About Historic Alexandria
Many of the City's premier historic sites are owned and operated by the City of Alexandria and fall under the administration of the Office of Historic Alexandria, the department of City government charged with the conservation, interpretation and promotion of these links to the past. The Office of Historic Alexandria has received accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums and is a member of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience.
Plan Your Visit
Below is all the information you need to plan a visit to the Historic Alexandria museums - address and phone numbers, hours, admission fees, special programs and more. The Historic Alexandria museums are free for City of Alexandria residents.
More City of Alexandria Sites
Visit the African American Heritage Park, Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery Memorial, Alexandria Union Station, and the garden spaces at the Murray-Dick-Fawcett House and Lloyd House.
The Lloyd House administrative office and the Archives and Records Center are open by appointment.
Visiting Alexandria
Explore centuries of human history. Visit the museums to see a 13,000-year-old Clovis point, an 18th-century apothecary, a restored Civil War fort, a 1940s segregated library, and more.
As you walk along Alexandria’s historic streets, look for Wayfinding and Heritage Trail signs to learn about Alexandria’s past, or use our self-guided tours.
Alexandria was named a Top 3 Best Small City in the U.S. 2019 by the Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards, the #1 Best Value U.S. Travel Destination 2018 by Money magazine, and one of the South’s Prettiest Cities 2018 by Southern Living. The National Trust for Historic Preservation selected Alexandria as one of the 2011 Dozen Distinctive Destinations. Alexandria was chosen for its urban charm that blends an extraordinary early American past with modern flair and its citizens’ strong commitment to protecting and celebrating their history.
The Alexandria Convention and Visitor Association provides information on historic sites, hotels, restaurants, shops, parking and more. When in Alexandria, stop by the Alexandria Visitors Center at Ramsay House at 221 King Street, or call 703.746.3313 for information. Purchase a Key to the City Pass ($20 for a $60 value, including access to all of the museums).
The Historic Alexandria Museum Store, at the Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum, offers great gift ideas a wide variety of Alexandria-related merchandise and the very best selections from all the Historic Alexandria museum stores. Your purchases support programming at Historic Alexandria's museums. Purchase event tickets, donate to your favorite museum, become a member, and buy selected merchandise online at The Alexandria Shop.
Key to the City Pass
The best way to unlock Alexandria's rich culture and history is with the Alexandria Visitor Center's Key to the City museum pass. From Alexandria's co-founders to the nation's first president and from the Civil War to civil rights, learn about our remarkable history and walk amongst original 18th-and 19th-century architecture preserved by a city dedicated to honoring its past.
For only $20 — a $60 value — the Key to the City museum pass includes:
Access to 9 historic sites
40% off for the following:
- George Washington’s Mount Vernon admission
- City Cruises anchored by Hornblower roundtrip water taxi pass
10% off coupon for museum store purchases valid at 11 sites
Suggestions of 3 additional free historic sites
Walk Alexandria’s Historic Streets
Wayfinding Signs
Look for Wayfinding signs on and around King Street, for pedestrian-oriented maps and interpretive panels conveying the city’s rich history. Signs start near the King Street Metro and continue down to the Alexandria waterfront.
Alexandria Heritage Trail
Historic markers, located in many locations around town, inform residents and visitors alike about many facets of Alexandria’s history. More than 50 Heritage Trail signs have been placed in different parts of the city, on the 23-mile Alexandria Heritage Trail and beyond.
Self-Guided Tours
Explore Historic Alexandria with self-guided tours. Walk or bike with the guidance of brochures, maps and cue-sheets, podcasts and apps.
More Historic Attractions in Alexandria
Alexandria also has many fine museums and historic sites that are not City-owned. Information on these historic attractions, including address, hours and admission fees can be found at the links below, at the Alexandria Visitors Center at Ramsay House, and online at VisitAlexandriaVa.com.
Alexandria National Cemetery
Alexandria National Cemetery is one of the original 14 national cemeteries established in 1862. The first burials made in the cemetery were soldiers who died during training or from disease in the numerous hospitals around Alexandria.
There are 3,533 Civil War veterans buried here, including 123 unknown soldiers and 229 African Americans who were members of the United States Colored Troops (U.S.C.T.) moved here from the Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery.
Alexandria Seaport Center
The Alexandria Seaport Foundation serves 17-23 year-olds who need a new start. Centered on developing the academic and hand-crafting skills required to build traditional wooden boats, the Apprentices’ time in the Seaport Center is also punctuated by lessons in history, community, and seamanship. The Seaport Foundation’s work takes place at the McIlhenny Seaport Center, a floating building on Old Town Alexandria’s waterfront.
The Athenaeum
The Athenaeum, the columned building at 201 Prince Street, was constructed between 1851 and 1852 as the Bank of the Old Dominion, which claimed Robert E. Lee as a customer. During the Civil War, it was Chief Commissary Office of the U.S. Commissary Quartermaster and later a triage hospital for wounded soldiers. The Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association bought the building in 1964, restored it to its current condition, and renamed it the Athenaeum. It is now an art gallery and performance space.
Carlyle House Historic Park
The Georgian mansion was built for John Carlyle in 1752. NOVA Parks fully restored the house and opened it to the public in 1976 as part of the nationwide Bicentennial celebration. Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, Carlyle House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Christ Church
Christ Church was designed by James Wren and opened in 1773. Prominent worshippers included George Washington. The church, located at 118 N. Washington Street, is open for worship and public tours.
George Washington Masonic National Memorial
George Washington Masonic National Memorial
Construction of the George Washington Masonic National Memorial began in 1922, and the official dedication took place a decade later. The building is now open for public tours, and the view from the Memorial’s observatory deck is one of the best in the Washington, D.C. area.
Lee-Fendall House
The Lee-Fendall House, built by Light Horse Harry Lee’s cousin Philip Richard Fendall, was home to 37 members of the Lee family from 1785 until 1903. Labor leader John L. Lewis, President of the United Mine Workers lived here from 1937 until his death in 1969. The restored Lee-Fendall House and Garden is a period house museum that is open to the public.
National Inventors Hall of Fame
National Inventors Hall of Fame
The National Inventors Hall of Fame, located on the United States Patent and Trademark Office campus, showcases the more than 600 inventors who have been inducted into NIHF and their great technological achievements that helped stimulate growth for our nation and beyond.
The Old Presbyterian Meeting House
The Old Presbyterian Meeting House
Built in 1774, the Old Meeting House was the site of memorial services for George Washington, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier of the American Revolution can be visited in the churchyard.
Torpedo Factory Art Center
The United States Naval Torpedo Station was built during World War I, but it was barely completed when that war ended in November 1919. It was ready for service when World War II began, and greatly expanded during the war. The Torpedo Factory Art Center was created in 1974 as a Bicentennial project. It stands as one of the nation’s earliest examples of the adaptive reuse of a historic building.