Articles of interest to the site’s sponsor and articles by friends of Condo Alexandria. Doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with real estate or Northern Virginia
Franconia Road, once the means by which Virginia tobacco entered the port city of Alexandria, is now a bustling city road catering to millions of pedestrians on a regular basis. Franconia, throughout history, witnessed events such as Mosby raids, the birth of the first Virginia governor coming from the northern part of the state, and even became the home of Carrolltown, a flourishing community of African-Americans.
The Franconia Museum is located in Fairfax County VA.
Franconia Museum is at 6121 Franconia Road, Alexandria, VA 22310. Franconia Museum is a great place to learn more about the history of Franconia.
With a band of volunteers fueling its operations and the regular exhibits sponsored by the museum in local hotspots, the Franconia Museum is one of the uniting factors of its surrounding community, serving to educate its citizens and enrich their cultural and historical knowledge. To learn more about the Museum, you can join their many events, including regular gatherings where guests are encouraged to tell their stories and learn of the stories of others, and of course, their celebration of Franconia History Day during the fall.
For more information on Franconia Museum and their hosted events, you can contact the following phone number: (703) 971-7943.
Fort Scott Park
Fort Scott Park is located south west of Crystal City not far from Pentagon City and Aurora Hills in Arlington VA. Fort Scott Park is one of several parks in Northern Virginia that were part of the defenses of Washington during the civil war. The sign at the site reads:
Historical Site
Defenses of Washington 1861 - 1865
Fort ScottHere stood a detached lunette constructed in May 1861 to guard the south flank of the defenses of Washington and named for General Winfield Scott, then General-in-chief of the army. It was subsequently relegated to an interior position by the construction of defenses of Alexandria about 1 3/4 miles to the West. The fort had a perimeter of 313 yards and emplacements for 8 guns. A remnant portion may be found immediately to the West.
Today, Fort Scott Park is more than 11 and a half acres of family-friendly fun that welcomes toddlers and children. Fort Scott Park features appealing playground equipment like a sandbox, a playhouse, and both baby and regular swings. The park has nice shade and picnic pavilions. The adjacent basketball court is a great place to let dad make some free throws. The park also has tennis courts and softball fields.
Having fun at Fort Scott Park
Address
Fort Scott Park
2800 South Fort Scott Drive,
Arlington, VA 22202
Dog parks have become quite popular. People are looking for ways to spend outside time with their dog without infringing upon other people's space. Owner/handler and dogs can make great lasting friendships in a secure dog park.
Fred
Arlington County has 8 dog parks for you and your pet to enjoy. These parks are referred to as CCA's, Community Canine Areas. The Arlington area is very pet-friendly, so you and your dog can spend time outdoors in a safe environment.
Of course with such great benefits come rules and regulations. Please be sure to read all the expectations that the park has outlined for you before you enter the parks. The parks are open from sunrise to half an hour past sunset. If you would like more information on the dog parks, please contact the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources at 703-931-9241.
Below is a partial list of rules that you must abide by:
All dogs must be licensed and vaccinated
No dog less than 4 months old allowed in the parks
Female dogs in heat are not allowed
No food
Owner/handlers are allowed 3 dogs at one time.
Julie Nesbitt
Julie Nesbitt knows the back trails and by-ways of Northern Virginia real estate.
The Old Town Theatre serves up arty, independent and off-beat cinema as well as blockbuster hits in Old Town. The Old Town Theatre has great ambiance and is in a niche of area theatres that sells alcoholic beverages, similar to the Arlington Draft House.
The AMC Theatre at the Hoffman Center, Kingstowne 16 and Regal at Potomac Yard hosts blockbusters and mainstream movies in modern movie houses. Additionally, the Signature Theatre and AMC Loews, both in Shirlington, are feasible choices for your viewing pleasure.
Theater
Capitol Steps
Capitol Steps began as a group of Senate staffers who set out to satirize the very people and places that employed them.
