What's Open, Closed In Reston For Thanksgiving 2020

RESTON, VA — The week of Thanksgiving is almost here, and that means lots of travel, food, and closures.

The Thanksgiving tradition in America began with the pilgrims and Puritans who traveled from England in the 1600s. In 1621, pilgrims at Plymouth in present-day Massachusetts had a feast after a good harvest, which they enjoyed with the local Native Americans who helped them pass the winter by giving them food when there were lean times.

Thanksgiving falls on a Thursday every year, which makes it a little more predictable compared to other holidays in terms of what's going to be open and what's going to be closed. Everything is closed on Thursday and usually Friday as well, but there is a little bit of ambiguity on Wednesday. Mondays and Tuesdays are typically normal days but some organizations simply take the whole week off.

Below are the schedule changes to know for the Thanksgiving holiday around Thursday:

• Fairfax County offices: Closed on Thursday and Friday.
• Courts: Circuit Court, General District Court, and Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court are closed on Wednesday-Friday.
• Fairfax County Public Schools: Closed on Wednesday-Friday.
• The Fairfax County Animal Shelter remains open by appointment only.
• Community centers: Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services (NCS) community centers will be closed on Wednesday.
• Fairfax Connector: Fairfax Connector bus service is offering holiday weekday service. Go to www.fairfaxcounty.gov/connector for more information.
• Libraries: All Fairfax County Public Library locations are closed Thursday and Friday.
• Parks: The Fairfax County Parks are closed on Thursday and Friday.
• Post offices: U.S. Postal Service offices are closed on Thursday.
• Recreation centers: All RECenter will be open for regular hours on Thursday and Friday.
• Trash and recycling: Residents should contact their trash and recycling collector directly for service schedule changes due to the holiday.
• Virginia Railway Express: VRE does not provide service on Thursday and Friday.
• Metro: On Thursday, local routes will operate on a Sunday schedule. Park & Ride routes will not operate. MetroRail and MetroRapid will operate on a Sunday schedule. Local MetroBus routes will operate on a Sunday schedule.
• Travel tips: The American Automobile Association recently released its annual Thanksgiving travel forecast, which looks a lot different from those in previous years. AAA anticipates at least a 10 percent drop in travel this year — the largest one-year decrease since the 2008 Great Recession. If you plan to travel from Reston and want to avoid the rush, beware of the peak travel time.

Also see ...

Thanksgiving Travel 2020: Worst Times To Travel In Reston

Restaurants Open For Thanksgiving 2020 Around Reston