Afternoon Jaunt: Alexandria Black History Museum

The Alexandria Black History Museum is tucked into a residential part of Alexandria not far from both S. Patrick Street and S. Washington Street. Though small in square footage, it offers historical context, gallery and presentation space, and books and gifts to those hoping to learn more about African American history in the Old Town area, which is heavily tilted toward the history of white statesmen and merchants.

For me, the most interesting aspect of this museum is its being partially housed in the Robert H. Robinson Library, a one-room building originally constructed for Alexandria's black residents in response to a 1939 sit-in at the larger, segregated Alexandria Library. A short video at the museum shares more details on the history of this protest, led by Samuel W. Tucker, a 26-year-old lawyer. 

The former Robert H. Robinson Library is now part of the museum.

Inside the bright exhibit space are placards spanning the history of African American enslaved people, city residents, and community leaders in Alexandria. I learned that it was especially difficult for sites of import in the local black community to be preserved during an urban renewal phase of the 1960s and '70s that made it a struggle for any building or neighborhood to be saved for its historic significance alone.

The interior of the 1940 library is now an exhibit space.

The current special exhibit, "Before the Spirits are Swept Away: African American Historic Site Paintings by Sherry Z. Sanabria," features 20 of Sanabria's paintings of sites of conscience related to African American heritage. Her portraits are each of a specific place: a church, a school, a slave cabin. The emptiness and stillness of each building, along with Sanabria's use of light, invite contemplation, and the museum has placed information about each site next to its painted depiction.

Paintings from the series "Before the Spirits Are Swept Away."

Like any good museum, this one whets your appetite to learn more, and fortunately, the gift shop provides options. I bought three books, including one with further details on the historic sites in Sanabria's paintings, and took a few brochures on both guided and independent walking tours of black history in Old Town. Also, you can learn more on the museum's website through links to videos, interviews, teacher resources, and books.

The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Shenandoah National Park: The Lush Backyard of the DMV

If you live in the D.C. area, you’re familiar with the concept of “the DMV”—the sprawling territory that encompasses the District, Maryland, and Virginia. We often think of ourselves as residents of all three areas, even though we live in just one. Commuters may drive two hours to their jobs in the city. Moms and dads shuttle their kids to lessons in another county. And weekend warriors think nothing of heading east to the Chesapeake Bay to kayak, or west to Shenandoah National Park to hike.

Only 75 miles west of the District, Shenandoah is practically in our backyard. For me, living in Alexandria, it’s become my favorite destination on a Saturday or Sunday. Just heading out I-66 to the northernmost entrance at Front Royal lowers my blood pressure, because I know that in only about an hour, I’ll be in the woods.

Corbin Cabin is still standing on an old homestead. It can be booked through the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club.

Much of Shenandoah is designated wilderness, the portions of land with special protections that were originally set aside to remain (or be restored to) nature “untrammeled by man.” Other parts of it are national parkland only. Throughout the area, you can find traces of the history through ruins of old farmhouses, stone fences, and cemeteries from the families that used to live in the Blue Ridge Mountains before it was designated as a national park.

Extending from Front Royal for 105 miles south to Waynesboro, Shenandoah is bisected by a sliver of road, the two-lane Skyline Drive. The parkway winds through the woods, expanding to frequent scenic overlooks of hills and valleys. On either side are the mountains of the Blue Ridge.

You can’t find an ordinary view off any of these overlooks—they are all stunning. The wildflowers and grasses next to the low stone wall make up the foreground; the middleground is the layer of trees within the next several hundred feet; and finally, the great vista, encompassing hills and valleys in shades of green and blue. The overall effect is of being on a movie set, with shrubs sharp and vivid against a dreamy painted backdrop.

Just one of the many idyllic overlooks off Skyline Drive.

But the real reason to go, at least for me, is the trails. There are over 500 miles of trail in Shenandoah—short hikes and long hikes, flat paths and strenuous climbs, solitary trails and those with plenty of company. You can find hikes with overlooks, through meadows, past historic features, through streams, and up to waterfalls. Over the past couple of years, I've enjoyed quite a few, and already have some favorites.

More ferns than you can shake a stick at on this section of Sugarloaf trail.

I love the Compton Gap trail for its closeness to the park's north entrance, its uphill workout, and the spectacular geological formation of "columnar jointing" you can observe. The Snead Farm loop takes you past the remnants of an old farm, with the foundation of the house still intact and the barn kept in very good condition. Jeremy's Run trail takes you across several streams, if you enjoy rock-hopping and potentially getting your boots a bit wet. And the Sugarloaf trail starts near an old Civilian Conservation Corps building and brings you through an especially lush section of ferns.

My next goal is to tackle more of the hikes in the central part of Shenandoah, which will require more driving on my part, but will pay off in access to some of the steeper climbs in the park.

Earned my junior ranger patch. So proud.

You can find details on the various trails on the Shenandoah Suggested Hikes page, if you like to really plan ahead. If you're the spontaneous type, though, stop at the Dickey Ridge Visitors Center, five miles in from the Front Royal entrance gate.

