sale and seasonal events like the Maple Syrup Boil Down, it’s an easy Great Falls outing worth lingering over.
Around Town
UNIQUE HERNDON THAI FOOD
Nan Thai is one of those Herndon spots that quietly proves “established” does not mean predictable. From colorful appetizers and cotton candy cocktails to house-made sauces, crispy duck, crab fried rice and mango sticky rice, this Worldgate Drive favorite turns Thai dinner into a full-on experience. Click for details about a discount!
Quick Hits
IN OTHER NEWS
MidnighTreats is bringing late-night cookies back to Reston Town Center. The plant-based bakery reopens May 16 on Discovery Street with free chocolate chip monster cookies, which is exactly the kind of “I was just going to walk around RTC” trap we fully support.
Lake Fairfax is swapping fireworks for drones this year. Fairfax County’s Independence Day celebration on June 27 will feature its first-ever drone light show, plus food trucks, live music and a much quieter night for dogs who have been filing complaints for years.
The old Booz Allen site near Herndon Metro is cleared for a major redo. Herndon Town Council approved a seven-story, 525-unit apartment building at 575 Herndon Parkway, along with retail, commercial space and half of the long-planned promenade connecting the Metro station to Herndon Parkway.
Dulles may finally be coming for the mobile lounges. A proposed airport overhaul could cost $22 billion, wrap by 2034 and make the people movers obsolete, which means future travelers may never know the weird little thrill of boarding a moon bus after landing from Chicago.
Fairfax County’s countywide trash plan appears to be headed for the bin. Supervisors did not formally kill the idea, but the mood around a unified residential trash district has shifted from “controversial proposal” to “please stop emailing us about this.”
FCPS is looking at cuts to close a $28.9 million gap. The proposed trims include staffing reserves, technology refreshes, micro-credentialing and curriculum materials, which means school budget season is officially back in its most Fairfax County form.
Reston Association has its new board lineup. John Farrell won the At-Large seat, Georgina Cannan won Lake Anne/Tall Oaks, and Margaret Perry won the Apartment Owners’ Representative seat, so yes, the most Reston civic sentence of the week involves districts, deed land and annual meeting results.
The Lofts at Reston Station expansion is moving forward, with a side of resident complaints. The Planning Commission backed a plan that could bring stacked townhomes and condos to Samuel Morse Drive, while also nudging the developer to address the very Reston issue of where, exactly, a moving truck is supposed to go.
Curated Events
EVENTS IN RESTON, HERNDON, AND BEYOND
This weekend has a nice Reston-Herndon rhythm to it, starting with Bike to Work Day on Friday morning at both the Herndon Depot and The Bike Lane in Reston for anyone who wants a little W&OD Trail energy with their commute. Saturday brings a thoughtful start with RCC’s Mental Health Awareness Month community coffee, then shifts into full outdoor mode with the Tephra ICA Arts Festival at Reston Town Center and Polar Heat on Lynn Street in downtown Herndon. By Saturday night, Reston Concerts on the Town takes over the pavilion with Yacht Lobsters, which feels like the unofficial signal that summer weekends are starting to wake up.
A Final Note
YOU KNOW YOU’RE FROM RESTON WHEN…
“…you’ve said ‘it’s only a mile’ and somehow meant through woods, across a creek, and past three tennis courts.”
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