Blackbeard and brothels and bootleggers — oh, my!
Alexandria Colonial Tours has launched a new tour featuring both ghosts and pirates, and it has quickly become the historic tours company’s most popular option.
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Potomac River
Alexandria is set to unveil big plans along the waterfront and King Street in Old Town.
On Wednesday (Oct. 7), the city will seek approval from the Board of Architectural Review on major aesthetic and structural changes that would see red bricks replacing asphalt along the unit and 100 blocks of King Street, a 20-foot-wide walkway with a riverside railing running from Robinson Terminal South to the base of King Street, new promenades at Waterfront Park and Point Lumley Park and more.
The National Weather Service’s coastal flooding outlook has become more severe in Alexandria.
A Coastal Flood Warning has been issued for Alexandria through 10 a.m. Friday. Forecasters expect tidal flooding to cause up to one foot of inundation above ground level in low-lying areas around the Potomac River. The warning especially applies to high tide, which are at 7:22 a.m. and 7:45 p.m. Thursday.
President Donald Trump (R) has rolled back a 2009 executive order that has guided mandates for the Chesapeake Bay’s cleanup for more than 17 years. The action took aim at localities like Alexandria with stormwater utility fees.
The White House said the 2009 executive order created a “broad mandate” for states and localities to improve the Chesapeake Bay’s health “without providing clarity on how to implement that order’s requirements.” According to the feds, Virginia — collectively with New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, D.C., Delaware and West Virginia — has met 100% of the goal for sediment reduction, 90% for phosphorus reduction, and 57% for nitrogen reduction.
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As rainfall continued Tuesday, Alexandria could see coastal flooding impacts along the Potomac River through most of the week.
The National Weather Service extended the Coastal Flood Advisory for Alexandria to 2 p.m. Thursday. The risk of coastal flooding on the Potomac River shoreline is greater during high tide. The next high tides will be 6:25 p.m. Tuesday and 6:38 a.m. Wednesday.
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.
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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.