Scottish celebrations anchor Alexandria holidays

Bagpipes, tartans and Scotch tastings — not the usual ingredients associated with the start of the holiday season. But for the past 37 years, colorful plaids, family crests, Scot terriers and marching pipe bands have heralded the arrival of December in Alexandria, Va.

Of course, there’s a parade and Santa Claus. But Alexandria’s Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend is largely a three-day celebration that’s awash with less traditional symbols. It draws more than 100 Scottish clans that march through the streets of Old Town, showing off their ancestral ties. But you don’t have to sport a tartan to participate: The whole town joins in the celebration that includes a home tour, a concert of Celtic music, a children’s tea party and a marketplace of holiday decorations and gifts.

Enlarge this image

MIKE GEISSINGER/Special

The festival called Christmas Walk Weekend started a few decades ago, but the Scottish roots of Alexandria go back more than 250 years.

Enlarge this image

AUCO HO/Special

Scottish festivities the first weekend in December are a holiday tradition in Alexandria, a historic Virginia town not far from Washington, D.C. A Celtic music concert is one highlight.

Virginia travel stories

• Where things that fly inspire 
• Jefferson's retirement retreat restored 
• Colonial Williamsburg: New African-American programs 
• The mansion that left Jefferson broke 
• Bermuda celebrates 400th anniversary; exhibit in Virginia looks at links with Jamestown 

• Photos: Travel / Southeast Galleries
• Latest deals!
• Back to: Travel | Southeast destinations

Just how the event became a Scottish celebration is unclear, said Jim Mackay, director of the Lyceum, Alexandria’s history museum.

“To what extent the town is now Scottish is not known,” said Mackay, whose own family traces its roots to Scotland. “But our early history shows that in the mid-1740s, Scottish merchants were here, establishing business contacts to buy tobacco from local planters to send back to England and Scotland. They negotiated with the local landowners, the Alexanders, to start a town that was approved in 1749 and named for that family.”

After the American Revolution, many of those settlers considered themselves Americans, Mackay said. “But there are plenty of people of Scottish descent who still live here. And you’ll find many Scottish place names, mixed in with Indian and English words.”

The Walk also traces its roots to a community thank-you staged by the Campagna Center, an Alexandria nonprofit founded in 1945 to provide a range of family services. Today, the center supports programs for more than 1,500 local children through Head Start and other tutoring programs.

“It literally started as a walk, with people walking through the streets and ending up at the Campagna Center,” center spokeswoman Bethany Nguyen said. “From there, it has grown to a variety of events that last the entire weekend.”

Three days of fun

The celebration gets under way Dec. 4 with the opening of the Christmas Marketplace, where shoppers will find an assortment of greens, wreaths, artwork and gift items.

There’s also a children’s tea in the afternoon and an evening concert of Celtic music. December 5 brings more time to shop at the market, followed by an evening of hors d’oeuvres and tastings from several distilleries in Scotland.

The highlight of the celebration is the Christmas Walk that kicks off at 11 a.m. Dec. 6 with clans, bands, Scottie dogs, dancers and Santa. At

1 p.m., the participating bands join forces for a joint concert. The day also features a tour of decorated homes from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Tickets for the home tour, Taste of Scotland, children’s tea and concert are available online at www.scottishchristmaswalk.com. Information is also available at 703-548-0111.

Alexandria attractions

Visitors to this historic town nestled along the banks of the Potomac River will find several other attractions to check out during their stay. Shoppers will find a variety of stores and restaurants along the waterfront, including the Torpedo Factory Art Center, a former munitions factory that now houses artist studios and galleries. More stores, boutiques, galleries and restaurants line the streets fanning out from the river.

Dig into the city’s past at the Alexandria Archeology Museum, 105 N. Union St., and the Black History Museum, 902 Wythe St., and the national cemetery, where 3,500 Civil War sol-diers are buried. The Carlyle House at 121 N. Fairfax St. is a 1753 mansion built by Scottish merchant John Carlyle, one of the city’s founding fathers. At Gadsby’s Tavern Museum, visitors will find two Georgian buildings visited by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. The Old Presbyterian Meeting House, 321 S. Fairfax St., dates to 1775 and was the site of the memorial services for Washington in 1799. In the churchyard is a monument to an unknown soldier of the American Revolution. The Lyceum, the city’s history museum at 201 S. Washington St., occupies an 1839 building and documents the city’s rich history.

Alexandria is also a short drive from George Washington’s home at Mount Vernon and the attractions of Washington, D.C.

IF YOU GO

Where to stay

Morrison House. The four-diamond boutique hotel is styled after an 18th-century mansion and features four-poster beds, Italian marble baths and fireplaces. Rates start in the mid-$200s. 116 S. Alfred St., 703-838-8000, www.morrisonhouse.com

Hotel Monaco Alexandria. Located in the heart of the historic district, the hotel is built on the site of a Civil War-era hotel. Rates start in the mid-$200s. 480 King St., 703-549-6080, www.monaco-alexandria.com

Where to Eat

Hank’s Oyster Bar. The menu ranges from lobster rolls and fried clams to a variety of oysters and daily fish specials, served with microbrews and wine. Entrees range from $15 to $23, and there’s a less expensive small plates menu as well. 1026 King St., 703-739-4264, www.hanksdc.com

Shooter McGee’s. Warm up with American classics including Grandma’s meatloaf, roast chicken, barbecued ribs and blackened chicken pasta. $12.99-$18.99. 5239 Duke St., 703-751-9266, www.shootermcgees.com

Daniel O’Connell’s. Start with a traditional leek soup, then fill up on the signature beef tenderloin wrapped in bacon or the pistachio-crusted rack of lamb at this Irish eatery. $17-$29. 112 King St., 703-739-1124, www.danieloconnells.com

Information

Alexandria Convention and Visitors Association. 1-800-388-9119, www.thefunsideofthepotomac.com