Page 16 - DreamScapes Magazine | Winter/Spring 2023

UPPERVILLE COLT AND HORSE SHOW, LOUDOUN COUNTY
GEORGE WASHINGTON'S MOUNT VERNON, FAIRFAX COUNTY
SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY, FAIRFAX COUNTY
SPRING BLOOMS, ALEXANDRIA
16 DREAMSCAPES WINTER/SPRING 2023
SHOP SMALL AND RELAX RIVERSIDE
Time to head next door to Old Town Alexandria for a ramble along the historic King Street. It’s home to hundreds of local boutiques spanning charming home decor and handcrafted jewellery to local bookstores and sustainable staples. Strolling towards the waterfront, I often admire the nearby rowhouses’ charming 18th and 19th century archi- tecture, especially along cobblestoned Captain’s Row. Feel transported to Europe as you enjoy happy hour along King Street’s pedestrian zone, known as streeteries. These patio-style eateries that line the sidewalks brim with local favourites like nostalgia-inducing Pop’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream, where you’ll salivate as you peer in the window and spy the glorious soft serve machine in its fitting vintage setting. Be sure to explore the city’s flourishing arts scene, from the temporary public art at Waterfront Park to the Torpedo Factory Art Center, home to the largest collection of publicly accessible working artist studios in the U.S. New alfresco dining options abound in Alexandria’s Robinson Landing development where you can luxuriate over dishes cooked to perfection on an open wood-fired stove at Ada’s on the River.
PUTT PUTT WITH A VIEW
After relaxing riverside, journey 13 kilometres south into Fairfax County to America’s most visited historic estate: George Washington’s Mount Vernon. Tour the mansion, explore the lush gardens and grounds, take specialty tours, and get to know America’s first presi- dent. Mount Vernon just scratches the surface of Fairfax County’s thriving history and culture scene. Walk under the wing of an iconic NASA space shuttle at a Smithsonian museum, attend a concert under the stars at Wolf Trap, the only National Park dedicated to the per- forming arts, or explore local art in a former prison with ties to the suffragist movement at the Workhouse Arts Center. Top it off with a visit to The Perch at Capital One Center, an epic new “park-in-the-sky”
PHOTOS: DOUGLAS GRAHAM | DANE PENLAND | VISIT FAIRFAX | MOUNT VERNON | CAROL JEAN STALUN | CHRIS CRUZ/VISIT ALEXANDRIA | WAYNE WARD