Unlock Her Story: A Women's History Walking Tour of Alexandria

The Alexandria Visitor Center is a fitting place to begin your tour, where you can pick up maps and brochures about city attractions and learn about the Old Town matriarch that once lived in this historic 18th century home. One of Alexandria’s founders, William Ramsay, resided here with his wife Ann, a relative of George Washington’s mother Mary Ball Washington. In addition to raising eight children, Ann Ramsay’s public service included serving as treasurer of Fairfax County and working as a philanthropist to support the Continental Army. She proved to be one of the most important fundraisers for the American Revolution, raising more than $75,000 in 18th century currency.

Down the block, two more Alexandria women are writing their own chapter . She’s Unique, owned by best friends and business partners Bridget Nistico and Rosio Garcia, stocks boldly simple necklaces, earrings, rings and bracelets meant to be worn every day. It’s also located in one of Alexandria’s famous spite houses.

Disclaimer: This stop is temporarily closed due to renovations to City Hall & Market Square. During this time, the Vola Lawson Lobby will be inaccessible. However, we expect it to reopen in the coming years. Read more about route changes to walking tours here. 

Turn the corner and enter Old Town’s beautiful Alexandria City Hall at the Cameron Street entrance to pay appreciation for one of the city’s female leaders of the modern era. The lobby here honors Vola Lawson, Alexandria’s first woman to serve as City Manager, who worked in her post from 1985 to 2001. Lawson founded the Office of Women during her tenure and focused on empowering women by improving childcare, early childhood education, economic development, and housing. A popular waterfront happy hour spot, Vola’s Dockside Grill, honors the legacy of Lawson, who dedicated 48 years to public service and played a pivotal role in securing final approval for Alexandria’s waterfront redevelopment plan. 

Across the street from City Hall is The Shoe Hive/The Hive, a destination for in-the-know fashion fans to shop brands like Mansur Gavriel, Tibi and Ulla Johnson.

The hospitality business goes way back in Old Town, and female tavernkeepers and entrepreneurs are a key part of the history of Gadsby’s Tavern Museum, located less than a block away from City Hall. Mary Hawkins ran a tavern on this site in the 1770s, and notable guests included George Washington. Hannah Griffith also operated a coffeehouse in this building from 1794 to 1800, known as the prestigious Alexandria Coffee-House. Another woman from this era is reportedly spotted here to this day: don’t be surprised if you see a ghost tour stopping here to discuss the ghostly figure nicknamed the “Female Stranger,” who has been known to haunt Gadsby’s Tavern.

Long-running Old Town boutique Gossypia on Cameron Street sells colorful, eclectic clothing and folk art and jewelry.

Cross over King Street towards Duke Street, where you can stand in the spot that was once home to Alexandria’s first hospital, made possible by an influential female philanthropist. The Alexandria Infirmary opened in 1872 thanks to the work of Julia Johns, who along with an all-female board of trustees prompted the city to create a designated spot to heal the sick. When Julia Johns died in Alexandria in 1883, one of her obituaries read: “…To her noble efforts, even while sick and suffering, Alexandria owes the existence of the Infirmary, and many of the poor of our city speak her name with tender blessings.”

Love the hunt of shopping secondhand? Two consignment shops are nearby: Mint Condition carries women’s designer brands while 529 Kids Consign is essential for little ones’ wardrobes.

Continuing along Duke Street, you’ll run into the home of a famous Alexandria suffragist who played a key role in the passage of the 19th Amendment that granted American women the right to vote. Kate Waller Barrett was the first president of the Alexandria chapter of the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia and a founding member of the Virginia League of Women Voters, and she became known for her powers of persuasion in public speaking. She also supported a wide range of social causes, from opening rescue homes for pregnant mothers to improving working conditions for women and children. A widow, Barrett raised her six children alone. Her good works included opening her home to wounded and ill returning U.S. troops during World War I and the 1918 flu pandemic. When Barrett died at this home in 1925, this marked the first time that state and national flags were ever flown at half-mast for a woman.

Head back to S. Royal Street for a quintessential indie book shop, Old Town Books and its kid sibling, Old Town Books, Jr., stocked with bestsellers for kids and grownups alike. Owner Ally Kirkpatrick believes the power of stories brings people together–something she’s working to achieve in her bookstore.Kirkpatrick, a writer herself, is currently at work on a book of her own. It’s a fitting stop on a walk like this one, where Alexandria’s stories old and new sit side by side on the shelves.

