What to See in Alexandria - Top Sights and Attractions

Building in Alexandria, Virginia. The George Washington Masonic National Memorial is a Masonic building and memorial located in Alexandria, Virginia, outside Washington, D.C. It is dedicated to the memory of George Washington, the first President of the United States and a Mason. The tower is fashioned after the ancient Lighthouse of Alexandria in Egypt. The 333-foot tall memorial sits atop Shooter's Hill at 101 Callahan Drive. Construction began in 1922, the building was dedicated in 1932, and the interior finally completed in 1970. In July 2015, it was designated a National Historic Landmark for its architecture, and as one of the largest-scale private memorials to honor Washington.

The memorial is served by the King Street–Old Town Metro station on the Blue and Yellow Lines of the Washington Metro. The station is located about four blocks from the memorial.^[2]

Art center in Alexandria, Virginia. The Torpedo Factory Art Center is the former U.S. Naval Torpedo Station, a naval munitions factory on the banks of the Potomac River in Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia which was converted into an art center in 1974. The facility is located at 105 N. Union Street, near the eastern end of King Street.

The Torpedo Factory Art Center is home to the largest number of publicly accessible working artist studios in the U.S. Each year, more than a half-million visitors interact with its community of artists. As of March 2022, it housed 82 artists' studios, 8 galleries, and workshops, with some 165 professional visual artists who work in a variety of media, including painting, ceramics, photography, jewelry, stained glass, fiber, printmaking, and sculpture. The Torpedo Factory has become a model of creative placemaking for other communities.

Artists are selected as part of an annual jury and re-jury process. Once accepted, they receive a three-year lease of publicly subsidized rent.^[3]

Bascule bridge in Prince George's County, Maryland. The Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge is a bascule bridge that spans the Potomac River between the independent city of Alexandria, Virginia, and Oxon Hill in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The original bridge was one of only a handful of drawbridges in the U.S. Interstate Highway System. It contained the only portion of the Interstate system owned and operated by the federal government until construction was completed and it was turned over to the Virginia and Maryland departments of transportation.

The Wilson Bridge carries Interstate 95 (I-95) and I-495 (the Capital Beltway). The drawbridge on the original span opened about 260 times a year, frequently disrupting traffic on a bridge that carried about 250,000 cars each day. The new, higher span requires fewer openings.

The bridge's west abutment is in Virginia, a small portion is in Washington, D.C., and the remaining majority of it is within Maryland (because that section of the Potomac River is within Maryland's borders). About 300 feet (91 m) of the western mid-span portion of the bridge crosses the tip of the southernmost corner of the District of Columbia. It is the only bridge in the United States that crosses the borders of three state-level jurisdictions (DC, Maryland, and Virginia). The section in Washington, D.C. is also the shortest segment of Interstate highway between state lines.

The bridge is named for the 28th President of the United States, Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924), a native of Staunton, Virginia. While he was president, Wilson reportedly spent an average of two hours a day riding in his automobile to relax or to "loosen his mind from the problems before him." President Wilson was an advocate of automobile and highway improvements in the United States. In 1916, he said, "My interest in good roads is...to bind communities together and open their intercourse, so that it will flow with absolute freedom and facility".^[4]

Church in Alexandria, Virginia. Christ Church is an Episcopal church located at 118 North Washington Street, with an entrance at 141 North Columbus Street, in Alexandria, Virginia. Constructed as the main church in the Church of England's Fairfax Parish, the building was designed by Col. James Wren, a descendant of Sir Christopher Wren. To finance construction of the church, the Fairfax Vestry raised 31,186 pounds of Oronoco tobacco from parishioners. Construction began in 1765, under the direction of James Parsons. After four years, the church was still unfinished. The vestry relieved Parsons of his duties as overseer of the construction. John Carlyle accepted the position and handed the keys of the completed building over to the vestry in February 1773.

Initially the pews were box pews and a two-tier pulpit was situated on the north side of the sanctuary. There was no font because until after the Civil War, weddings, baptisms, and the churching of women took place at home. In the mid-nineteenth century, stoves were put in the back of the church and the box pews were converted to the slips that are in use today. During a renovation later that century, the original pulpit was replaced by the current wine-glass pulpit. The only remaining hand-carved hymnal rack is in the Lee pew. The plaques on either side of the chancel were hand-lettered by Wren and have never been retouched. They display the Decalogue, the Lord's Prayer, the Apostles' Creed, and the Golden Rule. Wren used ink and then varnished his work just as an artist varnishes a finished painting. Over time the carbon in the ink and the alcohol in the varnish formed an acetate that created the wonderful burnished patina of the plaques. If you look closely, you can see Wren's brushstrokes and one drip.

