We recently experienced the Herndon Community Center for an event called "Puzzle Palooza." The…read moreevent required pre-registration and payment - which we did. The event was on a Sunday afternoon - the event was held in one of the larger rooms in the Herndon Community Center. Nice space, clean restrooms! #HerdonCommunityCenter

great community center with lots of options for families and residents. would recommend especially…read moreif you are a TOH resident

I've been going to RCC water aerobics for 8-9 years now and had classes with many of the…read moreinstructors (Emily, Jody, Kathy, Dory, Anita) all of whom are excellent. Each instructor has a unique style and they all bring a wealth of knowledge to the workouts. They explain the exercises well and respond helpfully to questions. These classes have prepared me for knee replacement surgery and made recovery much quicker. Motion is lotion!

We were very disappointed with Camp Goodtimes on the Road. The camp was unresponsive when an issue…read morecame up, refused to refund the cost for a missed day even though the schedule was unclear, and shifted the blame to parents instead of taking responsibility. Communication was unprofessional, and overall the experience did not meet the standards we expected.

Just as I almost forgot how to use my 35mm SLR film camera (remember those??), I signed up for a…read moreBlack and White Darkroom class at the Reston Community Center Photo Lab with my boyfriend. I have had darkroom experience in the past, but my boyfriend was a complete newbie. As a resident of Reston (small district #5), the 4-session course was only $40 and included all chemicals and 4 additional hours of darkroom time. We had to purchase our own paper, film sleeves and provide our own cameras and film. The class was a great introduction to darkroom techniques, from developing your film, making/developing prints, and how to improve your final print. It did not, however, include instruction on proper exposure of your film or field techniques (though the RCC periodically offers such courses separately). The instructor, Sandra, was a sweetheart and did a fantastic job getting everyone started. I do have to warn all of you digital camera converts... you can only take 24-36 shots on a single roll of film... so point and shoot with care!!!! As for the lab, it's a great secret in Reston... Although tiny and beginning to show its age, it has everything you need to develop and print your BW and Color negatives. The Open Lab has hours on Saturdays, Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays (Color processing is not offered every day)... check out the website for an exact schedule. You must call ahead to make a reservation to ensure that Sandra is around and to make sure that it doesn't get too crowded. I've never had a problem reserving a spot for the same day. So here's what earned the lab a 5-star rating in my book... 4 hours at the open lab will only set you back $7!!!! That's less than a breakfast at starbucks!!!! Do note that if you don't live or work in small district #5 (Reston), the fees are a little more... $10. Still not bad!!! Happy printing!

I know Fairfax County libraries typically have the same offerings, but this one is unique and…read morespecial to me. I love how accessible this library is for walkers and bikers in the town of Herndon. You can enter from the bottom floor or the second floor from the outside. The bottom floor has conference rooms, a foyer with seating, local bulletins, and the Maker Lab. The top floor is where there's a huge communal quiet room with dividers for individual studying, the books, and computers. I would recommend chatting with any librarian here to find out everything the library has to offer. It is a LOT. I am a fan of the Maker Lab.

At first I was a little unsure about the parking situation since there was an outdoor and covered…read morelot that looked like it was for another municipal building but there was an entrance to the library nearby so it was nice having the free parking. We were new to the area and it wasn't hard to get a library card. Initially we went to the help desk and were redirected to the check out counter. Once we gave them basic info like a piece of mail with our address and phone number we were able to get library cards and info about the Libby application for ebooks, audiobooks and magazines. New in 2022 there is also Kanopy, an on-demand streaming video service. Each account is assigned 5 "play credits" per month. There were a decent number of international and indie titles to choose from. Overall the library is smaller than others I have been to but it seems cozy. There seems to be a regular board game meetup that meets downstairs on Saturday. You should show up earlier rather than later from the specified time range though since after they form groups and start playing it may be harder to join in on a game until one group finishes their play session.

AMBIANCE Reston Regional Library is one of the quieter…read morebranches in Fairfax County. As only regional branches are open on Sundays, I decided to visit to to complete some studying. There's two rows of public use computers right as you enter the front doors, and ample tables for reading/working. Being a regional branch as well, they also offer more book options and resources for residents. Although located across a police station, I was surprised to see such a heavy presence of officers in the library (right as you enter and making rounds about the library itself). BATHROOMS The bathrooms aren't the cleanest, and when I visited, men entered the women's bathroom to use as well. PARKING There is ample parking available in the lot, and there's never a lack of spaces. It can get littered (we saw a couple condoms scattered about the lot).

Love their kids room here! Tons of books, puzzles, magnet boards, and games for the little ones…read more They also offer free classes for kids that you have to pre-register for online. The classes are great, but some of the librarians take their role as facilitator of the class too seriously; they're more like dictator of the class. I get needing structure and rules, but it becomes a problem when you can't even hold the kids attention because you're spending 5 minutes going over "rules" that can be summed up into "sit on your bottom and put on your listening ears.