Old Town Alexandria: Walking the “Old & Historic District”

If you find yourself in Washington, DC, with a morning or an afternoon to spare, consider crossing the sleepy Potomac into Virginia: On a warm, sunny day, a stroll through Old Town Alexandria is an engaging stroll through history–local and national. Established by Scottish merchants in 1749 and laid out with help of a 17-year-old apprentice surveyor named George Washington, … Continue reading →

Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary: Dragon’s Blood with Your Mercury?

Its entrance lost among the storefronts of Old Town Alexandria’s South Fairfax St., just off the bustling King St., a wonderful place is waiting to be stumbled upon: the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum. A family-owned business from 1792 to 1933, the apothecary played part in Alexandria’s history from the Revolutionary War (filling orders for the Washingtons … Continue reading →