Tide Lock Park is named for an old canal controlled by wooden locks that once existed on the Alexandria Waterfront. The canal was used to move goods and materials to and from sea-going ships. The Alexandria canal was abandoned in 1886 after a failure of the aqueduct bridge and was never replaced because it had been made obsolete by steam-powered tugboats and the railroad. Today, there is a replica of the lock and canal in the park, which includes many of the original canal wall stones.

This park is privately owned, but is part of the publicly accessible linear park system along Alexandria's waterfront.