A Gem On The Outskirts Of The Nation's Capital

Just a short trip from the hustle and bustle from Washington D.C. lies the quaint little town of Alexandria, VA.  Founded in 1749, Alexandria is rich in history and is filled with wonderful boutiques, cafes, restaurants, museums, and an ancient torpedo factory, which is now a giant art gallery.

The main thoroughfare in Alexandria is King Street.  This part is called Old Town.  You take the Metro blue or yellow lines out to King Street in Virginia.  A free shuttle bus is available and runs along King Street between the metro station and the Torpedo Factory Art Center and the marina, which is all the way at the end of the street.  

I would recommend taking the shuttle bus one way only, either to or from the metro because I want you to take the time browsing through many of the shops that King Street has to offer.  If you choose to walk down king street first, stop for some coffee at Misha's located at the corner of King and South Patrick street.  They have friendly baristas that will give you a nice cup of joe.  Now all you have to do is just stroll King Street.  Trust me, you won't be disappointed.  On the way you will find a wig store.  Not only do they sell ones for women, but for men as well.  The weirdest thing is that on one of them, they used a mustache and hair on a women's face...

Anyway...Once you get to the end of King Street, you come across this giant building labeled the Torpedo Factory.  It used to be, as it is called, a torpedo factory, but now it is home to many different artists selling and showing off their work.  You can even catch them while working!   Just outside is the marina and it is very relaxing to chill their on a nice day.  

After all of this, there is a great candy store that is a must go to, especially if you LOVE saltwater taffy!  The place is called Candi's Candies located at 107 North Fairfax Street.  Once you walk in to this colonial style entry way/building, you will say to yourself, "Okay, this is interesting, nice little store, ooooo looook they have my favorite candy," all that bullsh*t.  You have to go though the brick archway, and you will be like holy f**k I've never seen anything like this!  
In a relatively large space, there are roughly 40 barrels filled with different types of taffy including, maple, chocolate, banana, cotton candy, and popcorn to name just a few. It's just mind blowing when you walk in here!  A great selection of regular candy plus a MEGA selection of saltwater taffy. What could be better!? 

Well gang, that's pretty much Alexandria for you! It's a great little town just outside of D.C. with loads of history and is a great place to take the family!