On Saturday, Oct 29, 2016, some of Reston’s cutest came out to Reston Town Center and Lake Anne Plaza in their Halloween finest. Both communities hosted trick-or-treating for kids and costume contests for pets, as well as music and outdoor fun on a perfectly beautiful fall afternoon. Here are some scenes from Reston Town Center’s…

Arguably the best October snack around, pumpkin seeds are easy to make. Of all the steps in this recipe, the most complicated is separating the seeds from the pulp, but if you keep at it, you’ll be golden. Here’s what you’ll need: That’s it! Not pictured is the olive oil. I always forget to include…

“How on earth do you do that with a straight face?!” I asked the actress in demon makeup who was glaring at me just a few inches from my face. I couldn’t help myself from grunting some combination of anxious terror and giggly delight. Meanwhile she never broke character, even though I suspect she was relishing her success in making…

You’ve got to love Reston in October; we have great fall events and gorgeous foliage. Highlights this month include Oktoberfest Reston, the Washington West Film Festival, the Reston Home Tour, and lots of family fun for fall and Halloween. Here is your October events calendar for Reston and the surrounding areas of Northern Virginia, including…

This article is from 2015. Please refer to our 2016 Guide to Halloween Events.  This month is full of exciting Halloween events in Reston and the surrounding areas of Herndon, Vienna, Great Falls, Centreville, Tysons, and other parts of the DC area. Here is our huge list of activities for kids, teens, adults, and even dogs! THURSDAY,…

If you have young children, you can’t miss the Cox Farms Fall Festival. It’s 90 acres of sheer silliness. This fall festival is one of the largest and most well known in Virginia, and has been listed by USA Today as one of the coolest pumpkin patches in the country. Cox Farms is a family farm in Centreville that…

Are you overloaded with Halloween candy today? Here’s a way you can send it to the troops overseas, and help Children’s National Hospital at the same time. Bring your extra candy to Plaza America on Monday, November 3rd to contribute. We love the idea of teaching kids to use their candy for charity! The following…

A few weeks ago, Dorothy and Duke West invited me into their home to see their lovely and skillful fall decorations. While I was there, they told me that their decorating specialty would actually come a few weeks later, when they would put together an outrageous party display for Halloween. I was excited when they invited me to…

Someone like me isn’t supposed to be excited about Markoff’s Haunted Forest. I’m one of those people who cowers behind pillows during scary movies, and would be more likely to watch the Sound of Music in the first place. Yet I was the one urging my husband and friends to go. My husband eagerly agreed. My friends were too scared….