september 21–27, 2026
What's New
FEATURED EVENTS
Celebrate Virginia Archaeology Month 2026
Coming in October! Celebrate Virginia Archaeology Month in Alexandria with special events and programs highlighting important archaeological sites and preservation efforts across the City. Visit the free Alexandria Archaeology Museum on the third floor of the Torpedo Factory Art Center, 105 North Union Street, or explore the full schedule of October events.
Save the Date! Alexandria Cider Festival
Saturday, November 21
1–5 p.m.
Lloyd House grounds, 220 N. Washington Street and on Queen Street
$50 per person through November 1, $55 November 2–20, and $25 for designated drivers. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $65.
Purchase Tickets
Celebrate Virginia Cider Week with a special tasting event on the grounds of historic Lloyd House and on Queen Street in Old Town Alexandria. The event includes cider tastings, a souvenir cider glass, live music, tavern games, a food truck, and a little history too! This year, for the nation's 250th anniversary, the VA250 Mobile Museum Experience ("Out of Many, One") will be open on Queen Street during the event. Dress for the weather - the event is outdoors! Proceeds from the Cider Festival will benefit the Historic Alexandria Museums. Minimum Age: 21
Upcoming Events
View the Historic Alexandria Calendar
Alexandria Historical Society Presents Before, During, & After: The American Revolution
Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum, 201 South Washington Street
Wednesday, September 23
7p.m.
Admission is free for Alexandria Historical Society members and $5 for non-members.
Light refreshments will be available.
The Alexandria Historical Society will present “Before, During, & After: The American Revolution,” a panel discussion exploring Alexandria’s dramatic transformation during the final decades of the 18th century. Between 1776 and 1800, Alexandria changed from a small port town into a larger and more complex community, poised to become part of the District of Columbia and enter the 19th century as part of the new United States of America.
Grown-Up Field Trip: Black History in Archives
Archives & Records Center, 801 S Payne Street
Friday, September 25
6:30 - 8 p.m.
SOLD OUT
Future Grown-Up Field Trips include:
-Oct. 9, 6:30-8 p.m.: Sugar Trade with Alexandria Archaeology
-Nov. 7, 6-7:30 p.m.: Who Gets Remembered with Gadsby's Tavern Museum
-Dec. 18, 6:30-8 p.m.: Citizen Firefighter with Friendship Firehouse Museum
Yoga on the Magnolia Terrace
Carlyle House Historic Park, 121 N. Fairfax Street
Saturday, September 26
9 a.m. & 10:15 a.m.
$10 a class
Purchase Tickets
Join our friends at Carlyle House for an hour-long gentle flow Yoga Class on Carlyle House’s Magnolia Terrace. Please bring water, a towel, and a yoga mat. Wear comfortable yoga wear. Registered participants will receive an email if class is canceled due to inclement weather.
Beyond the Battlefield: A Civil War Walking Tour of Alexandria
Lee-Fendall House Museum & Garden, 614 Oronoco Street
Saturday, September 26
10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
$ 15 / person
Tickets here
This walking tour tells the stories of soldiers, citizens, and self-liberated African Americans in Civil War Alexandria. It covers the military occupation, the conversion of public and private buildings into hospitals, and emancipation.
Specialty Tour: Peeling Back the Layers
Gadsby’s Tavern Museum, 134 N. Royal Street
Saturday, September 26
10:30 - noon
$15 / person; $12 for Historic Alexandria Members
Purchase Tickets
Explore Gadsby's Tavern Museum top to bottom, including spaces rarely opened to the public, and understand how the buildings have changed over time. Wear comfortable shoes and bring your camera! Please note this tour involves ascending and descending multiple sets of stairs, including into the rarely on view fourth floor and its historic graffiti!
Specialty Tours: Preservation of Carlyle
Carlyle House, 121 N. Fairfax Street
Saturday, September 26
1:30 - 3 p.m.
