Herndon

Herndon is a town in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.

Understand
Originally part of the rural surroundings of the Washington, D.C. area, the town of Herndon developed into a hub of dairy farming and vacationing for area residents, aided by its presence along the W&OD Railroad. The town is known for the location of a famous civil war cavalry raid by Confederate Colonel John Singleton Mosby and its Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Herndon is the sister city of Runnymede, England.

The primary reasons that people travel to Herndon are for business purposes, or on an overnight stay before a flight from Washington Dulles International Airport.

By plane
Herndon is a 10-minute drive from Dulles International Airport. A taxi from the airport costs roughly $16. However, almost all hotels in Herndon offer free shuttle bus services to/from the airport. Dulles, like Herndon, is on the Silver Line of the Metrorail.

By car
There are no interstate or US highways through Herndon. The primary arteries in and out are the following state highways:


 * VA-267 - (Dulles Toll Road, Dulles Access Road, Dulles Greenway) This toll road runs east–west from Leesburg to Falls Church. It feeds into I-66 and I-495 at its east end and US-15 at its west end. There is a spur that runs to Dulles International Airport. The road is one of the fastest ways to get around during off hours and weekend, but should be avoided during rush hour as it suffers from stand still traffic at these times.
 * VA-28 - This highway runs north and south from VA-7 in the north to US-15/US-29 in the south. Like VA-267 this is one of the major arteries for Northern Virginia and is a fast way to get around but becomes very congested during rush hour.
 * SR-606 - This is a secondary state road but is still a major artery. It runs right through the historic district as Elden St. and connects to both VA-267 and VA-28 in the west and VA-7 in the east bound direction.

WMATA
WMATA, which operates the DC Metrorail, has two stations in Herndon: the Herndon and Innovation Center Stations (Silver Line). Nearby Reston has two stations as well. For more information on riding the Metrorail, see Washington, DC.

By car
A car is the best way to get around Herndon.

By bus
Fairfax Connector operates bus service around Herndon and between Herndon and Reston, with further connections to Washington D.C. via the Metrorail.

Parks
Herndon has many parks and playgrounds with picnic areas and forest trails. The W&OD Trail runs through Herndon, and caters to bikers, runners, and casual strollers.

Festivals and events
The following events and festivals are held in Herndon's Historic District: