Educational Programs: Location and Information
Sites Offering Educational Programs
Alexandria Archaeology Museum Alexandria Black History Museum The Carlyle House Historic Park Fort Ward Museum and Historic Site Friendship Firehouse Gadsby's Tavern Museum Lee-Fendall House The Lyceum Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum Torpedo Factory Art Center Archives and Records Center Alexandria Seaport Center Other Sites and ActivitiesDoorways to Old Virginia Potomac Riverboat Company The Athenaeum Christ Church George Washington Masonic National Memorial Lloyd House Ramsay House Visitors Center Market Square Tide Lock Park Alexandria African American Heritage Park Sites Offering Educational Programs
- Alexandria Archaeology Museum
Home Page | Educational Programs
105 North Union Street
703-838-4399Choose from four different hands-on Adventure Lessons designed for grades 3 to 12. All lessons incorporate actual artifacts excavated from archaeological sites in Alexandria and examine various topics associated with the development of the city.
Cost: $2/student; adult chaperones free ($20 minimum)
Length: 45 minutes - 1½ hours
Limit: 20 students
Days: Tuesday - Saturday, 10 am - 3 pmAlexandria Archaeology is the nation’s first comprehensive urban archaeology program dedicated to the study, preservation and interpretation of sites within the city. During Archaeology Month (October) the public is invited to participate in excavating an archaeological site.
Alexandria Black History Museum
Home Page | Educational Programs
902 Wythe Street
703-838-4356Cost: $1/student; adult chaperones free
Length: 30 minutes
Limit: 40 students
Days: Tuesday & Saturday, 10 am & 4 pmThe Alexandria Black History Museum interprets the traditions and culture of Alexandria’s African American community. Located in the historic Parker-Gray District, part of the Center’s collection is housed in the 1940 building that served as the library for the City’s African American citizens.
The Carlyle House Historic Park
121 North Fairfax Street
703-549-2997Carlyle House offers three programs that explore life for an 18th-century family involved in the Revolutionary War, from its very causes to its final outcome. In History in a Haversack, a program for grades K-6, each student is given a mystery object which illuminates the differences between the past and the present. In Discovery Through Trash, students grades 3-6 analyze artifacts excavated from the site and learn how primary sources are used to discover the past. Don't Get Weary, for grades 4-6, explores the lives of African Americans who lived at the Carlyle House. Tours can easily be combined with other sites.
Cost: $1/student (Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Fairfax City and Loudon Schools free of charge.)
Length: 1 hour
Limit: 30 students
Days: Tuesday - FridayIn 1752, the wealthy Scottish merchant John Carlyle erected this imposing Georgian mansion in the new town of Alexandria. When British General Edward Braddock arrived in Alexandria with 1,600 troops in 1755, he made Carlyle House his headquarters. There he discussed strategy and funding of the French and Indian War with the colonial governors at the "Grandest Congress...ever known on this Continent..." according to his host, John Carlyle.
Fort Ward Museum & Historic Site
Home Page | Educational Programs
4301 West Braddock Road
703-838-4848School tours and an outreach kit are offered for students in grades 4 to 12. The guided tour explores the outdoor fort and exhibits relating to Civil War subjects and importance of the Defenses of Washington and Alexandria. The classroom kit, Life During the Civil War, contains a haversack with historic objects and audio visual aids designed to focus the students on a study of Civil War soldiers and civilians.
Cost: $2/student
Length: 1½ hours
Limit: 60 students
Days: Tuesday - Friday with advance reservations
Note: Bus parking, small shop, picnic park area, wheelchair accessible museum entrance and restrooms on site.
Meet and Greet
10-minute introduction/orientation by Museum staff, followed by a self-guided walking tour. Available Tuesday through Sunday for groups of a minimum of 12 persons. Suitable for adults and/or children. Works well for home school groups with a variety of student ages, scouts, family groups, clubs. Must be booked in advance. No charge.Fort Ward was one of the largest fortifications which guarded the Union capital of Washington during the Civil War. Tours of Fort Ward include the outdoor historic fort area, officer’s hut, and museum exhibits which display uniforms, medical equipment, photographs, musical instruments and other original objects.
- Friendship Firehouse
Home Page| Educational Programs
107 North Alfred Street
703-838-3891 (museum)
703-838-4994 (to arrange educational programs)
"Citizen firefighters in Colonial Alexandria" explores the role citizen-volunteers played in developing the Colonial community of Alexandria and the role volunteers play in making 21st century Alexandria a better community in which to live. The program transitions to an interactive discussion iwth the students on a comparison of fire safety elements today with those of the Colonial period. The program concludes with a historical role play of firefighting techniques in the Colonial period, highlighted with the techniques of the night watchman, fire company commander and bucket brigade. Designed for students K-6, scouts, etc. Cost: $1/student
Length: 30-45 minutes
Limit: 30 students
Days: Monday - Saturday 10 am - 4 pm; Sunday 1 pm - 4 pm by appointment
The Friendship Fire Company was established in 1774, and was the first volunteer fire company in Alexandria. The current firehouse was built in 1855, remodeled in 1871 and renovated in 1992. The Engine Room on the first floor houses hand-drawn fire engines, leather water buckets, axes, sections of early rubber hose and other historic fire-fighting equipment. An exhibition discusses the development of fire-fighting technology and other fire companies that have served the citizens of Alexandria.
Gadsby’s Tavern Museum
Home Page | Educational Programs
134 North Royal Street
703-838-4242Gadsby's Tavern Museum offers three school programs that explore 18th-century daily-life, entertainment, travel, the establishment of a colonial town, and slavery. Lessons can be adapted for grades K-12 and include the use of primary sources and hands-on objects. Tours can easily be combined with other sites. The Tavern in a Trunk outreach kit, containing primary sources, reproduction objects, and 18th century clothing, can be reserved for classroom-use.