$8 / person
Purchase Here
In the 19th century, James Green made renovations to John Carlyle’s stone mansion to bring it up-to-date. When NOVA Parks purchased Carlyle House in 1970, the decision was made to bring it back to Carlyle’s 18th century mansion. Join our experts in an in depth exploration of the changes the architects made using photographs and artifacts. Having trouble registering? Please call 703-549-2997 or email carlyle@nvrpa.org
Specialty Tour: Women in Medicine
Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum, 105-107 S Fairfax Street
Sunday, September 27 & Friday, November 27
11 a.m. - noon on September 27
4-5 p.m. on November 27
$15 / person; $12 for Historic Alexandria Members
Purchase Tickets
While men often take the spotlight, women have always shaped the practice of medicine. This tour will explore many objects in the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum used by women from the late 18th through early 20th centuries, as well as the women's influence on medicine in Alexandria and the wider world during this period. Please arrive 10-15 minutes earlier to check-in as the doors will be locked and the museum will be closed to the public when the tour begins. Please note the tour involves ascending and descending stairs.
Lecture: Bridges of Washington D.C. by Bob Dover
Lloyd House, 220 N Washington Street
Sunday, September 27
3 - 4:30 p.m.
$15 / person; $12 for Historic Alexandria Members
Purchase Tickets
Join us at Lloyd House for a series of lectures featuring local authors, with the first featuring Bob Dover, author of "Bridges of Washington, D.C. A History and Guide." Explore the history of our nation's capital through this history of its bridges. In the late 1700s, the first bridges, now completely gone, connected the new Federal City to the outside world. Throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, more and bigger crossings arose to support industry, allow the expansion of suburbs, commemorate cultural and civic leaders, and enhance the aesthetics of the District's waterfronts and parks. Although the city abandoned civic-minded, commemorative, and monumental construction for utilitarian highway monoliths in the mid-twentieth century, a recent renaissance has seen a welcome shift to walkability and beauty instead of brute utility. Using the city's bridges as an index of the times, author and D.C. native Bob Dover tracks the growth, decay, and rebirth of the District from the 1750s to today.
Specialty Tour: Poisons at the Apothecary Museum
Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum, 105-107 S Fairfax Street
Fridays, October 2, 9, and 30
6-7 p.m.
$15 / person; $12 for Historic Alexandria Members
Purchase Tickets
Explore the sinister side of medicine on the Apothecary Museum's Poisons Tour. This one-hour tour explores several different types of poisons, their historic uses at the Apothecary, and what we know today. Recommended for adults. Tour is 6-7pm. Please arrive a few minutes early to check-in as no entry is permitted once the tour begins.
Carlyle House Family Fun Day-Spooky Season Kick-off
Carlyle House Historic Park, 121 N. Fairfax Street
Saturday, October 3
Noon - 3 p.m.
Free
Learn more
Read and craft with your friends on the Carlyle House front lawn for Family Fun Day on the first Saturday of the month from March-November! From noon-3 p.m. (unless otherwise noted), you can sit in on story time and participate in crafts and other activities that relate to the theme of the month. This program is for all ages, though some of the crafts might be challenging for guests under 4. There is no fee to join this program, but donations are encouraged.
Support Historic Alexandria
Your gift fuels preservation, education, and programs that bring Alexandria’s past to life. Donations, special revenue, and grants make it possible to expand educational programs, conserve treasured collections, and support our dedicated staff. Your gift today helps preserve Alexandria’s history for generations to come.
Historic Alexandria Museum Hours
Alexandria Archaeology Museum
Tuesdays–Fridays, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., Saturdays, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Sundays, 1 –5 p.m.
Alexandria Black History Museum
Thursdays & Fridays, 11 a.m.– 4 p.m., Saturdays, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Sundays, 1– 5 p.m.
Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum
Thursdays & Fridays, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., Saturdays, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Sundays, 1 – 5 p.m.
Fort Ward Museum
Thursdays & Fridays, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., Saturdays, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Sundays, 1 – 5 p.m.
Freedom House
Thursdays & Fridays, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., Saturdays, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Sundays, 1 – 5 p.m.
Friendship Firehouse Museum
Saturday, September 26, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Gadsby’s Tavern Museum
Thursdays & Fridays, 11 a.m.– 4 p.m.; Saturdays, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Sundays through Tuesdays, 1– 5 p.m.
Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum
Wednesdays–Fridays, 11 a.m.– 4 p.m.; Saturdays, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Sundays & Mondays 1 - 5 p.m.