George Washington, Henry Lee, Robert E. Lee, Charles Simms, Philip Marsteller, and Henry Fowler are a few of the church's notable parishioners (members). Until the twenty-first century, it was tradition for sitting presidents to attend a service. Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Eleanor Roosevelt visited the church on January 1, 1942 to commemorate World Day of Prayer for Peace. The church was known as Fairfax Church until given the name Christ Church in 1816. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1970.^[7]

Museum in Alexandria, Virginia. Gadsby's Tavern is a complex of historic buildings at 134 and 138 North Royal Street at the corner of Cameron Street in the Old Town district of Alexandria, Virginia. The complex includes a c.1785 tavern, the 1792 City Tavern and Hotel, and an 1878 hotel addition. The taverns were a central part of the social, economic, political, and educational life of the city of Alexandria at the time. Currently, the complex is home to Gadsby's Tavern Restaurant, American Legion Post 24, and Gadsby's Tavern Museum, a cultural history museum. The museum houses exhibits of early American life in Virginia, and the restaurant operates in the original 1792 City Tavern dining room, serving a mixture of period and modern foods.

The complex was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1963 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.^[9]

Lighthouse in Alexandria, Virginia. The Jones Point Light is a small river lighthouse located on the Potomac River in Alexandria, Virginia. It was built in 1855. It is a small, one-story house with a lantern on top and served primarily as a warning light for naval ships approaching the Washington Navy Yard. The lighthouse was discontinued in 1926, replaced by a small steel skeletal tower located nearby; this smaller tower was in use for ten years before being discontinued. After being dark for more than half a century, Jones Point Light was relit by a private concern in 1995, however, it was eventually put out again after ownership switched from the Daughters of the American Revolution Foundation to the National Park Service. Certain local efforts have called for the structure to be relit, but as of 2017, the only working lighthouse on the Potomac River is the Fort Washington Point Lighthouse, located five miles downriver.

The lighthouse is located on Jones Point in Alexandria, and is part of Jones Point Park. Visitors can approach the lighthouse, but it is currently impossible to enter the building.

The lighthouse is immediately north of the confluence of Hunting Creek and the Potomac River. The 1791-1792 survey of the boundaries of the District of Columbia began at a spot that was then at the tip of a cape at the Point. The south cornerstone from the boundary survey remains in the seawall adjacent to the lighthouse.

In 1980, the lighthouse and the cornerstone were listed in the National Register of Historic Places as reference #80000352. The lighthouse is also listed in the Library of Congress Historic American Buildings Survey as survey number VA-641. The listing shows lighthouse drawings and several black-and-white photos of the lighthouse prior to restoration.^[11]

Museum in Alexandria, Virginia. The Lee–Fendall House is a historic house museum and garden located in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia at 614 Oronoco Street. Since its construction in 1785 the house has served as home to thirty-seven members of the Lee family, hundreds of convalescing Union soldiers, the prominent Downham family, the family of powerful labor leader John L. Lewis, and enslaved or free servants of those families.

The 1785 house, standing on its original half-acre lot, is in the vernacular "telescopic style" of architecture similar to many Maryland homes, but rare in northern Virginia (see below). The house was renovated in 1850, adding Greek Revival and Italianate elements to the original structure.

The historic home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for state significance and the Virginia Landmarks Register, and is a documented contributing feature to the National Historic Landmark District of Alexandria, Virginia.

The property is now owned and operated by the Virginia Trust for Historic Preservation. It is run as the Lee-Fendall House Museum and Garden providing exhibits, tours, and special programs to:

• Preserve its architectural and historic value
• Bring to light the key business, political, military, and labor roles played by its enslaved or free people
• Spread knowledge and appreciation for Alexandrian, Virginian, and American history.

The Lee–Fendall House Museum and Garden is usually open for tours on the hour Wed.-Sat. 10-3, and Sun. 1-3. Call (703) 548-1789 to confirm. Special programs, educational videos, and related materials can be found on the Museum web site and social media. The Museum and Garden is also available for private rentals.^[13]

Park in Alexandria, Virginia. Jones Point is a geographic point on the Potomac River within the city of Alexandria, Virginia, United States. The Jones Point Light and Jones Point Park are located at the point, which is immediately North of the confluence of Hunting Creek and the Potomac River. The 1791-1792 survey of the original boundaries of the District of Columbia began at a spot that was then at the tip of a cape at the Point. The south cornerstone from the boundary survey remains in a seawall several yards south of the lighthouse.

