Downtown Silver Spring offers residents the perfect walkable lifestyle with easy access to Metro, shopping, dining and more. In the coming years, residents will have even more retail choices and green spaces to enjoy with the redevelopment of the Blairs apartments complex.

It’s time to kick off the holiday season! Stop by Fountain Plaza in downtown Silver Spring on Saturday, November 15th for the annual Re-Imagining the Holidays Tree Lighting Celebration. Not your traditional tree lighting ceremony, this event features “Silver Symphony,” a 35-foot tall public art installation made of chimes, bells, pinwheels and ribbons! Starting at 6 PM, the celebration will also include live entertainment, giveaways, hot cocoa, shopping and dining deals and more. Musical instrument donations will be collected to benefit local area schools.

It’s coming! The annual Montgomery County Thanksgiving Parade will make its way through downtown Silver Spring on Saturday, November 22nd. The parade will feature over 100 attractions including floats, giant balloons, fire engines, classic cars, marching bands, colorful dance troupes and more. This year, a brand new 12-foot inflatable turkey will make its debut and as usual, the parade will conclude with a special appearance by Santa.

Photo courtesy of Flickr's tawest64. Looking for some Halloween fun? From the Silver Spring Zombie Walk to trick-or-treating at the local boutiques, check out these ghoulishly good events taking place in your EYA neighborhood.

Shop Tax-Free at stores in Bethesda and Silver Spring. Photos courtesy of Flickr's ehpien and takomabibelot. Sunday, August 10th kicks off Shop Maryland Tax-Free Week 2014! For the entire week (August 10th – August 16th) there will be tax exemptions on clothing and shoes under $100 per item (accessories do not apply). Click here for more information. Below is your guide to the shops in Silver Spring and Bethesda where you can save big.

Summer is almost here and downtown Silver Spring offers lots of great outdoor activities for the entire family. From live music to farmer’s markets to playing in the fountains, here are a few ideas to kick off your Summer fun.