May is here, and that means festival season is beginning. This month Reston welcomes back thousands of annual visitors to the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival. The farmers markets are opening, boat rentals are returning, and summer is just around the corner.

In Town Square Park at Reston Town Center sits a prominent new public art piece. From afar, the structure looks like cabins drawn with fluid brush strokes. As you get closer, you realize they are sturdy structures made of carefully bent sticks. And if you see the sculpture from above in one of the tall buildings nearby, it appears that a swirling…

Now that the weather is mild and the flowers are out, I want to be outside all day long. This time of year offers perfect conditions for one of my favorite walks in Reston. The latest in our series of trail tours is our longest one yet: a 3.5-mile loop that offers some of the best scenery that Reston…

Stop what you’re doing and go outside — spring flowers are blooming! In the DC area, our beautiful Japanese cherry blossoms get most of the attention this time of year. Less well known, though, are the native, blueish-pink wildflowers known as Virginia bluebells. Unless you’re a gardener or hiker, it’s possible that you haven’t even noticed…

There are so many excuses not to exercise, especially if you have young children. It’s hard to stay motivated if you exercise solo. Group classes can be expensive, and even more so if you have to pay for child care. And once you do pay for classes, young kids make it tough to stick to a consistent schedule. Reston…

It’s time for our monthly events calendar! April brings spring flowers, Earth Day, a cool art installation, and Reston’s annual birthday party. Here’s what’s happening around town during the next month.

The cheerful paintings of swimming children won me over as soon as I walked into GRACE last week. I couldn’t help but grin when I looked at kids’ artwork of people leaping into swimming pools. This series of paintings was created by students at Ravensworth Elementary School, and inspired by the work of painter David Hockney. The rest of the art gallery…

The spring thaw has arrived, and it’s time to return to water recreation! If your kids have watched people fishing along Reston’s lakes and streams and begged to give it a try, this weekend is their chance. Thanks to RA, you can introduce your kids to fishing this Saturday, free of charge. Reston Association is hosting its annual…

March is here, and with it brings the hope of warm weather and an increase in local events. Highlights this month include the SingStrong a cappella festival, the Mini Maker Faire, and an Easter egg hunt. Here are plenty of ideas for things to do in March in the Reston area.