History & Guide

History is nurtured and treasured in the City of Alexandria and in neighboring South Fairfax County. A History Lover's Guide to Alexandria & South Fairfax County focuses on this special area along the Potomac River.

Travel through history from Old Town to Mason's Neck and witness the practice of preservation as it continues to evolve today. Alexandria cares for the places essential to understanding our shared past, from cobblestone streets to the always active waterfront. Visit the numerous museums and historic houses, many of which are iconic in American history, in Old Town. Learn the stories of Alexandria's African American community, from slavery to freedom. Discover neighborhoods like Del Ray and Seminary Hill. South of the city, travel the George Washington Memorial Parkway and walk in the footsteps of Washington himself.

Historian and preservationist Laura Macaluso draws connections between city and county, and between past and present.

Local author Kristin Thrower Stowe guides a series of expeditions through the River City's past.

Best known as the capital of the Confederacy, Richmond's history encompasses much more than the Civil War. Visit the state capitol, designed by Thomas Jefferson and tour Shockoe Bottom, one of the city's oldest neighborhoods. Follow the route that enslaved people took from the ships to the auction block on the Richmond Slave Trail. Go back to Gilded Age Richmond at the Jefferson Hotel and learn the history of the statues that once lined the famed Monument Avenue. See less-visited sites like the Maggie Walker Home and the Black History Museum in the historically African American Jackson Ward neighborhood.

This ultimate guide to the most notable historic sites in and around Washington is perfect for transit-oriented tourists and residents alike.

Explore every museum, monument, mural and more - each within walking distance of a Metro station. The Metro system covers more than 115 miles with ninety-one stations, allowing millions each year to easily access some of the area's most beautiful, celebrated locations. Don't miss President Lincoln's Cottage in Petworth or the Friendship Archway in D.C.'s Chinatown. Learn the history of Wolf Trap and the story behind the Big Chair in Anacostia. Author Michelle Goldchain is your guide to the capital's famous sites and best hidden attractions.

Columbia, South Carolina, sits in a perfect position--each of the numerous treasures of the Palmetto State is less than a day's drive from the capital.

Near Charleston, 137 miles from Columbia, you can enjoy more than seventeen thousand square feet of shade from the iconic Angel Oak. In Blackville, 49 miles from Columbia, you can visit a natural spring that has been deeded to God since 1944. A 53-mile trip to Edgefield will put you in the heart of Peach Country, where you can see many of the peach orchards that make South Carolina one of the nation's leading producers of the sweet fruit. Join author and day-tripper Tom Poland as he maps the beautiful treasures of South Carolina.

Writer H.L. Mencken--the Sage of Baltimore--called her a "wicked seaport'? but where "the old charm, in truth, still survives.'?

Neither Southern nor Northern, Baltimore has charted her own course through the American Experience. The spires of the nation's first cathedral rose into her sky, and the first blood of the Civil War fell on her streets. Here, enslaved Frederick Douglass toiled before fleeing to freedom and Billie Holiday learned to sing. Baltimore's clippers plied the seven seas while her pioneering railroads opened the prairie West. The city that birthed "The Star-Spangled Banner'? also gave us Babe Ruth and the bottle cap. This guide navigates nearly 300 years of colorful history--from Johns Hopkins' learned philanthropy to the raucous camp of John Waters, and from modest rowhouses to the marbled mansions of the Gilded Age.

Let local authors Brennen Jensen and Tom Chalkey introduce you to Mencken's "ancient and solid'? city.

Learn about the Potomac River and its significant role in American history.

The great Potomac River begins in the Alleghenies and flows 383 miles through some of America's most historic lands before emptying into the Chesapeake Bay. The course of the river drove the development of the region and the path of a young republic. Maryland's first Catholic settlers came to its banks in 1634 and George Washington helped settle the new capitol on its shores. During the Civil War the river divided North and South, and it witnessed John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry and the bloody Battle of Antietam. Author Garrett Peck leads readers on a journey down the Potomac, from its first fount at Fairfax Stone in West Virginia to its mouth at Point Lookout in Maryland. Combining history with recreation, Peck has written an indispensable guide to the nation's river.

Crack open these pages to learn that Virginia is truly for History Lovers.

Begun in the seventeenth century as a small settlement nestled along the Elizabeth River, Norfolk grew into a vibrant port city by the Revolutionary War. The city spread out from its earliest neighborhoods like the Freemason District into 19th century enclaves like Ghent on the Hague. 20th century Norfolk was marked by its development into a bustling Navy town. Journey through the vibrant past of this multifaceted locale, guided by expert authors from local museums, historical organizations, and city institutions. Walk the city's most historic neighborhoods and learn the history of its beachside communities. End with suggestions of places to eat and play that evoke traces of Norfolk's past.