Sunset Sails, New Tour Part Of Tall Ship Providence's Return To Alexandria Waterfront

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Tall Ship Providence, a ship built for the 1976 American Bicentennial, has sailed back into Alexandria to a new permanent home. It will soon have a new tour and sunset sails for visitors to enjoy.

Tall Ship Providence will open for tours on Saturday, June 17 during the second day of the Portside in Old Town Summer Festival. It is located at a new permanent home, the Senator John Warner Maritime Heritage Center, at Alexandria’s Waterfront Park at the foot of King Street. The new center features an Education Center, a Naval History Theater, an Observation Deck, Ticket Office and Gift Shop.

When Tall Ship Providence opens to the public, it will have a new dockside tour, sunset sails, specialty sails and private charters. The Senator John Warner Maritime Heritage Center will also be available for venue rentals.

The dockside tour takes visitors back to 1776 in the Continental Navy. They will learn about Tall Ship Providence’s history from a sailor from the 18th century, meet legendary Captain John Paul Jones, and view the short film created for the tour, "Providence: Dawn of the U.S. Navy." Dockside tours will be offered Wednesdays to Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sunset sails will be held every Saturday and Sunday at 6 p.m. Visitors will learn about the Tall Ship Providence's history and enjoy sailing the Potomac River over two hours. A cash bar will be offered for drinks.

Specialty sunset sails are planned Fridays, featuring a local brewery, winery or distillery each week. Visitors will enjoy a flight of four beers, three wines, or a few spirits served by the brewery, winery or distillery while learning about Tall Ship Providence.

On opening weekend, a specialty sail will be held for Father's Day. Bourbon, Beer, & Brats will be a two-hour sail with brats, beer, and a sampling of bourbon from K.O. Distillery on June 18. Visitors can explore the decks and help set the sails for the trip.

Tall Ship Providence will also offer private tours, including a behind-the-scenes tour and meet-and-greet with Captain John Paul Jones. Visitors will learn about life on Tall Ship Providence and the role the ship played in the Continental Navy.

Tall Ship Providence is a replica of the first ship authorized to serve in the Continental Navy that was built for the 1976 American Bicentennial. It has appeared in various tall ship festivals as well as movies, including two "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies. The Tall Ship Providence Foundation, founded in 2017 to restore and display the ship, brought it to Alexandria in 2019. It initially hosted events like tours and sails. In 2022, it crossed the Potomac River to spend time at DC's Wharf, according to Alexandria Times. It returned overnight into Friday, prompting a rare opening of the Woodrow Wilson drawbridge.

The heritage center is named after the late Sen. John Warner, a veteran who served as U.S. Secretary of the Navy as well as five terms as a U.S. senator in Virginia. In 2021, he died of heart failure at age 94 in Alexandria.

For more information and tickets, visit tallshipprovidence.org.