Across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., Alexandria, Virginia, is now a major suburb of the nation's capital. It's also close to Mount Vernon, George Washington's estate. Before Alexandria became a suburb, however, it was a port, and the historic district, known as Old Town Alexandria, is the only interesting part of the city.
Sightseeing
To tour Old Town Alexandria, start by picking up maps and information at the Alexandria Visitors Center at 221 King St. Then head to the Lyceum Historic Site and Museum, which documents Alexandria's rich history. Visit attractions such as Christ Church (a house of worship that both George Washington and Robert E. Lee attended), Gadsby's Tavern Museum (a colonial structure housing a small museum and 18th-century-style restaurant), the Carlyle House (a large, Georgian-style home from the mid-1700s) and the Torpedo Factory (an old munitions plant now housing art galleries and studios).
The Alexandria Visitors Center distributes a guide to African-American sites in the area, which include the Bruin Negro Jail (a former holding tank for unsold slaves) and the city's old library, where, in 1939, African Americans held one of the first civil rights sit-ins.
History lovers might enjoy the local tours devoted to George Washington. Tours usually stop at the 333-ft-/101-m-tall George Washington Masonic National Monument (patterned after an ancient lighthouse in Alexandria, Egypt) and other Washington-related sites in the area.
The most famous of these sites, of course, is Mount Vernon, the home and final resting place of George and Martha Washington. It sits on the Potomac River just south of Alexandria. The mansion has the original furnishings and meticulously preserved rooms (wall and fabric colors have been carefully matched to the originals). The view from the famous pillared veranda is beautiful. The estate's grounds contain 12 auxiliary buildings, flower and kitchen gardens, two gift shops and a restaurant. Tours of the gardens and grounds complement the tour of the mansion itself—be sure to see the trees that George Washington actually planted when he lived there.
Visitors can also tour a 4-acre/2-hectare working farm to discover how agriculture was practiced in the first U.S. president's day. A relaxing way to make the trip to Mount Vernon is to take a cruise down the Potomac from Washington, D.C. (Allow a full day for this trip.)
Also in the town of Mount Vernon is the Woodlawn Plantation, the estate of Martha Washington's granddaughter. The main house was built in the early 1800s, but a second building, the Pope-Leighey House, is a Frank Lloyd Wright creation from the 1940s. It's open for tours March-December.
