What a summer it’s been for tourism in Alexandria.
With tourism boosted by America’s 250th birthday celebration and Alexandria’s participation in a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” hosting a World Cup team, Visit Alexandria CEO Todd O’Leary and staff reported to City Council on Tuesday night (Sept. 8) that hotel stays are up, revenue per available room is up and so is the percentage of visitors staying overnight.
The Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge will have a drawbridge opening early Thursday morning (Sept. 3).
Drivers should expect delays, as the 12-lane drawbridge is set to open over the Potomac River from 1-1:20 a.m., according to the Virginia Department of Transportation.
The Mount Vernon Trail has secured a place in Rails to Trails Conservancy’s catalog of the nation’s best trails.
Trails advocacy organization Rails to Trails Conservancy announced that the Mount Vernon Trail received 58% of public votes to win the Hall of Fame accolade. The other nominees were National Battlefield Trail in Texas and the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail in Ohio. Public voting was open from Aug. 5 to 16.
The 18.5-mile Mount Vernon Trail is vying for the Rails to Trails Conservancy’s 2026 Trail Hall of Fame and needs public votes to win the accolade.
Mount Vernon Trail is one of three nominees for Rails to Trails Conservancy’s Hall of Fame, which the nonprofit has been recognizing multi-use trails on since 2007. Other nominees this year are the National Battlefield Trail in Texas and the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail in Ohio. Online voting started Aug. 5 and closes Aug. 16. Mount Vernon Trail fans can vote daily.
The floating kayak launch at Four Mile Run Park washed away from its moorings after heavy rainstorms over the weekend.
On Sunday afternoon (Aug. 2), a stabilizing cable that kept the kayak launch in place snapped after too much pressure during high tide from trees and other floating debris. City staff were at the park on Tuesday afternoon to close the walkway leading down to the vacant space. The launch is now resting underneath the Route 1 bridge, and caution tape and a construction sign have been erected to bar anyone from using the walkway.
A man was rescued after reportedly jumping into the Potomac River at Jones Point Park near the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge on Monday night (July 20).
The incident occurred around 8:50 p.m., and the man was not injured and declined transport to the hospital. Alexandria Fire Department dispatches at the time suggested the man had been drinking and jumped into the water at the fishing pier to go swimming.
A new public dashboard will help residents stay informed on different aspects of water quality in the Potomac River.
The Reservoir Center for Water Solutions launched the dashboard in June alongside Anacostia Riverkeeper, Anacostia Watershed Society and Potomac Riverkeeper Network.
After news broke this week that the Tall Ship Providence was suspending operations, a nonprofit aimed at creating a national maritime museum along the Alexandria waterfront has gone public.
Marion Smith, president of the United States Maritime Foundation, told ALXnow the organization has entered into a legal agreement with the property owner at 1 Prince Street and is currently fundraising and looking for a second location for additional programming nearby. He also said the foundation is working to acquire the Tall Ship Providence Foundation’s floating pier, the Tall Ship Providence itself and take over its entire operation at Waterfront Park after signing a memorandum of understanding to do so by 2028.
The Alexandria-based Tall Ship Providence Foundation is suspending its educational and tour programs on the Potomac River, effective Friday, June 26, the organization announced today (Monday).
The decision, which was recently made by the nonprofit’s board, means Tall Ship Providence will be sold if significant funding is not found, the organization’s Executive Director Kathy Seifert told ALXnow. As it stands, the bar at the floating pier at Waterfront Park will stay open to pay for upkeep of the ship, which Seifert says will stay docked in Alexandria until the end of the summer.
The Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge will have a drawbridge opening briefly tonight (Monday) to allow for the passage of yacht race participants.
The drawbridge is scheduled to open at 10 p.m. to allow for passage of vessels participating in the 40,000-nautical-mile Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, the city announced. The bridge opening is expected to last 15 to 20 minutes.
There’s more than one reason to stay up late — the Woodrow Wilson Bridge will be opening twice in the early hours of Tuesday morning (June 16).
The bridge will first open at 12:01 a.m. for the passing of the Gazela, a 19th-century fishing vessel docked in Alexandria over the weekend as part of the city’s America250 celebration. The opening will last 15 to 20 minutes, according to DC Police Traffic on X.
