If you have time for just one historic house tour in Alexandria, make it this one. It dates from 1753 when merchant and city founder, John Carlyle, built the most lavish mansion in town (which in those days was little more than log cabins and muddy lanes). The Georgian Palladian-style house is packed with paintings, historic relics and period furnishings that help bring the past to life.
Free tours are given on the hour and half-hour, where you'll get a fascinating glimpse into the lives of the gentry and servant alike who lived and worked here.
