The Old Town of Washington & Gadsby
Alexandria, United States
This walk threads through the heart of Old Town Alexandria, revealing an exceptionally intact eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century port city shaped by commerce, politics, and river trade. From civic buildings and taverns to churches, homes, and the Potomac waterfront, the route explores colonial ambition, Federal-era refinement, and the everyday lives that animated these streets. Along the way, familiar names like George Washington appear in surprisingly human moments set within one of the best-preserved historic districts in the nation.
The stops
- 01 Alexandria City Hall
A civic anchor in Old Town that reflects the continuity of government function in a district shaped by colonial and Federal-era urban design.
- 02 Gadsby's Tavern Museum
A cornerstone of Federal-period social life in Alexandria, where commerce, politics, and hospitality converged in the heart of the old streetscape.
- 03 Moses Hepburn Home
A historic home associated with Moses Hepburn, adding important African American heritage to the Old Town narrative.
- 04 Washington’s Town House
A historically evocative stop tied to George Washington’s presence in Alexandria and the city’s Revolutionary-era civic memory.
- 05 Alexandria Historic District
The Alexandria Historic District is a National Historic Landmark District in Alexandria, Virginia.
- 06 Saint Paul's Episcopal Church
Saint Paul's Episcopal Church is one of Alexandria's historic churches, founded in the 18th century and known for its Federal-era presence in Old Town.
- 07 Wilkes Street Tunnel
A historic railroad tunnel that speaks to the industrial expansion of the 19th century.
- 08 Alexandria Waterfront
The waterfront is where trade, shipping, and the city’s river-facing identity became visible, tying Old Town’s fortunes to the Potomac.
- 09 Point Lumley Park
A small but meaningful waterfront overlook where Alexandria’s riverfront identity and historic port setting can be felt together.
- 10 Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum
A preserved 18th- and 19th-century apothecary that reveals the commercial streetscape and everyday life of historic Alexandria.
- 11 Carlyle House Historic Park
A signature colonial-era landmark that reflects the mercantile ambition and elite domestic life that helped shape Old Town’s early built environment.
- 12 Alexandria Washington Lodge
A Masonic lodge in Old Town Alexandria, historically associated with Alexandria-Washington Lodge No. 22. George Washington was a member of the lodge, and it is one of the city’s notable colonial-era institutions.
- 13 Market Square
Alexandria’s historic public market square, established in the 18th century and long used as a center of trade and civic life. It is one of the city’s oldest continuously occupied public spaces.
The narration at every stop is in the app — this is the map of where it takes you, with a line on each stop.
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