We kicked off our 2021 events with a women’s history ride on Saturday, March 27. We met at Jones Point Park, then hopped on our bikes and rode to parks, schools, and other city facilities named after notable Alexandrian women. See photos here. If you would like to do a self-guided version of the women’s history ride, a guide to the route and stops is available here.  

Our next events were a public art ride on Saturday, April 24 and a public art walk on Sunday, April 25. The public art ride visited the sites of four temporary art installations for 2021, as well as other statutes, murals, and sculptures around the city. See photos here. To do a self-guided version of the 2021 public art ride, check out the ride guide available here. The public art walk went by two new murals that were completed just last year, plus other public art in Old Town and Old Town North. See photos here. If you’d like to do the public art walk at your own time and pace, a walk guide is available here.  

Our May event was a garden ride + walk on Sunday, May 16 to visit some of Alexandria’s community gardens, butterfly gardens, learning gardens, and other types of gardens. See photos here. If you’d like to do a self-guided version of the tour, a guide for the ride is available here and a guide for the walk is available here.

Our June event was a Black history ride on Saturday, June 26 to visit nine sites associated with Alexandria’s extraordinary Black history. Among other things, we talked about Virginia Theological Seminary’s groundbreaking reparations program, the important work being done by the Alexandria Community Remembrance Project to honor the memory of Alexandria’s two lynching victims, and how Earl Lloyd rose from humble beginnings in Alexandria to become the first Black NBA player. See photos here. If you’re interested in doing a self-guided version, the ride guide is available here.

In July, we explored sites in Alexandria associated with U.S. presidents. On Saturday, July 10, we organized a presidential history ride to visit some of the restaurants Obama ate at, the site of one of JFK’s campaign rallies, the dry cleaner that Ford and Clinton trusted most, and more. See photos here. If you’d like to do the tour at your own time and pace, a ride guide is available here. The presidential history walk on Sunday, July 11 stopped by ten sites in Old Town, including the tavern visited by the first five presidents and the church where Presidents Clinton and Obama attended services. See photos here. To do a self-guided version, see the walk guide here.  

Our August event was an entertainment history ride, visiting sites in the city associated with music, movies, and TV shows — including the legendary concert venue The Birchmere, the house where Jim Morrison lived as a teenager, and the house where the Foo Fighters recorded a Grammy-winning album. See recap and photos here. To do a self-guided version, see the ride guide here. 

In September, we organized a murals walk to enjoy Del Ray’s colorful and historic murals. Along the way, we met one of the dogs portrayed in the new Dogs of Del Ray mural, talked about some of the art inspired by the annual Art on the Avenue festival, and visited some murals that celebrate Del Ray’s community traditions. See recap and photos here. If you’d like to do a self-guided walk, our walk guide is here. 

For October, we did a Halloween ride to see spooky skeletons and other Halloween decorations in Del Ray. See recap and photos here. 

Our November event was a veterans history walk on November 14, where we celebrated veterans and Alexandria’s contributions to various war efforts across the centuries. The recap and photos are here, and the walk guide is here if you’d like to do a self-guided version. 

We finished out the year with our always popular holiday lights ride + walk, across two nights on December 17 and 18. The decorations on “Christmas Card Lane” on E. Luray Avenue were more creative and festive than ever, and we saw many other amazing houses along the way. See recap and photos here.