An Afternoon in Old Town

After learning Steph had yet to be to Old Town and it was on her DC bucket list, the two of us decided to spend the afternoon playing tourist.  The first item on the list was The George Washington Masonic National Memorial. 

For those of out of the loop, GW is a well known Freemason.  Dedicated in 1932, this 333 foot tall memorial is likened after the Lighthouse of Alexandria in Egypt (Seven Wonders of the Ancient World). The idea to construct the memorial was proposed by the Fredericksburg Lodge and after fifty years the spot on Shooter's Hill was selected; it was once in the running to house the Capitol building.  In the early 1900s there was a strong desire to construct a fire proof building to house several items owned or used by Washington.  The building has an extensive history so if you want to learn more click here. 

After 45 minutes of seeing various rooms and historical pieces we finally headed to the top.  

From there you got a 360* view of Alexandria, DC and National Harbor. 

After an afternoon wandering around Old Town and the Torpedo Factory Art Center we grabbed Dan and headed over to Port City Brewing.  At the turn of the 20th Century, Alexandria was home to Portner Brewing Company, the largest brewery in the southern US.  Sadly, like many other breweries and distilleries, once Prohibition was enacted the brewery went out of business.  Fast forward one hundred years and Port City Brewing Company was started and has been winning local and national awards. 

The three of us were glad to enjoy some air conditioning and work our way through everything on tap.  While we did hop on the tour, the three of us were busy chatting and missed most of the information our tour guide was giving. 

All in all, a successful afternoon.