News

Fairfax County leaders joined hundreds of local residents for a variety of festivities celebrating the reopened Mount Vernon Recreation Center on Saturday (Nov. 15).

“We’ve waited long, we’ve suffered long,” Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck said at the grand reopening, noting that more than two and a half years had elapsed since the facility at 2017 Belle View Blvd closed for renovation and expansion.


News

Following feedback from both the tennis and pickleball communities, the Fairfax County Park Authority has decided not to move forward with plans for new dedicated pickleball courts at the Franconia Rec Center.

Andrew Grabel, a spokesperson for the park authority, tells FFXnow it’s striving to meet the needs of all community members by creating more dedicated pickleball and tennis courts and fewer dual-use courts throughout the county.


News

On paper, Reston’s lakes are open for all members of the public to visit, but in reality, usage of the lakes is uneven due to gaps in programming and amenities, a new report found.

After more than a year and a half of study, Reston Association’s Lakes Equity Working Group will present its assessment of the accessibility and inclusiveness of the four manmade lakes managed by RA at the board of directors’ meeting tonight (Thursday).


News

Portions of the Franconia Rec Center will close later this month through mid-September so that the Fairfax County Park Authority can upgrade air-quality systems in the facility.

The work will include two full-building closures, slated for Wednesdays, Aug. 20 and Sept. 3. Backup days are scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 21 and Sept. 4.


Countywide

The Fairfax County Park Authority has created a new “self-guided adventure” for those looking to take an expedition through nature not far from home.

The park authority’s 2025 Discovery Trail Map celebrates 75 years of parks and recreation with a challenge to visit eight park locations before Labor Day.


News

Commitments to maintaining existing facilities and expanding the town’s pedestrian network are just two of the items on the Vienna Parks and Recreation Department’s to-do list for the next decade.

Formally approved by the Vienna Town Council on July 7 with only Councilmember Roy Baldwin opposed, the town’s first-ever parks and recreation master plan — dubbed “Our Plan to Play” — lays out a vision that will help guide future programming and funding decisions, identifying existing gaps and potential improvements.


News

Reston Association is reviewing the state of its many recreational facilities, and so far, it’s encouraged by the results.

An initial conditions assessment completed in May found that the five oldest swimming pools all need varying levels of maintenance or repair work, but none of them have deteriorated to the point where they need to be fully replaced.


News

It has been a couple of weeks now since a black bear ventured into Herndon, but the town is still riding the high of that rare visitation.

The bear has inspired a new promotional campaign from the Herndon Parks and Recreation Department, which announced Monday (June 23) that it has “hired” Elden the Bear to serve as its ambassador.


News

An aquatics director for the Fairfax County Park Authority was arrested last week after police say he had sexual contact with a juvenile recreation center employee.

Officers were called to the Audrey Moore Rec Center (8100 Braddock Road) at Wakefield Park in Annandale at 10:49 a.m. on June 8 for a report of a sexual offense, the Fairfax County Police Department said in a press release.


News

Artists at the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton will soon unveil the entirety of their latest masterpiece: an 18-hole mini-golf course that doubles as an art history lesson.

Masterpiece Mini-Golf opened its first nine holes to the public on May 10, with the back half slated to be finished in time for a grand opening ceremony at 4 p.m. this Friday, June 13.


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