10 Reasons We Love Old Town Alexandria

From the brick sidewalks that lead you to the waterfront, to the wonderful restaurants and boutiques along the way, Old Town Alexandria has won us over. We’ve only been living in Old Town for a month now, and since the move, we’ve only been able to find more reasons to love the area. Though our time here started long before the actual move, living here has given us even more of an opportunity to see what we were missing before.

Here are the 10 reasons we love Old Town…

1- It is undeniable that the history in Old Town is breathtaking. It may be the brick sidewalks that still line several streets or even a couple streets that don’t include pavement. From the Torpedo Factory and Masonic Temple to some of the old fashioned restaurants, we love it all.

2- Though it’s Washington, DC that gains most of the attention, the restaurants in Old Town can hold their own against all the others. From brunch to a late night snack, the options are endless. We recommend the Warehouse, Restaurant Eve, Virtue Feed & Grain, and Momo Sushi.  There are food options for all prices and to meet your every mood.

3- Where there is food there are incredible cocktails. From vintage speakeasys to busy bars during happy hour, there are several places to get great cocktails. We recommend Columbia Firehouse, PX, Vermillion, and King St Blues (this is a Saturday treat, since Ian is always going to pull a surprise, more on him soon).

4- We’ve learned that there are many places that would rather not see our 4-legged friends, Old Town is not one of them. Not only are there places like the Dog Park to pick them up some treats that match the time of year, but shops such as Killer E.S.P allows dogs inside. As well as allowing pets, Old Town goes above and beyond to incorporate pets into events, even trick or treating.

5- Pets aren’t the only one that participate in the events that Old Town has. From the variety of parades, a wine festival, to a farmers market, there is more than abundance of things to do throughout the year.

6- You don’t need to wait for art shows on King St, to see what local artists have to offer. There is no shortage of exhibits throughout the week, so if it’s art that catches you’re eye, just make sure they’re open.

7- You don’t need to head to the bars, or wait for annual events, to find some entertainment. With the renovations done to the Old Town Theater not too long ago, it’s been reinvented into a historic theater showing a variety of new and old features. This is hardly the only theater that Old Town has to offer, Lyceum, where you might check out “As Was Written” from time to time is just around the corner.

8- There’s a boutique for everything! From Zoe Boutique to Shoe Hive to Bellacara to there are a variety of shops to meet your every need. Even if you’re just looking to walk through some different stores, don’t pass on any of these, or the other members of the Old Town Boutiques. Some of our new favorites are Olio Tasting Room and Altura Wine Gormet.

9- The waterfront is AMAZING! With the addition of the Waterfront Cafe, the reasons for going down to the water have only increased. You’ll find local musicians, artists, magicians, and more while walking along the water on a sunny day.

10- Though we could go on and on about the reasons we love this area, the one thing that surpasses all the others are the people. We routinely are walking along King St, or sitting at a bar, and people we know or even complete strangers start up conversations with us. We live in a great area and it seems that so many of the people living here also see it. The bartender who jumps into conversation or the waiter who really loves what they have to offer, to the owner of a shop or wants to provide you with the perfect experience, the people here make everything better.

We live in Old Town, Alexandria, so it’s a wonderful feeling to love the area as much as we do. Though we love getting into DC or over to Arlington, we certainly don’t shy away from a night close to home.

Let us know the next time you’re in the neighborhood.

Cheers!

Scott