Virginia 250 Passport
Historic Alexandria is proud to join 70 premier historic destinations across Virginia in the launch of the Virginia 250 Passport, a first-of-its-kind statewide tourism journey celebrating America’s 250th. Featured Alexandria museums include Gadsby’s Tavern Museum, the Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum, and the Alexandria Black History Museum. The passport offers prizes and discounts to encourage families to explore Virginia’s rich history together. Beginning November 11, 2025, free passports will be available at major historic sites and Virginia Welcome Centers. Learn more at VirginiaHistory.org/250Passport.
New Exhibit: Stories of U.S.: Collections Capture Our History – Now open
A silver coffee pot, a family story, a business letter, or a photograph -- each provide a glimpse into the past. The Office of Historic Alexandria collects these items and memories to reflect our community and preserve the moments that define us. This exhibition, marking the 250th anniversary of the United States, showcases recently acquired objects, many on view for the first time at the Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum. These pieces provide a powerful, tangible connection to both our local history and national story..
New Exhibit: Buglers & Brass Bands: Soldier Musicians in the Civil War - Now open
Fort Ward opened a new exhibit on May 16, 2026 that explores the essential role that music played in the daily life of the Civil War soldier, both in camp and on the battlefield. The exhibit features a variety of musical instruments and sheet music of the period from the Museum’s extensive Civil War collection. The exhibit will be on view through May 2027.
Exhibit: Women in Business: We Were Always Here
Gadsby's Tavern Museum's new exhibit featuring Hannah Griffith, a female coffeehouse operator at this location, is now open! The exhibit is included in regular admission. Visitors will be able to see primary sources up close to explore how women appear (and don’t) in the historical record in the 18th century. In addition to Hannah’s story, visitors will learn about the female business owners on the block around City Hall today, highlighting how women continue to be an important part of Alexandria’s business community. All of the women-owned businesses facing City Hall are included in this exhibit—14 total owned by 17 women! The exhibit will be up through March 2027.
Exhibit: Disease and the Apothecary
Explore how epidemics like Smallpox, Yellow Fever, and Influenza shaped Alexandria’s past and how science and public health saved lives. Included with admission. Free for Alexandria residents! The new exhibit is also available online.
Exhibit: Aboard Ship with the Jack-Tars of the Union Navy
A new exhibition at Fort Ward Museum opened October 2. The exhibit focuses on the U.S. Navy during the Civil War and is being held in recognition of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Navy on October 13, 1775. The exhibition will continue through 2026. The exhibit, with pictures of select objects, is also available online.
Explore with Ease – The New Museum Mobility Guide
Historic Alexandria and the Department of Transportation & Environmental Services (T&ES) have launched a colorful, easy-to-use map and guide connecting all of Alexandria’s museums via walking, biking, and transit. The guide also acts as a passport—visit every site and earn a prize! Available at museums, rec centers, public libraries, and more.
Visit our website and follow us on social media to discover new things about your hometown. For more information, visit alexandriava.gov/Historic. Admission to City of Alexandria museums is complimentary for city residents.
For reasonable disability accommodation, contact Nicole Quinn at historicalexandria@alexandriava.gov or call 703.746.4554, Virginia Relay 711.
This Week in Alexandria's History
On September 22, 1897, African Americans in Alexandria commemorated the anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, 34 years after it was issued, with a celebration at the Third Baptist Church. The featured speaker was John Mercer Langston, the first African American elected to Congress from Virginia.
Upcoming Commission and Committee Events
Commissions Supporting Historic Alexandria
- September 21 George Washington Birthday Celebration Committee (GWBCC)
Lloyd House, 220 N. Washington Street
7-9 p.m. - September 28 Sister City Committee (SCC)
Lloyd House, 220 N. Washington Street
7-8:30 p.m. - October 6 Public Records Advisory Commission (PRAC)
Archives and Records Center, 801 south Payne street
7:30 p.m. - October 14 Alexandria Historical Restoration and Preservation Commission (AHRPC)
Lloyd House, 220 N. Washington Street
8-9:15 a.m. October 14 ACRP Steering Committee
Alexandria Black History Museum, 902 Wythe Street
5:30 - 7:30 p.m.