Destination Alexandria, VA
Alexandria is located in the northeastern tip of Northern Virginia, on the banks of the Potomac River. Just across from Washington, D.C., the city boasts a bustling riverfront, with restaurants, shops, and activities for visitors to explore.
Torpedo Factory Art Center
Experience art in person and in progress at the Torpedo Factory Art Center. Founded in 1974 in an old munitions plan, the Torpedo Factory is home to the largest collection of publicly accessible working artist studios in the U.S.
The Atheneum
Aptly named after Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, this beautiful Greek Revival building was constructed in 1851-52 and is on both the Virginia Trust and National Register of Historic Places. Today it houses the gallery of the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association and also features contemporary art exhibitions.
George Washington Masonic Memorial
The George Washington Masonic Memorial was built in the 1920s as a memorial and a museum highlighting the contributions of Freemasons to the United States. This magnificent also serves as a research center, a library, community center, performing arts center and concert hall, a banquet hall and meeting site for local and visiting Masonic lodges.
Carlyle House
Carlyle House Historic Park, home to an eighteenth-century historic house museum in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. John Carlyle, wealthy merchant and a founder of Alexandria, completed his elegant stone mansion in 1753. Today, Carlyle House is one of the nation’s finest examples of Georgian residential architecture.
Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum
Opened in 1792 by young Quaker pharmacist Edward Stabler, the family business operated until 1933. Patrons included George & Martha Washington and Robert E. Lee. Over 15,000 objects still remain as part of the museum's collection - everything from herbs to bottles.
Christ Church
English country-style church, built between 1767-1773 and attended by George Washington and Robert E. Lee. Tours are available Monday- Saturday from 9:00 am - 4:00pm.
Gadsby’s Tavern Museum
Gadsby's Tavern Museum consists of two buildings, a 1785 tavern and the 1792 City Hotel. The buildings are named for Englishman John Gadsby who operated them from 1796 to 1808. Mr. Gadsby's establishment was a center of political, business, and social life in early Alexandria. George Washington enjoyed the hospitality provided by tavernkeepers and twice attended the annual Birthnight Ball held in his honor. Other prominent patrons included John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, and the Marquis de Lafayette.
Old Presbyterian Meeting House
Built in 1775, the church was the site of memorial services for George Washington in 1799. A memorial to an unknown soldier of the American Revolution can be visited in the churchyard.
Jones Point Park
Jones Point Park is located on the Potomac River, just south of Old Town Alexandria. It was a critical piece of the city of Alexandria's history as one of the largest centers for shipping, manufacturing, and transportation in the nation. Its lighthouse, built in 1855, is the last remaining riverine lighthouse in Virginia.
Lee-Fendall House
The house has served as home to thirty-seven members of the Lee family (1785-1903), hundreds of convalescing Union soldiers during the American Civil War (1863-1865), Alexandria’s locally prominent Downham family (1903-1937), and one of our nation’s most controversial and significant 20th century labor leaders, John L. Lewis (1937-1969). Lee-Fendall’s “Beyond the Battlefield” walking tour takes visitors to landmarks that figure into Mercy Street; its Downton Abbey tea and tour celebrate the fact that the real-life owner of Highclere Castle—which played Downton Abbey in the British series—is a descendant of this Old Town home’s original owner, Phillip Fendall.
Alexandria Black History Museum
This modest building is the portal to Alexandria’s African-American history, which has sites all over Old Town. Start here to see its current exhibit on Civil War–era “contraband”—black soldiers and their families who escaped from Southern slave owners to fight for the Union cause. A self-guided tour includes the restored cemetery where most of them are buried.
Nearby Area
The Hotel Monaco Alexandria is a 15-minute walk from the King St. Metro Station on the Yellow Line. From there Capitol Hill and downtown Washington DC are easily accessible by train.