Reston brings together a specific historical starting point and a range of ways to spend time by the water and outdoors. Lake Anne Village Center provides a place to explore the origins of the planned community; lakes, streams and trails offer other topics to discover. You can consider local history, exhibitions and activities as different aspects of a stay, rather than combining everything into a single itinerary.
Lake Anne and Reston’s History
Lake Anne Village Center was the first village in the planned community of Reston and opened in 1965. The Lake Anne Village Center Historic District illustrates the social, architectural and land-use innovations of the New Town movement. This brings attention not just to the year it opened, but also to the ideas behind the district: community life, design and land use are all part of a shared historical perspective.
The Reston Museum at historic Lake Anne Plaza features permanent and curated exhibitions. Admission is free. Visitors interested in Reston’s local history and exhibitions can consider them as distinct cultural themes of a trip: Village Center and the Historic District represent the development of a planned community, while the museum offers a separate exhibition visit.
Water Activities and Outdoor Pursuits
The specific differences matter when it comes to water activities. Lake Fairfax Park includes a 20-acre lake with fishing opportunities. The Water Mine Family Swimmin’ Hole offers something different: tube slides on the Rattlesnake Lazy River, a children’s pool at Tenderfoot Pond, and slides, tunnels and interactive play features for young children. Fishing at a lake and a swimming attraction with slides and play features appeal to clearly different interests when planning.
The waterways can also be described in specific terms. Reston’s aquatic habitats include four lakes, three ponds and 20 miles of streams used by boaters and anglers. This overview covers several types of waterways and adds a broader perspective to the single lake at Lake Fairfax Park. This distinction can help guide your choices: some of the information describes specific activities at one location, while other information shows the variety of aquatic habitats in Reston.
Trails and the W&OD
An interactive map is available for every named trail in Reston, helping you determine your location along that particular trail. It’s a practical way to find your bearings while you’re out and about. Trail maps answer a different question from the figures for lakes, ponds and streams: they show your location on an individual trail, while the figures describe the types and extent of aquatic habitats.
Today, the Washington and Old Dominion Trail (W&OD) is a continuous 45-mile trail from Shirlington in Arlington County to Purcellville in Loudoun County. Its name has its roots in a historic railroad connection. The railroad that ran along the route of today’s trail originally connected the seaport of Alexandria with Falls Church, Vienna, Reston, Herndon, Sterling, Leesburg and Purcellville. The trail’s current description by length and endpoints and its historic connection to Reston offer two distinct perspectives.
Nature Education and More Ideas
The Walker Nature Center offers on-site and outreach programs in environmental education and conservation for people of all ages. The center also invites visitors to hike, paddle, roast marshmallows and take part in stream activities. Alongside the waterways and trails, nature education and practical ideas for outdoor activities are other topics to explore.
Discover More Destinations
Discover more destinations: Herndon, Burke, Springfield, McLean, Chantilly, Vienna, Annandale, Centreville
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