Walk a block and a half and you’ll run into a historic marker on Saint Asaph Street that denotes Alexandria’s important role in the fight for women’s struggle for the right to vote, marking the spot where the Old Customs House stood. Here, 32 suffragist prisoners appeared for a hearing in November 1917. They had been jailed for their activism and suffered mistreatment at a workhouse in Occoquan, Virginia, with some women beaten and force-fed. The Alexandria judge declared the Suffragists should not have been detained at the Workhouse.

Pick up a bottle for your next dinner party or just a relaxing evening at home at Wine Gallery 108, an unpretentious shop with a highly curated selection of wine and delicious snacks. Owner Lisa Katic encourages shoppers to peruse through an array of flavorful bottles of wine, elegantly sitting upon its shelves like living pieces of art.

The first African American site to be excavated in Alexandria, giving historians a better view into the lives of Black women and children in the 19th century. In 1850, enslaved servant Harriet Williams is believed to have lived with her daughter and grandchildren in a one-story frame house on this site. What we know about her life can be traced back to artifacts discovered here in the late 1960s, including ceramic and porcelain objects, many of which may be seen at Alexandria’s Archaeology Museum. 

Double back to Cameron Street to Arielle Shoshanna, which calls itself a “perfume playground” where you can find your signature scent.

Cross back over King Street and a few blocks up to the headquarters for the Office of Historic Alexandria, which boasts its own historic past. The Lloyd House is the former home of suffragist leader Caroline Hallowell Miller, who spoke at the National Women’s Suffrage Convention in 1883 after an introduction by the famed women’s rights activist Susan B. Anthony. The gardens of Lloyd House are open to the public.

Get a coffee to go at Misha’s Coffeehouse, a perennially-packed spot for a caffeine pick-me-up.

Head around the corner and look for the placard on this beige three-story building, which traces back a long history of female empowerment. The first floor here housed the first female free school in Virginia. The Washington Society and Elizabeth Washington of Hayfield, Virginia funded the school, which ceased operations during the Civil War when it became a stable and hospital. Even before this building was constructed, the land here was once owned by Margaret Brent, an advocate for women’s right to vote in the 1600s. An accomplished litigator, Brent achieved the nickname as the “nation’s first woman lawyer” from the American Bar Association.

A few blocks away on King Street, shop for goods for the home at Red Barn Mercantile. This is one of three stylish boutiques owned by Amy Rutherford, along with stationery shop Penny Post and toy store Pippin Toy Co.

This was once a manufacturing town, and if you walk towards Old Town North , you’ll see where Alexandria women jumped into the workforce to aid the U.S. during World War I. What once was the Portner Brewery transitioned into the Briggs Aeroplane Company, later known as the Alexandria Aircraft Corporation. This factory opened in 1917 with the goal of building aircraft for the U.S. Navy, and 1918 saw the completion of its first plane.

Need sustenance during your walk? Hank’s Oyster Bar is a local favorite for seafood, with a rooftop deck for al fresco dining. Owner Jamie Leeds has created a family-friendly space that immerses visitors in a coastal dining atmosphere that captures the charm and lull of seaside life.

Head east on Pendleton Street back towards King Street and the waterfront to end your tour at Old Town’s beloved Torpedo Factory Art Center, which wouldn’t exist as it is today without the efforts of two professional female artists. Marge Alderson and Marian Van Landingham led the 1973 campaign to convert this art deco-style building into a collection of artist studios that are all open to the public. More than 165 artists work, exhibit, and sell their art across three floors in the former home of a munition facility that operated during World War I and II. On the third floor, you’ll find the Alexandria Archaeology Museum, which has been led by female directors throughout its history. Stop in to see more artifacts from Alexandria’s storied past.

Pick up something to remember the day at the Old Town Shop, an Alexandria gift shop offering T-shirts, housewares, ornaments and regional foods like Virginia peanuts. Owner Dawn Davis wants every customer to take a little piece of Alexandria home with them.

From 18th-century fundraisers to 21st-century founders, every stop on this walk unlocks a different chapter of Alexandria’s women’s history. The story is still being written — and you’re invited to help turn the page on your next visit.