Visit Museums and Historic Sites

The Historic Alexandria museums are free for City of Alexandria residents. Here is all the information you need to plan your visit.

America 250

In 2026, the United States commemorates the semiquincentennial of the Revolution. Join us as we celebrate and commemorate America's story in Alexandria.

This Week in Historic Alexandria

This week in Historic Alexandria, enjoy the many exhibits, public programs and special events offered by our city’s great museums and historic sites!  This e-newsletter is updated each week on this webpage, or sign up for an eNews account to have it delivered to your in-box.

This Day in History

What happened in Alexandria on today's date, or tomorrow, or on your birthday? Search here to find out. 

As we honor Alexandria's 275th Anniversary, take a journey with us to the past as we revisit pivotal moments in our city's history through a series of short videos.

Make a Gift

The history of Alexandria is the nation’s history.  Historic Alexandria strives to understand and educate about this past as we as a community look to the future. With your gift, you become a part of this history and help us preserve, share, and save the past for future generations.

Make a Gift

Celebrate the power and impact of community philanthropy by supporting Historic Alexandria! Every donation helps us preserve and tell the stories that make Alexandria what it is today.

Become a Member

Become a Member of Alexandria’s historic sites and museums. Come to special events, receive newsletters, get discounts on Museum Shop merchandise, and support history.

Volunteer and Career Opportunities

The Office of Historic Alexandria is always looking for passionate, talented individuals who want to join us in preserving and sharing Alexandria’s past to enrich the present and inspire the future.

Museum Stores

Purchase event tickets, donate to your favorite museum, become a member, and buy selected merchandise online at The Alexandria Shop. Your purchases online or at our shops support programming at Historic Alexandria's museums.

Rentals and Private Events

Six Historic Alexandria properties are available for rentals and private events. The properties can accommodate from 15 to 160 people, for a range of events including parties, weddings and meetings.

Commissions

City commissions play an active role in preserving Alexandria’s history. Commission members must be Alexandria city residents and are appointed by the Alexandria City Council.

Alexandria Community Remembrance Project

Since 2019, the Alexandria Community Remembrance Project (ACRP) has been dedicated to helping Alexandria understand its history, including incidents of racial injustice and terror, because recognizing the truth is necessary to establish a welcoming and just community for all.

Educational Resources in Historic Alexandria

Learners of all ages can explore Alexandria’s history through online and on-site offerings. Historic Alexandria offers educators the opportunity to reinforce their teaching with hands-on experiences, field trips, kits, and online resources.

The Alexandria Oral History Center

The Alexandria Oral History Center is a community-driven collaboration to document and preserve the memories and stories of Alexandria. The Center provides residents with oral history trainings and resources to conduct oral history interviews and community history projects.

The History of Alexandria, Virginia

Read a brief history of Alexandria and find more about our history on the Historic Alexandria website and elsewhere on the internet.

Indigenous Peoples, Virginia Indians, and Alexandria

For thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans and the founding of Alexandria in 1749, Indians seasonally lived in and traveled through the lands that would become the City of Alexandria.

Conducting Your Own Historic Research

Do you have questions about the history of your property, genealogy, or local history? The Library's Local History/Special Collections division is the the best place to start your research. Then check the Topical Guide to see which other Resources may be useful in your search.

Out of the Attic Archives

“Out of the Attic” has appeared in the Alexandria Times newspaper since 2007. Each week, the column focuses on the story behind an historic image or an aspect of Alexandria's history. Search the archive.

Museum Collections

The City museums are stewards of more than 30,000 objects, in addition to more than two million archaeological artifacts and 25,000 archival documents. View online collections and learn about the collections of each of the Historic Alexandria museums.

Watch Lectures Online

Learn more about Alexandria’s history through select recordings of Historic Alexandria’s public lecture series. These lectures were presented virtually, via zoom, and are listed here by date.

Self-Guided Tours

Enjoy a variety of walking and bike tours, listen to podcasts, go on a scavenger hunt, or learn about Wayfinding Signs and the African American Heritage Trail.

Wayfinding in Alexandria: Exploring Old Town

The City of Alexandria’s wayfinding signage system helps people find their way around the city. Take a look at the new map and history panel “mini-kiosks” in Old Town, from the Masonic Temple on Shuter's Hill to the waterfront. Read the full text of the history panels here.

African American Heritage Trail

Alexandria’s African American history is told through online StoryMaps and can be experienced in-home on your computer or on your smartphone as you walk the trail along the Potomac River. The South Waterfront Route is new in 2023.

Historic Preservation

City of Alexandria is committed to honoring its historic legacy through preservation, planning, interpretation, public outreach, and programming.

Ships and Other Nautical Discoveries

As redevelopment took place along the north waterfront, archaeologists had the opportunity to learn more about the city’s maritime past. Learn what's happening with ship preservation.

African American History Division

This division, formed in 2023, will ensure the continued inclusion of Black History in City museums and public programming, as well as advancing the City’s goal of building a welcoming community through equity and inclusion.

Alexandria Archaeology Museum

Alexandria Archaeology Museum visitors learn how the City's archaeologists, volunteers and students work with residents and developers to study and manage archaeological resources important to the community's past.

Alexandria Black History Museum

Alexandria Black History Museum enriches the lives of Alexandria's residents and visitors, fosters tolerance and understanding among all cultures, and stimulates appreciation of the diversity of the African American experience.

Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum

The Lyceum, itself a witness to nearly two centuries of local history, today serves as a gateway for Alexandria's visitors.

Fort Ward Museum & Historic Site

Fort Ward Museum & Historic Site is the best preserved of the system of Union forts and batteries built to protect Washington, DC during the American Civil War (1861-1865).

Freedom House Museum

Freedom House Museum at 1315 Duke Street has three exhibitions showcasing Alexandria’s Black history and the Black experience in America.

Friendship Firehouse Museum

Friendship Firehouse Museum, the oldest standing firehouse open as a museum in Alexandria, was originally home to the first volunteer fire company in town. Today, the exhibits of historic equipment and vehicles inspire visitors.

Gadsby's Tavern Museum

Gadsby's Tavern Museum consists of the ca. 1785 tavern and the 1792 City Hotel. Named for John Gadsby who operated them from 1796 to 1808, explore these buildings where Washington, Jefferson and ordinary travelers came to eat, drink, sleep, and influence history.

Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum

Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum, one of the oldest pharmacies in the nation, sold everything from medicines to household goods from 1793 to 1933. Visitors can tour the historic shop and manufacturing room and view original products left behind.