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From Wikivoyage

Herndon[dead link] 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.

Get in

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.

By train

WMATA

WMATA, which operates the DC Metrorail, has two stations in Herndon: the Herndon and Innovation Center Stations. The Reston Town Center station is also nearby. For more information on riding the Metrorail, see Washington, DC#By public transportation.

Get around

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.

See

  • 1 Herndon Historical Society & Train Depot Museum, 717 Lynn Street (Next to the old town hall at the intersection of Elden Street and Lynn Street). 9AM-5PM. Houses railroad memorabilia, information on Commander William Lewis Herndon, after whom the town was named; and artifacts from local residents. The building dates back to the 1850s and served as a train station until 1968. The building also houses the Herndon Visitors Center with information on the town and surrounding areas, restaurants, hotels and historical sights. 
  • 2 Herndon Old Town Hall, Station St. The historic town hall. (updated Jun 2017)

Do

Golf

Parks

Herndon has many parks [dead link] and playgrounds with picnic areas and forest trails. The W&OD Trail [dead link] 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:

Buy

  • 1 Roaches In the Attic, 697 Spring St # C, ☏ +1 703 787-0628. Cute little antique store. A few gems but mostly lots of old crystal, lamps, and china flat wear. 

Eat

  • 1 Amphora Diner Deluxe, 1151 Elden Street. American and Greek food in a 1950s-style diner. 
  • 2 Anita's New Mexico Style (Anita's), 701 Elden St (next to the Comfort Inn), ☏ +1 703 481-1441. Amazing authentic Mexican food. They offer a wide variety of relatively cheap breakfast burritos. Great way to get some fuel before a long day trip. 
  • 3 Cantina d'Italia, Elden Plaza - 150 Elden Street (next to the Comfort Inn), ☏ +1 703 318-7171. 11AM-10PM. Authentic Italian Cuisine. 

Drink

  • 1 [formerly dead link] O'Sullivans Irish Pub, 754 Elden St #102, ☏ +1 703 464-0522. Traditional Irish pub with both Irish and American pub foods. Live entertainment on most nights. (updated May 2017)
  • 2 Carpool, 208 Elden St #100 (located next to the Comfort Inn). Auto-themed sports bar with pool tables, shuffleboard, dart boards, foosball, and large screen TVs. 
  • 3 Bar Louie, 13195 Parcher Ave, ☏ +1 703 667-9001. Upbeat grill chain with American grub, martinis & microbrews, plus happy-hour deals. Their boneless buffalo wings are pretty good snack with a couple of beers. (updated Jun 2017)
  • 4 Jimmy's Old Town Tavern, 697 Spring St, ☏ +1 703 435-5467. Locals gather in cozy vintage tavern for drinks, pool & pub grub. Outpost for Buffalo sports fans. (updated Jun 2017)

Sleep

Go next

Routes through Herndon
Leesburg ← Sterling ←  W  E  → Reston → Falls Church
Ashburn ← Dulles Airport ←  W  E  → Reston → East End


This city travel guide to Herndon is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.
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