If you’re on a road trip and happen to be winding your way through Virginia, make sure to spend some time in Alexandria. Sure, there’s plenty of great food and museums in the area, but if want a truly memorable experience, you should look for some of the more unique attractions Alexandria has to offer. Here are some of the top strange attractions to visit in Alexandria.
The Apothecary MuseumÂ
The Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary shop opened in 1792, and it’s one of, if not the, oldest apothecary in the United States. Due to the rise of synthetic drugs and legislation to favor it, the shop closed in 1933 and re-opened as a museum six years later. Still open to the public, you can visit this piece of American medical history. When it was running, the shop also sold farm equipment, dentistry tools, soap, cigars, brushes, and other general goods. Many of these items are on display as well.
This museum is chock-full of little historical trivia and things that will just make you say “wow.” For example, one display features invoices for Robert E. Lee and Martha Washington. It’s not every day that you get to see historical artifacts like this. Many of the shop’s original containers, which still contain ingredients, are on display today, giving an amazing snapshot of what life was like leading up to the early 1930s. Guided tours run every half hour at quarter past and quarter to each hour.
The Hollensbury Spite House
Currently, the Hollensbury Spite House is the narrowest standing building in the United States. The Hollensbury Spite House is only seven feet wide and 25 feet long. At one point there was a five-foot-wide house in New York, but it has since been demolished, giving the title to Hollensbury. A spite house is a building which is constructed with the sole purpose of irritating neighbors or specific parties.
In this case, John Hollensbury’s home was situated next to an alley. Horse-drawn wagons would drive through the alley and scratch the walls of his home. To prevent this, he built a house occupying the alley. When you tour the house, you’ll observe how John used the exterior walls of the two homes on either side of the alley as the interior walls of his spite house. You’ll also see the divots in the wall caused by the offending wagons.
Tour Gadsby’s Tavern
This revolutionary wartime bar and tavern has had an impressive guest list over the years, including names such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and many others. Now, the building operates seasonally as a museum where you can learn about revolutionary history and enjoy the historically accurate architecture. The tavern now serves a menu inspired by the food eaten in colonial America.
There are a lot of interesting stops to make in Alexandria, Virginia. If you have the time, try to visit each of the unique venues on this list. You may even learn something new, inspiring, or exciting on your adventures in Alexandria!
Image via Flickr by dewitahs/Under use by CC BY 2.0
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