Alexandria Cider Festival

Celebrate Virginia Cider Week! With a special tasting event on the grounds of historic Lloyd House and on Queen Street in Old Town Alexandria. Hosted by the Office of Historic Alexandria in partnership with the Virginia Association of Cider Makers, this event includes cider tastings, a souvenir cider cup, live music, tavern games, and a little history too! While enjoying a selection of Virginia ciders, learn more about the growing Virginia cider industry and its connection to Alexandria history. The Alexandria Cider Festival includes offerings from Albemarle Cider Works, Potter's Craft Cider, Lost Boy Cider, and more. This year, for the nation's 250th anniversary, the VA250 Mobile Museum Experience ("Out of Many, One") will be open on Queen Street during the event. The museum features hands-on exhibits, innovative technology, and stories focused on everyday people rather than just the Founding Fathers. Food trucks will be available on Queen Street as well for food purchases. Cider was a popular beverage in 18th- and early 19th-century Alexandria and was offered at area taverns, including Gadsby's Tavern. Thomas Jefferson cultivated eighteen varieties of apples in his orchard at Monticello (planted between 1769 and 1814). Today, there are over 30 different apple varieties grown specifically for cider production throughout Virginia. Cider is fermented like wine, not brewed like beer. One of the most common misconceptions amongst consumers is that hard cider is made in just 'one…