The Woodrow Wilson Bridge crosses the park, most of which is under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service. The Mount Vernon Trail travels through the park.

Jones Point underwent a major renovation, completed in 2012, which included National Park Service placards along walking and biking trails highlighting its history. Other improvements include larger parking lots, a basketball court, a playground, a concession stand, restrooms, new walking and bike paths, small fishing/sightseeing piers, and easy access to the Jones Point lighthouse. The National Park Service and others have erected in and near the park a number of markers that relate the history of Jones Point and its surroundings.^[14]

Regional park in Arlington, Virginia. The Washington and Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park is a linear regional park in Northern Virginia. The park's primary feature is the Washington and Old Dominion Railroad Trail, an asphalt-surfaced paved rail trail that runs through densely populated urban and suburban communities as well as through rural areas. Most of the trail travels on top of the rail bed of the former Washington and Old Dominion Railroad, which closed in 1968.

Although the park is 44.6 miles (71.8 km) long, it is only about 100 feet (30 m) wide. The rail trail is approximately 10 feet (3.0 m) wide through much of its length and is a shared use path that is suitable for walking, running, cycling, and roller skating.

A crushed bluestone–surfaced bridle path travels near the paved trail in the park's most westerly 33 miles (53 km). The path is suitable for horseback riding and mountain biking.

NOVA Parks (formerly named the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NVRPA)) administers and maintains the park and its trails. NOVA Parks keeps most of the parkland surrounding the trails in a natural state. The park authority has placed alongside the paved trail a series of mile markers and a number of interpretative exhibits that describe the historic and natural features of the park (see Washington and Old Dominion Railroad Stations for locations of historical markers near the W&OD Trail).

The headquarters office of the park is near the southwest side of the trail at Smith's Switch Road in Ashburn. A park rest stop is adjacent to the trail near the park's headquarters.^[22]

Huntington is an island-platformed Washington Metro station in the Huntington area of Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The station was opened on December 17, 1983, and is operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Serving as the southern terminus for the Yellow Line, the station is built into a hillside; the south mezzanine, along with escalator access, is accessible via an incline elevator.

The station serves the suburban area of Fairfax County and is a popular commuter station with over 3,000 parking spaces. It is located between North Kings Highway (State Route 241) and Huntington Avenue, with parking facilities and station entrances available off of both roads. Service began on December 17, 1983, making it the first station to open in Fairfax County, and the first to extend the system beyond the Capital Beltway. The station is located on the ruins of Fort Lyon, a Civil War-era fort.^[25]

Cemetery in Alexandria, Virginia. The Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery at 1001 S. Washington St. in Alexandria, Virginia was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 15, 2012. It was established in February 1864 by the Union military commander of the Alexandria District for use as a cemetery for the burial of African Americans who had escaped slavery, known as contrabands and freedmen. During early Reconstruction, it was operated by the Freedmen's Bureau. It was closed in late 1868, after Congress ended most operations of the Bureau. The last recorded burial was made in January 1869.

The history of the site was rediscovered in the late 20th century, and archeological techniques were used to identify its boundaries and burials. The land was acquired by the city and the cemetery re-established as a memorial in 2014.

Initially the Union Army buried soldiers of the United States Colored Troops here as well. But African American troops in Alexandria's hospitals "demanded that blacks be given the honor of burial in the Soldiers' Cemetery, now Alexandria National Cemetery." In January 1865, the soldiers' remains were moved to the military cemetery.^[29]

Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia. Virginia Theological Seminary, formally called the Protestant Episcopal Theological Seminary in Virginia, located at 3737 Senminary Road in Alexandria, Virginia is the largest and second oldest accredited Episcopal seminary in the United States.

Established in 1823, VTS is situated on an 80-acre (320,000 m2) suburban campus in Alexandria, Virginia, close to downtown Washington, DC and adjacent to the campus of Episcopal High School. The seminary's notable alumni have taken leadership roles in the Episcopal Church, other Christian denominations in the United States, and overseas.

VTS is a member of the Washington Theological Consortium and since 1938 has been an accredited member institution of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS).^[30]

National park in Prince George's County, Maryland. Oxon Cove Park and Oxon Cove Farm is a national historic district that includes a living farm museum operated by the National Park Service, and located at Oxon Hill, Prince George's County, Maryland. It is part of National Capital Parks-East. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

The park provides an excellent resource for environmental studies, wildlife observing, fishing, and other recreational activities made possible by easy access to the Potomac River. Fourteen buildings and two structures are located in the historic district and associated with the property's sequential development as a plantation, an institutional agricultural complex, and a farm museum.^[34]