In the years that followed, many of the Steps ignored the conventional wisdom ("Don't quit your day job!"), and although not all of the current members of the Steps are former Capitol Hill staffers, taken together the performers have worked in a total of eighteen Congressional offices and represent 62 years of collective House and Senate staff experience.
Arena Stage
The core purpose of Arena Stage is to produce huge plays of all that is passionate, exuberant, profound, deep and dangerous in the American spirit. Arena has broad shoulders and a capacity to produce anything from vast epics to charged dramas to robust musicals. Our focus is on theater of the Americas; we produce American classics, premieres of new plays and contemporary
stories. Our Arena is a forum, a coliseum, a place for audiences to argue, discuss and meet each other over the theatrical divide. At the center is art; all other programs thrive in concentric circles supporting the art.
Wolf Trap
As America's National Park for the Performing Arts, Wolf Trap plays a valuable leadership role in both the local and national performing arts communities. Through a wide range of artistic and education programs, Wolf Trap enhances our nation's cultural life and ensures that the arts remain accessible and affordable to the broadest possible audience.
Nissan Pavilion
Nissan Pavilion at Stone Ridge is an outdoor live performance amphitheatre with a 25,000 fan capacity, the largest in the Washington Metropolitan area. The Pavilion is located in semi-rural Prince William County which is approximately 35 miles west of our neighborhood.
Kennedy Center
The Kennedy Center, located on 17 acres overlooking the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., is America's living memorial to President Kennedy as well as the nation's busiest arts facility, presenting more than 3,000 performances each year. Touring Kennedy Center productions and its television, radio, and Internet broadcasts reach millions around the world. As part of the Kennedy Center's Performing Arts for Everyone outreach program, hundreds of free performances are offered each year featuring national and local artists; these include early-evening concerts on the Millennium Stage, dozens of performances during the annual Open House Arts Festival, and daily concerts of seasonal music in December as part of Holidays at the Kennedy Center. Since 1999, the Millennium Stage performances have been broadcast live over the Internet and digitally archived on the Kennedy Center's website.
The Shakespeare Theatre
Since its founding in 1985, The Shakespeare Theatre has endeavored to be the nation's leading force in the presentation and preservation of classic theatre. Our core mission is to present classic theatre in an accessible, skillful, imaginative, American style that honors playwrights' language and intentions while viewing their plays through a 21st-century lens. With the formation of the Harman Center for the Arts---which includes the new Sidney Harman Hall and the existing Lansburgh Theatre---the Shakespeare Theatre Company will become a national destination theatre offering a broad range of works to audiences in the greater-Washington area and across the nation.
Fords Theatre
Fords Theatre is a live, working theatre located in downtown Washington, DC. As a national historic and cultural site welcoming visitors from across the nation, Ford's Theatre blends its rich history with performance excellence in serving as a living tribute to President Lincoln's love of the performing arts. When Ford's Theatre re-opened its doors in 1968 --after having been closed 103 years --it truly was reclaimed as a national treasure for all Americans, and those of us who work here are mindful of that legacy and grateful that Ford's Theatre once again is a vibrant showcase for the performing arts that President Lincoln so appreciated.
Little Theatre of Alexandria
Located on Wolfe Street, the Little Theatre of Alexandria has year round productions. There holiday performances are fitting of the season. Plays here are well attended with some selling out weeks in advance. This Theatre is in the City of Alexandria and close to the luxuries of Old Town.
Other Venues
The Warner Theatre , The Smithsonian, the Artisphere, and the The MCI Center are nationally renown venues for theatre, sport and entertainment.
AMC theaters.
A Q & A with the director & Ian Mackaye
A sign for Little Theatre of Alexandria
A gentleman gets a photo with one of the film directors
The George Washington National Masonic Memorial is a landmark in Alexandria. It's located on Shuters Hill at the end of King Street above the Amtrak Station and King Street Metro. The monument overlooks Old Town, Del Ray and Fairfax County and West End Alexandria.
