tourism | ALXnow

City Releasing Torpedo Factory Draft Action Plan Today

Published October 16, 2020 at 10:35AM | Updated October 20, 2020 at 11:41AM

The Torpedo Factory Art Center in Old Town (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria will release a draft action plan for revitalizing the Torpedo Factory Art Center today (October 16), and the proposal on the table includes a front entrance on the waterfront and a more interactive experience for families.

The city took over operations of the Torpedo Factory in 2016, and the art center traditionally sees more than a half a million visitors every year. But Diane Ruggiero, the city’s deputy director for recreation, parks and cultural activities, says that it doesn’t have a family-friendly atmosphere.

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POLL: Are You Traveling This Holiday Season?

By James Cullum

Published October 13, 2020 at 5:00PM

At Gravelly Point, a man in a folding chair reads a book as planes land outside Reagan National Airport (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

The 2020 holiday season is before us, but the Alexandria Health Department is advising residents to stay home.

For thousands of residents, the annual fall and winter celebrations are heartwarming chances for friends and family to reconnect, however this year has been all about limited gatherings.

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Alexandria Named Fifth Best Small City in U.S. by Condé Nast Traveler

By James Cullum

Published October 7, 2020 at 10:15AM

Walking on King Street in Old Town, Alexandria (staff photo by James Cullum)

Even after an unforgettable year stricken by a pandemic, Alexandria has been named one of the best small cities in the United States.

Alexandria took the fifth spot in the Condé Nast Traveler’s 33rd annual Readers’ Choice Awards. The city placed third last year and fourth the year before that.

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Visit Alexandria Hosting Food Drive Until October 15

By James Cullum

Published October 1, 2020 at 5:00PM

Bags of food from ALIVE! were given to Arlandria residents on May 21, 2020 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria’s tourism bureau is participating in a COVID Relief Food Drive starting today and ending on October 15.

Visit Alexandria says that the food will benefit individuals in the hospitality industry who have been impacted by COVID-19.

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Visit Alexandria Launches Virtual Tours and Experiences Page

By James Cullum

Published September 29, 2020 at 11:45AM | Updated October 1, 2020 at 11:42AM

If you’re staying in tonight, Visit Alexandria has launched a new virtual tour and experiences page.

Tourism has taken a substantial hit during the pandemic, and the effort allows visitors to virtually stroll down King Street, take a virtual ghost tour and get in a yoga workout.

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Visit Alexandria Thanks Business Community for Adapting to the Times

By James Cullum

Published September 24, 2020 at 11:45AM

Lower King Street in Old Town, Alexandria, in June 2020. (Staff photo by James Cullum)

It has been a year full of challenges, and on Wednesday night Visit Alexandria’s annual report was different than years past. The event was virtual and this year the city’s tourism bureau and city leaders thanked and congratulated business owners and the community for making it this far through the pandemic.

“I’ve been inspired over the last six months to see the businesses in our community bravely fight through the worst year they have ever seen, mustering their incredible creativity, their flexibility and their partnership.,” said Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson, adding that the city lost $12 million in consumption-based taxes that have not been collected.

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First Lady Northam, Officials Promote Safe Tourism Amid Pandemic in Alexandria

By James Cullum

Published July 23, 2020 at 10:30AM | Updated July 23, 2020 at 1:02PM

First Lady of Virginia Pamela Northam talks about tourism at the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Old Town on Thursday

Tourism in Alexandria isn’t what it used to be. With local economies devastated by the pandemic, First Lady of Virginia Pamela Northam visited Alexandria on Wednesday (July 22) to promote safe tourism and congratulate the city on winning a $10,000 grant for its Great Walks program.

“In 2018, Virginia tourists spent more than $26 billion here, and this put 235,000 people to work and contributed $1.8 billion in local and state tax revenue,” Northam told a small audience in the Torpedo Factory Art Center. “This year, however, our tourism and hospitality industries have been among the hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic.”

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Morning Notes

By James Cullum

Published July 7, 2020 at 9:00AM

Beyer Warns of Looming Economic Catastrophe — “For months we’ve propped up the economy with strong government stimulus, especially unemployment benefits. Those benefits will expire in 25 days amid dire state and local government shortfalls. McConnell and Trump remain opposed to extending them. Economic catastrophe looms.” [Twitter]

ACPS Asks for Community Input With Reopening Survey — “We are aware that the situation we are facing is unprecedented, constantly changing, and requires a degree of flexibility from all of us. You will be asked to make a decision about your commitment to return to school in late July. By that time you will have a clear idea of our anticipated reopening plans for the fall to assist you in your decision.” [ACPS]

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The Manumission Tour Company is Back in Business in Alexandria

By James Cullum

Published June 22, 2020 at 2:00PM | Updated June 22, 2020 at 2:34PM

The Robert Robinson Library opened to the African Americans on 902 Wythe Street on April 24, 1940, eight months after one of America's first sit-in demonstrations took place at the segregated Alexandria Library on Queen Street. (Photo via Manumission Tour Company)

City Councilman John Taylor Chapman never learned Alexandria’s real African American history in school, and now he’s teaching everyone who will listen. After a coronavirus-related hiatus, his Manumission Tour Company is officially back on track with in-person tours of Alexandria’s Black historical sites.

“I did not feel that I knew some of the stories that I’m telling now when I was growing up,” Chapman told ALXnow.

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Alexandria Participating in Virginia for Restaurant Lovers Takeout Week

By James Cullum

Published March 30, 2020 at 5:15PM

Deliver, carryout or curbside pickup? Alexandria is one of dozens of Virginia localities now participating in the Virginia is the Restaurant Lovers Takeout Week.

The March 30-April 5 effort to help out local restaurants impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic was organized by the Virginia Tourism Corporation and Virginia Restaurant, Lodging, and Travel Association.

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Upcoming Tour at Fort Ward Shows the Uniforms and Equipment of Civil War Soldiers

By Vernon Miles

Published February 10, 2020 at 10:30AM | Updated February 10, 2020 at 10:53AM

Fort Ward Museum staff shows models with Union uniforms to guests (photo courtesy Fort Ward Museum)

One week after Lee-Jackson Day was nixed, the Union is preparing for its latest show of force at Alexandria’s Fort Ward.

The Fort Ward Museum — which covers the history of one of the best-preserved Union forts that formed the defenses of Washington, D.C. during the Civil War — is scheduling its annual “outfitting the men” program for next Saturday, Feb. 22, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.