Holiday Alert: Tickets on Sale Now for Historic Alexandria Candlelight Tour

(Editor’s note: The following information is courtesy of the City of Alexandria.)

See – and taste – historic Alexandria in a whole new light this holiday season! Historic Alexandria Candlelight Tour, Alexandria’s premier historic holiday event, blends chocolate and history through special tastings, seasonal decorations, period music, and tours highlighting chocolate through time. Three of Old Town Alexandria’s finest historic sites will welcome guests on Saturday, Dec. 13 and Sunday, Dec. 14 as The Historic Division of Mars sponsors this historic chocolate event.

This year’s tour includes Carlyle House Historic Park (121 North Fairfax Street), Gadsby’s Tavern Museum (134 North Royal Street), and Lee-Fendall House (614 Oronoco Street). Tour times are Saturday, Dec. 13, 6-9 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 14, 3-6 p.m.

The tour is self-guided and the sites may be visited in any order. A free shuttle is provided running in a continuous loop between the sites. Ticket prices are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors, and $5 for children (ages 6-17). Tickets for this event can be purchased online at http://shop.alexandriava.gov.

Historic chocolate is woven throughout the experience:

• Carlyle House, illuminated by candlelight, highlights chocolate during the French and Indian War, including American Heritage Chocolate® samples produced by Mars Chocolate North America.
• An 18th century coffee house comes to life at Gadsby’s Tavern Museum, enhanced by the scent of fresh greens and chocolate. See how chocolate goes from bean to beverage, “take” chocolate, and enjoy 18th-century music and dancing in the same room where George and Martha Washington danced.
• For the sights and tastes of a Victorian Christmas, the Lee-Fendall House will feature the latest 19th-century chocolate delicacy, fudge.

Old Town Alexandria is served by convenient public transportation, including the free King Street Trolley. Ample public parking is available at the Tavern Square and Market Square parking garages.

To learn more about other holiday events in historic Alexandria, please visit www.visitalexandriava.com and www.historicalexandria.org.

PHOTO: Stock photo of candlelight courtesy of peopleschurchchristmas.com