Group in colonial costume at George Washington Masonic National Memorial, Alexandria, Virginia 1932
Westward view from Alexandria House — the Masonic Temple
George Washington Masonic Temple at sunset
View of Carlyle District of Old Town Alexandria
The George Washington National Masonic Memorial is Masonic lodge, an area landmark and a memorial to our first President. It is visible from almost all points in the Carlyle District.
African Americans have been an important part of the Alexandria's history and vibrant community back to the city's founding in 1749. Both as enslaved people and as free men and women, African-Americans have contributed to the city's tapestry of life benefiting the community of Alexandria with rich economic and cultural contributions. Alexandria was a key city during the US Civil War and though Robert E. Lee is one of the city's sons, the city was quickly occupied by the Union and remained in Federal hands through-out the war.
After the war the city was segregated but a defining moment in the history of segregation in Alexandria occurred in 1939 when five young African-American men staged a "sit-in" at the city's segregated Queen Street Library. The young men brought focus to the issue of the inequality of educational opportunities and as a result Alexandria built the Robert Robinson Library in 1940. This library was used by African-Americans until desegregation in the early 1960's. Today, that structure is a foundational element of the Alexandria Black History Museum.
Alexandria Black History Museum
902 Wythe Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
Phone: (703) 838-4356
Fax: (703) 706-3999
In time, additional sites were added to the museum. At the eastern bound of the Carlyle District one will find the Alexandria African American Heritage Park. Next door to the Museum, the Watson Reading Room houses a non-circulating collection of books, videos, documents, and periodicals on African-American life and culture.
The African American Museum is a source of pride for all Alexandrians. The museum has a calendar of events and rotating exhibits, so check back even if you have already been to the museum. From Benjamin Banneker in Alexandria's earliest days, to Dr. Albert Johnson to Samuel Wilbert Tucker during the Civil Rights Movement, Alexandria is a focal point in that courageous and audacious journey that led to the diverse, vibrant and prosperous Alexandria of today.
Lyceum, 201 South Washington Street, Alexandria VA in 1968
Lyceum in Old Town Alexandria early in the 21st Century
The Lyceum is located on Washington St.
You might be surprised by the difference in how the Lyceum looked in the 1960's as opposed to today. Old Town is known for staying the same, but there has been a big change to the front of the Lyceum Art Center.
George Washington Parkway is one of the greatest attractions that can be found on the West side of the Potomac River. Stretching along from Mount Vernon Estates, it passes through Belle View and Old Town, all the way up to north of Arlington.
Some of our favorite parks along GW Parkway include:
Theodore Roosevelt Island,
The LBJ National Grove,
Gravelly Point Park,
Fort Marcy,
Turkey Run Park
Ornoco is one of several parks in Old Town Alexandria
Oronoco Bay Park
Oronoco Bay Park is close to Founders Park
Jones Point Park at the Woodrow Wilson Bridge
Welcome to Pohick Regional Park
Ben Brenman park is close to Cameron Station
A skate park in Alexandria in the summer
Welcome to Bucknell Manor Park
Jones Point Park transitions into Old Town
About the Author --- Aubrey Nesbitt is a native of Northern Virginia who attended Virginia Commonwealth University. He is a veteran of the US Army and helps his family business by providing informational articles like this one. In addition to photography and blogging, Aubrey provides administrative support for the office.
image courtesy of Harris Teeter
Foxchase Shopping Center is a recently renovated strip mall in West End Alexandria almost directly across the street from Forty Six Hundred (a high-rise condominium complex) and Mango Mike's (a casual dining restaurant and West End hang-out).
Foxchase is anchored by Harris Teeter, a high-end grocer. Other businesses at Foxchase include La Casa Restaurant, Hong Kong Express, General Dentistry by Dr. Paul Stasiewicz, Art Display Company, Rite Aid, Curves, Braids, Hana Tokyo Steak House, PNC Bank, Sleepy's, My Eye Dr. and more.
