1. Alexandria Really Knows How To Start Things Off With A Bang
First Night Alexandria is one of the capital area's largest New Year's celebrations, a giant party featuring music, dance, storytelling, comedy, children's performers and a scavenger hunt with prizes for adults and kids.
The grand finale, however, is worth the price of admission alone (although you can probably see it even without a ticket)—a giant fireworks display that lights up the sky above the Potomac River.
2. Brace Yourself For Quaintness Overload
Old Town Alexandria certainly capitalizes on its 18th century quaintness, with restaurants like Eamonn’s fish and chips shop and boutiques like Mint Condition and The Hour, as well as attractions making the most of its colonial history.
3. Kick It With George Washington’s Bones
George Washington, father of our country, first in the hearts of his countrymen and yada yada yada, was actually born down on the Northern Neck in Westmoreland County, but he moved to Mount Vernon in 1759. He stuck around for the next 40 years, minus a few side trips to go do stuff like, ya know, fight in the Revolutionary War and be president.
As a matter of fact, he's still in residence, occupying a nice comfy tomb where he's visited by approximately one zillion school children per year.
4. Churches Are The Starbucks Of Alexandria (There’s One On Every Block)
The good citizens of Alexandria must have been quite a spiritual lot back in the day, as the town's chock full of historic churches, too.
The Washington and Lee families both worshiped at Christ Church, the Old Presbyterian Meeting House dates from the early 18th century, and Saint Mary Catholic Church, established in 1795, is Virginia's oldest Catholic parish.
In 1818, the Alfred Street Baptist Church opened as one of the area's first black Baptist churches, while the cornerstone of Washington Street United Methodist Church was laid in 1850 and Beth El Hebrew Synagogue was founded in 1871.
5. Follow The White Rabbit—To A Sugar Coma
If you insist on pretending to be healthy while satisfying your cupcake jones, Buzz Bakery has little oddity called the White Rabbit, which is made from parsnip cake.
If you prefer a double-dip of decadence, there's always the ICB—a booze/cake mashup flavored with Guinness and Baileys Irish Cream.
And if you're secretly addicted to Hostess snack cakes but trying to wean your palate away from plastic-wrapped goodies, try the 9:30. This chocolate-dipped vanilla buttercream is topped with chocolate ganache frosting and even has that signature white swirly thing.
6. There Are Sexy Man Ankles On Display, Everywhere You Look
Men in kilts march through town at the annual Scottish Christmas Walk, a parade which takes place in Old Town in early December. And if that's not enough hot tartan action for you, they'll be donning the kilts and breaking out the bagpipes once more at the national Tartan Day Festival, held the first weekend in April.
7. Alexandria Is A Melting Pot On Steroids
While Alexandria's Scottish community may be very visible (especially from the knees down), they aren't the only ethnic group in town. Alexandria has a large population of immigrants, many from Latin America and some of the newest arriving from Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Pakistan.
The Vietnamese community puts on the annual Vietfest in August at Landmark Mall, while the Alexandria Irish Festival, also in August, takes over Waterfront Park. The Alexandria Armenian Festival has been canceled for 2014, but hopes to resume in the future, and Good Shepherd Catholic Church continues to honor each and every ethnicity with its annual Labor Day weekend International Festival.
8. Booze It Up At The Great Gadsby's
Gadsby's Tavern was a favorite watering hole of none other than George Washington (whom I believe I may have mentioned a time or two already), and it also played host to many other founding fathers like Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, James Monroe, and James Madison.
Today it is open as a museum and restaurant, so you, too, can follow in the footsteps of our famously boozing forefathers.
9. Have A Spooktacular Time With Alexandria’s Ghosts And Graveyards
Alexandria Colonial Tours offers a special Ghosts and Graveyards tour where lantern-bearing, colonially-costumed guides will escort you past some of Old Town's spookiest sites including Market Square, Gadsby's Tavern and Old Christ Church Cemetery.
10. The Birchmere Hits The High Notes
The Birchmere has been hosting musicians from all musical genres since 1966, and frequent performers there have included such big-name stars as Dave Matthews, Emmylou Harris, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Shawn Colvin, Jerry Jeff Walker, Lyle Lovett, Vince Gill, John Prine, Linda Ronstadt and k.d. “Not a Typo” Lang.
11. Appreciate Modern Medicine Like Never Before At The Apothecary Museum
The Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum takes you back to the days when over-the-counter medicines included wood lice, dried horse liver and cat's blood...but do they come in cherry flavor?
12. Medieval Madness Is Hysterically Historical Here
Medieval Madness bucks the ubiquitous Old Town obsession with all things colonial by basing their dinner theater show on the era of lords and ladies, knights and jesters. Even the four-course meal is made from authentic recipes from the Middle Ages, and yeah, verily, thou canst quaff great flagons of ale and mead to thy heart's content.
13. Good Times On the Waterfront Are Just a Bike Ride Away
Alexandria lies along the banks of the Potomac River, and its waterfront offers prime outdoor recreation opportunities including biking, hiking and boating.
The less athletically inclined may prefer dining with a river view at the Chart House Restaurant or Waterfront Market, or perhaps taking a cruise with Potomac Belle Charters or the Potomac Riverboat Company.
