Looking for a different way to celebrate the Christmas season with your family this year?  How about a trip to historical Alexandria, Virginia to experience Old Town’s annual Campagna Center’s Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend? 

The many activities planned for the weekend, as well as the numerous historical and cultural attractions of Alexandria make it a great place for a family vacation during the winter holiday season, or any time of year.  In 2007, the 37th annual Scottish Walk Weekend begins on Thursday evening, November 29, with the Torpedo Factory Art Center’s Holiday Open House, and concludes Saturday, December 1 with a boat parade in the city’s harbor. Other festivities continue through New Years.

More Than a Weekend... A Tradition

The City of Alexandria, which was founded in 1749 and is listed on the National Register of Historical Places, is steeped in history and is nationally recognized for its abundance of 18th- and 19th-century architecture.  The numerous historical attractions and sights, including nearby Mount Vernon, offer a family a wealth of interesting and educational activities.

Alexandria is building a different kind of tradition with its annual Campagna Center’s Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend, so-named because it is a celebration of the Scottish heritage of Alexandria, as well as other holiday season celebrations.  In 1664, Scotsman John Alexander purchased the land of present day Alexandria from an English ship captain for “six thousand pounds of Tobacco and Cask.”  The sponsoring Campagna Center has a long tradition of community service providing quality educational and developmental programming for vulnerable children and families, and proceeds from the Christmas walk benefit their many community programs.

The highlight of the Scottish Christmas Walk is a colorful parade featuring Scottish clans, bagpipe and drum bands, living history reenactment groups (the kids will get a kick out of the cannon and rifle firings) and local dignitaries. 

A favorite part of the parade for the many spectators that line the parade route is the hundreds of dogs, most of some sort of Scottish breed, that the parade walkers lead through the streets of Old Town.

Other events during the Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend include A Christmas Marketplace, where you just might find that perfect gift for someone special; a heather and greens sale; and a Holiday Designer Tour of Homes, where top interior designers and florists have decorated six homes in Old Town Alexandria for people to stroll through and enjoy. Many of the homes in Old Town are quite impressive and wonderfully decorated. Tickets for this event may be purchased on the Christmas Walk website or by calling (703/549-0111).  Another special event to look for is the Children’s Tea Party where kids can have their pictures taken with Santa and Plaid the Scottie dog.

The Parade of Lights & More Holiday Events

A holiday tradition that has become a treasured attraction in Alexandria is the Annual Holiday Parade of Lights, during which Alexandria’s harbor is aglow in light from the more than 50 brightly lit sailing and powered leisure boats cruise along the Potomac River at the city’s historic waterfront.  Festivities for this year’s parade, the 7th annual edition, will begin with refreshments and entertainment on the dock just outside the Torpedo Factory Art Center.  The Parade of Lights has become a good-natured, yet competitive event, as boat owners and their crew work hours on end to prepare their vessels with some of the interesting, clever, and festive light displays ever seen on water or land.

Other holiday activities during this weekend include a Kwanza Workshop at the Alexandria Black History Museum. During a family-friendly, interactive event, participants learn about this African-American celebration and how to incorporate it into their own holiday celebrations.  More information about this event and others at the museum is available on their site.

Plan to visit the Carlyle House for “A Soldier’s Christmas."  Here your family can experience life in colonial America during the holidays, with military drilling, music, and officers and ladies entertaining.  

Learn about the “First” First Family’s Christmas traditions, meet historic characters, and tour Mount Vernon (703/780-2000) by candlelight during their special holiday program.  Other "Historic Alexandria Candlelight Tours" of Carlyle House, Gadsby's Tavern Museum, Christ Church and the Lee-Fendall House are available through the Alexandria Convention and Visitors Association (703/388-4242).  Light refreshments are served, and tickets are $20, $15 for seniors and $5 for ages 6-17.

Alexandria - A “Top 25 Arts Destination”

The Torpedo Factory Art Center, located in Old Town on the Potomac River is now home to more than 165 working artists in 82 studios, all of whom welcome visitors to tour, browse, ask questions and purchase locally created art.  The building was an actual torpedo factory during World War I and then again during World War II.  In 1969, the City of Alexandria purchased the building and its surrounding complex, and five years later, work began to transform it into an art center.  Today, visitors can see one of the torpedoes manufactured there, as well as other mementos from the building’s fascinating past.  In addition to the studios, the center also houses six galleries and offers visitors a behind-the-scene look at the process of making art -- see a printmaker run the press or a painter make the final dash of color on a painting.  Many artists are eager to explain their process and inspiration.

In addition to the Torpedo Factory, Alexandria boasts numerous art galleries, boutiques, and craft shops creating a vibrant arts culture. It is this artistic interest that led more than 200,000 readers of American Style Magazine to select Alexandria as one of the “Top 25 Arts Destinations” in the country.

Details, Details

In the spring of 2008, a colorful new trolley service began along King Street, from the Potomac River waterfront to the King Street Metro station. This boon to those with strollers or the mobility challenged is free of charge and operates daily from 10am-10pm, stopping frequently so that visitors can hop on and off at the shops, restaurants and attractions found along Alexandria's historic main street.

We've made our case:  If you only have a few days to spend, you can find plenty of interesting and exciting activities right in Alexandria, called “The Fun Side of the Potomac.”  However, as much as there is to do in Alexandria and nearby Mount Vernon, Washington D.C. and all of its many attractions are just across the river. Making it easy and inexpensive to get to our nation’s capital, Alexandria is served by five different Metro stops.

Alexandria boasts a wealth of great eating establishments with families in mind. The Stardust Restaurant in north Old Town serves wonderful food, has a children’s menu, and will capture the kids’ interest immediately when they sit down and see the “stardust” sprinkled on the table. With the same owner/chef for the 10 years it has been open, Stardust is a popular restaurant for locals as well as out-of-town visitors.  There are plenty of other restaurants in the main part of Old Town. A very busy and “happening” place is the Union Street Public House. Or try Washingtonian Magazine’s nine-time winner of their “Best Family Restaurant” award, Generous George’s Positive Pizza and Pasta Place. This is a great family restaurant where kids can “make their own pizza.”

Alexandria has a wealth of choices for accommodations in a wide variety of price range, with many of the major hotel chains represented.  A listing of these can be found at the website of the Alexandria Convention & Visitors Bureau (which kindly provided the photographs seen here) or by visiting the Ramsay House Visitors Center (800/388-9119, 703/838-5005), open daily in Old Town at 221 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22314.  They offer a selection of bed & breakfasts, inns and guests houses, and more can be viewed by visiting the Alexandria & Arlington Bed & Breakfast Network ( 888/549-3415).

Jeff and Stephanie Sylva are retired high school teachers and have been travel writers for 18 years. Their daughter, Jennifer, is in college and often travels with them.