Cost: $2/student ($30 minimum)
Length: 45 minutes - 1 hour
Limit: 30 students
Days: Tuesday - Friday, 10 am - 3 pmBuilt in ca. 1785 and 1792, the two tavern buildings that now make up Gadsby's Tavern Museum were an important community center in Alexandria frequented by farmers, merchants and tradesmen as well as by prominent individuals like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Today, visitors to Gadsby's tour the original tavern rooms and learn about early American daily-life, travel, food, politics, and entertainment.
- Lee-Fendall House
614 Oronoco Street
703-548-1789Programs designed for grades 3 to 12 include:
- The Lee-Fendall House and the Victorian Period.
- Alexandria and the Lee-Fendall House during the Civil War Period.
- Labor Leader John L. Lewis in Alexandria.
Other customized tours may be available upon request. Reservations are required. The minimum group size is five students over the age of six years. Students are $1 each and up to three adults are admitted free. Tours are available upon request.
Cost: $1/student
Length: 45 to 90 minutes
Limit: 30 students
Days: Upon requestThe Lee-Fendall House was built in 1785 by Philip Fendall, the first president of the Bank of Alexandria. The home of 37 members of the Lees of Virginia from 1785 to 1903, it is shown today in the Victorian style of 1850 to 1870. It w as a Union hospital during the Civil War, and from 1937 to 1969 it was the home of labor leader John L. Lewis.
The Lyceum
Home Page | Educational Programs
201 South Washington Street
703-838-4994We offer three reserved programs for grades 1 to 8. When students participate in Getting a Feel for Long Ago: Hands-On-History, they explore life at home and work during the late 18th century by examining artifacts and images. Inside Old Town comes in two parts: The Outreach Kit available to educators for three weeks for a fee of $15, and the Walking Tour, a guided tour in which students role play early Alexandrians and experience the city through the characters' eyes. Educators have the option of choosing to participate in either or both parts of Inside Old Town. Students become history detectives when they participate in the Scavenger Hunt for History as they explore our galleries to find artifacts and images that relate to different themes throughout Alexandria's history.
Cost: $1/student
Length: 1 - 1½ hours
Limit: 60 students
Days: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Other days by request.The Lyceum, with its Greek Revival architecture, was the City’s first intellectual and cultural center. Today it serves as the comprehensive history museum for the City.
- Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum
Home Page
105-107 South Fairfax Street
703-838-3852The Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum is not offering school programs at this time.
- Torpedo Factory Art Center
Home Page | Educational Programs
105 North Union Street
703-683-0693Guided tour combines an historical overview of the Torpedo Factory with visits to artists' studios and galleries. Students talk to artists, learn about their inspiration, style and media, and observe them at work.
Cost: $2/person. Free to school groups
Length: 1 hour
Limit: 45
Days: by reservationBuilt in 1918 to manufacture torpedo shell cases, the building is now one of the largest art centers in the world, providing work and exhibition space to more than 155 artists. The Torpedo Factory is also home to 5 cooperative galleri es, a professional art school, and the Alexandria Archaeology Museum and research laboratory (see number 1).
- Archives and Records Center
Home Page
801 South Payne Street
703-838-4591Alexandria History: Preserving the Present is a program which uses primary source documents to demonstrate the purpose and value of the City Archives. The program includes a discussion of the different types of materials found in an archives. Students will also participate in preserving important modern documents. Cost: $1/student; adult chaperones free
Length: 45 minutes
Limit: 20 students Days: Tuesday & Thursday, 10 am - 2 pm
- Alexandria Seaport Foundation
0 Thompson Alley
Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 549-7078The Foundation offers classes in maritime skills and boat building using traditional tools and techniques. Call or email the Foundation for information on these classes.
- Doorways to Old Virginia
703-548-0100Guides in colonial garb make history come alive as visitors travel through time to the 18th century. The walking tour covers the seaport town’s development and the importance of the river.
- Potomac Riverboat Company
703-684-0580Choose either a 40-minute waterfront cruise or a 90-minute magnificent monument cruise. History, legends and sights of Alexandria and the Potomac are discussed.
- The Athenaeum
201 Prince Street
703-548-0035Built in 1851 as a banking house, the Athenaeum is a fine example of Greek Revival architecture. Today, the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association shows contemporary art here.
- Christ Church
Cameron and North Washington Streets
703-549-1450
This English country-style church was built between 1767 and 1773. George Washington was on the vestry and the church contains his pew. Robert E. Lee also attended services here.
- George Washington Masonic National Memorial
King Street at Callahan Drive
703-683-2007
The Memorial contains outstanding George Washington memorabilia, including a clock which was stopped at the time of his death.
- Lloyd House
220 North Washington Street
703-838-4577
Lloyd House, built in 1797 in late Georgian style, now houses Alexandria Library’s collection of rare books, records and documents on the city and on Virginia.
- Ramsay House Visitors Center
221 King Street
703-838-4200
Built in 1724, the building now serves as an information center, offering maps, brochures and guides.
- Market Square
City Hall
300 King Street
In 1749 these two half-acre lots were reserved for a marketplace and town hall. The Saturday Farmers' Market is the oldest in the country.
- Tide Lock Park
Montgomery Street and the Potomac River
- Alexandria African American Heritage Park
Black History Museum Home Page | BHRC Educational Programs
Holland Lane south of Duke Street
The memorial park commemorates the rich contribution African Americans have made to the cultural heritage of Alexandria.