The rangers know these trails backwards and forwards, and will whip a map out from under the desk that exactly matches what you’re looking for in terms of length and difficulty. They highlight the trail for you with marker and tell you about what to expect, as well as any options you have for making a different loop or lengthening your hike to see certain nearby features. I store all these maps in a folder at home, for when I want to re-hike one.

While you’re at the visitors center, check out the small exhibit on the park and any ranger-led programs that are being given that day. I confess to having become a big national parks geek in the past couple of years, and I learned to my delight that you can fill out a junior ranger workbook, no matter what age you are, and earn your ranger badge or patch. They are serious about this—Ranger Larry checked all the pages and even asked me questions about it. The rangers also have a sense of humor: Ranger Thomas even administered the junior ranger pledge to my "hiking hamster" buddy, after checking her diligent work.

Shenandoah National Park is the ideal place to get outdoors, embrace nature and let all the cares of the city fall away from you for a few hours. I've been here in all seasons of the year, and during all sorts of personal challenges, and being here always centers and refreshes me. Do yourself a favor and explore the variety its wilderness has to offer—almost right in your backyard.

Resources:

• Shenandoah’s Suggested Hikes page has a chart of many of the hikes available.
• Hiking Upward is an incredibly useful website with descriptions, photos, and hiker reviews of many hikes in the area, not just in Shenandoah National Park.
• The Virginia is for Lovers tourism website has a Top 10 list of popular Shenandoah hikes.
• I reviewed the nearby Happy Creek Coffee and Tea recently on this blog—it’s my favorite place to stop and revive after a long hike.

Afternoon Jaunt: Frying Pan Farm Park

Disclaimer: I'm not a kid. Well, maybe a kid at heart. But actual children, their parents, and any other people who like cute things will appreciate Frying Pan Farm Park in Herdon, Virginia. In addition to preserving a 1930s family farm, the park offers learning activities, wagon rides, a carousel, a general store, and seasonal activities.

Vintage wagon and machinery in a shed looking toward other farm buildings.

I went for a Fairfax County Parks program called "Putting the Animals to Bed" that was billed as age 3 to adult. All the attendees assembled in the dusk at the beautiful vintage farm buildings, where the session leader and a handful of 4-H girls split us into two groups. We toured the paddocks near the Kidwell Farm building, visiting cows, sheep, turkeys, ducks, chickens—and best of all, piglets—as they prepared to settle down for the night.

Learning about baby animals.

The sheep were hilariously vocal as we approached with their bedtime snacks. Feeding them and the calves was very popular with the small fry (and with me and my friend). The chickens were in their roost, already sleepy, when the group leader picked one up carefully and allowed each of the guests to lightly stroke her feathers.

Sheep love snacks as much as children do.

But the piglets, who had been born not long earlier, were the highlight. They were nursing when we got to the farm, and they were still hard at work when we left. Intensely focused, they clambered over one another to find the best feeding spot and kept up a continual squealing.

I broke away from this absorbing entertainment long enough to partake of the juice and animal crackers that the children were snacking on as they practiced making different farm animal sounds.

You can see recent animal baby arrivals and upcoming expected ones on Kidwell Farm's New Arrivals page, should you wish to time your visit to see a newly delivered creature or two.

Fairfax County offers a lot of programs in their various parks, many of which are suitable for families and children. Or for anyone who likes juice boxes and piglets.

Swings Coffee: Cuppings for the Ultra-Cool

Swings Coffee used to be closed on Sundays. Going here after church in Del Ray was therefore never an option. But hallelujah, one day it was revealed that Swings had decided to open on Sundays, thus allowing many Alexandria residents access to fabulous coffee on their day of rest. Because in the Washington area, “rest” does not preclude caffeination.

Located in an Art Deco-styled storefront on East Monroe Avenue in Alexandria, which was actually designed in the 1950s, Swings Coffee is everything that a new coffee shop should be: amazing pour-overs, repurposed wood communal tables, vintage light fixtures and a stark industrial feel.

I’m not sure which pour-over I ordered that day, but whatever it was, it had adjectives attached to it that would impress a wine connoisseur. I feel certain that “bright” and “chocolate” were among them. A cup of coffee here is truly an experience for the palate, and I savored it over an issue of Ranger Rick magazine that was on the communal table.

I wish I could give the same praise to the baked goods, but there was a small selection, and the items did not seem to have been baked on site, or even recently. If you need carbs to accompany your caffeine, they are serviceable, but nothing beyond that.

The free cupping is a great reason to go to this establishment. At 10 a.m. on Fridays, Swings shares its process in choosing single-origin coffees and invites visitors to take part in the ritual. You can swirl, smell and taste a series of roasting contenders and try to guess which one made the cut for Swings sales to the public.

Coffee: ★★★★ A pour-over here is a guaranteed experience of subtlety and color.

Food: ★ The baked goods did not seem fresh, and their presence was perfunctory.

Ambience: ★★★ The dream coffee shop for an adaptive-reuse enthusiast or reclaimed-wood-loving hipster.

Service: ★★ Baristas are a bit snooty here.