14. Check Out The Worlds Grimmest—And Sweetest—Diorama
Colonel Elmer Ellsworth, personal friend of Abe Lincoln and one of the first to adopt the Civil War trend for flashy-dressing Zouave troops, was killed in May of 1861 at the Marshall House Inn when a game of capture the flag went terribly wrong.
The Hotel Monaco, which occupies the ground where the Marshall House once stood, has a plaque praising Ellsworth's assassin, James W. Jackson, who was himself immediately gunned down in retribution.
Ellsworth has a rather more unique memorial—a diorama of his death, made of marshmallow Peeps, is on display at the Alexandria Archaeology Museum. In this case, revenge is not only sweet, but also kind of sticky.
15. Get A Gooey Grilled Cheese For Grown Folks
If you think grilled cheese is all about slapping a hunk of Velveeta between two slices of Wonder Bread, Cheesetique is here to blow your freaking mind. This Del Ray cheese and wine bar offers gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches such as serrano ham, manchego and quince paste on grilled sourdough or gjetost (Norwegian goat cheese) and banana on cranberry walnut bread.
16. Get Your Fresh Veggies Just Like George Washington Did At The Old Town Farmer’s Market
Market Square, in Old Town Alexandria, has been open for business since 1753. Even George Washington (yes, him again) sent the produce from Mount Vernon to be sold here. That makes the Old Town Farmers Market one of the nation's oldest, but the fruits and veggies they sell are as fresh as today's headlines.
17. Alexandria Has An Explosive Art Scene...
The Torpedo Factory Art Center occupies a building that was originally constructed by the U.S. Navy for the manufacture of, uh, those pointy things that go “boom” (or whatever underwater detonation sounds like). In 1974 it was reborn as an art space, and today it's occupied by more than 80 artists' studios and 6 galleries, an art school, a cafe and the Alexandria Archaeology Museum. Forty years and no mysterious explosions to date—keep up the good work, guys!
18. And A Festivus For The Rest Of Us
The Torpedo Factory doesn't hold a monopoly on the Alexandria art scene, by any means. There's also the P&C Art Gallery, the Del Ray Artisans Gallery and the art exhibitions at the Athenaeum, as well as several city art festivals: Art On The Avenue is held in the Del Ray neighborhood on the first Saturday of October each year, while King Street Art Festival takes place on (wait for it) King Street, in September.
19. E’rrbody Getting Tipsy—On Wine
The Alexandria Food and Wine Festival is just one giant celebration of yumminess. Local restaurants compete to see who can create the best appetizer, main dish, or dessert, and the winner is: everyone who attends the festival and gets to gobble up all of these tasty goodies!
And what could go better with food, food, and more food than wine from one of Virginia's award-winning vineyards? Just remember to offer up a little “thank you” toast to Thomas Jefferson, whose grape-growing efforts at Monticello earned him the title "Father of American Viticulture." (Eat your heart out, George Washington!)
20. This City Is Lean, Mean, Clean And Super Green
The Alexandria City Council has declared this to be an Eco-City, which means they are dedicated to minimizing energy consumption and protecting the environment. Alexandria, of course, puts its own particular spin on things—while they're all about sustainable living, they still want to do it in such a way as to maintain their historic character. In other words, no ugly wind turbines popping up all over Old Town!
21. None Shall Pass...By Bilbo Baggins Restaurant Without Stopping In For A Pint
Bilbo Baggins Restaurant was into all things “Lord of The Rings” even before the movies came out. They opened in 1981, complete with hobbit hole murals, and feature such cutely named menu items as the Bilbo's Burger, Frodo's French Toast, Smaug's Delight pizza and Lord of the Rings chocolate cake. Even the bar (aka Green Dragon Pub) gets into the act, offering Bilbo Baggins' Lager on tap.
22. The Friendliest Fireman You’ll Ever Meet
The Friendship Fire Company began fighting fire with a smile in 1774, and today operates the Friendship Firehouse Museum, which is a pretty cool place to bring kids obsessed with big red engines.
There's even a free Friendship Firehouse Festival, which is not only alliterative but also a lot of fun, with live music, crafts, food and antique firetrucks.
23. The National Inventors Hall Of Fame Is Patently Original (See What I Did There?)
The National Inventors Hall of Fame is housed in the Madison Building, which is part of the United States Patent and Trademark Office complex. The museum features a display of all of the inventors who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame (470, to date), with interactive kiosks allowing visitors to learn more about their lives and work.
There's also a cool—but kinda creepy—gallery with digital electronic portraits of famous inventors including Thomas Edison and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. These portraits all “come to life”' to tell you about their famous inventions.
24. Pop's Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Dishes Up Sweet, Sweet Nostalgia
Pop's may have a few new-fangled items on the menu, such as protein shakes and soft-serve yogurt, but they specialize in old-time soda fountain classics: banana splits, hot fudge sundaes, root beer floats and egg creams. Pops also makes their own ice cream—all 63 flavors—right on the premises, and it's some of the best you'll find in the whole Metro area.
Source: Alexandria Old Town via Facebook
Feature Image Source: Flickr user lsmadison
