Northern Virginia Entertainment: Theatre and Cinema Overview

Cinema

The Old Town Theatre serves up arty, independent and off-beat cinema as well as blockbuster hits in Old Town. The Old Town Theatre has great ambiance and is in a niche of area theatres that sells alcoholic beverages, similar to the Arlington Draft House. The AMC Theatre at the Hoffman Center, Kingstowne 16 and Regal at Potomac Yard hosts blockbusters and mainstream movies in modern movie houses. Additionally, the Signature Theatre and AMC Loews, both in Shirlington, are feasible choices for your viewing pleasure.  

Theater

Capitol Steps

Capitol Steps began as a group of Senate staffers who set out to satirize the very people and places that employed them.

In the years that followed, many of the Steps ignored the conventional wisdom ("Don't quit your day job!"), and although not all of the current members of the Steps are former Capitol Hill staffers, taken together the performers have worked in a total of eighteen Congressional offices and represent 62 years of collective House and Senate staff experience.

Arena Stage

The core purpose of Arena Stage is to produce huge plays of all that is passionate, exuberant, profound, deep and dangerous in the American spirit. Arena has broad shoulders and a capacity to produce anything from vast epics to charged dramas to robust musicals. Our focus is on theater of the Americas; we produce American classics, premieres of new plays and contemporary stories. Our Arena is a forum, a coliseum, a place for audiences to argue, discuss and meet each other over the theatrical divide. At the center is art; all other programs thrive in concentric circles supporting the art.

Wolf Trap

As America's National Park for the Performing Arts, Wolf Trap plays a valuable leadership role in both the local and national performing arts communities. Through a wide range of artistic and education programs, Wolf Trap enhances our nation's cultural life and ensures that the arts remain accessible and affordable to the broadest possible audience.

Nissan Pavilion

Nissan Pavilion at Stone Ridge is an outdoor live performance amphitheatre with a 25,000 fan capacity, the largest in the Washington Metropolitan area. The Pavilion is located in semi-rural Prince William County which is approximately 35 miles west of our neighborhood.

Kennedy Center

The Kennedy Center, located on 17 acres overlooking the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., is America's living memorial to President Kennedy as well as the nation's busiest arts facility, presenting more than 3,000 performances each year. Touring Kennedy Center productions and its television, radio, and Internet broadcasts reach millions around the world. As part of the Kennedy Center's Performing Arts for Everyone outreach program, hundreds of free performances are offered each year featuring national and local artists; these include early-evening concerts on the Millennium Stage, dozens of performances during the annual Open House Arts Festival, and daily concerts of seasonal music in December as part of Holidays at the Kennedy Center. Since 1999, the Millennium Stage performances have been broadcast live over the Internet and digitally archived on the Kennedy Center's website.

The Shakespeare Theatre

Since its founding in 1985, The Shakespeare Theatre has endeavored to be the nation's leading force in the presentation and preservation of classic theatre. Our core mission is to present classic theatre in an accessible, skillful, imaginative, American style that honors playwrights' language and intentions while viewing their plays through a 21st-century lens. With the formation of the Harman Center for the Arts---which includes the new Sidney Harman Hall and the existing Lansburgh Theatre---the Shakespeare Theatre Company will become a national destination theatre offering a broad range of works to audiences in the greater-Washington area and across the nation.

Fords Theatre

Fords Theatre is a live, working theatre located in downtown Washington, DC. As a national historic and cultural site welcoming visitors from across the nation, Ford's Theatre blends its rich history with performance excellence in serving as a living tribute to President Lincoln's love of the performing arts. When Ford's Theatre re-opened its doors in 1968 --after having been closed 103 years --it truly was reclaimed as a national treasure for all Americans, and those of us who work here are mindful of that legacy and grateful that Ford's Theatre once again is a vibrant showcase for the performing arts that President Lincoln so appreciated.

Little Theatre of Alexandria

Located on Wolfe Street, the Little Theatre of Alexandria has year round productions. There holiday performances are fitting of the season. Plays here are well attended with some selling out weeks in advance. This Theatre is in the City of Alexandria and close to the luxuries of Old Town.

Other Venues

The Warner Theatre , The Smithsonian, the Artisphere, and the The MCI Center are nationally renown venues for theatre, sport and entertainment.

What are Some Advantages to Living in Old Town Alexandria?

Transportation: Walk, Bike, Metro, Bus, Train, Plane, Drive

According to walkscore.com, Old Town has a walk score of 86 and is the second most walkable neighborhood in Alexandria. Additionally, there are several walking and bike trails that promote a healthy life style in the Old Town neighborhood. Lots of homes in Old Town have reserved
King Street Metro real estate agents.
Nesbitt Realty can help you buy and sell real estate near King Street Metro.
parking spaces for residents, which can be very convenient. For those considering a green or minimalistic lifestyle, public transit is an excellent option. On the Blue and Yellow line, there is the King Street Metro Station which provides access to other stations in the Northern Virginia DC and Maryland areas. Just two stations up there is Ronald Reagan National Airport, for those looking to fly elsewhere. Just behind the King St Metro Station, in front of the George Washington Masonic Memorial, there is an Amtrak Station.

History, Art and Culture

Old Town Alexandria is filled with history, art, and culture. History buffs will enjoy the plethora of museums in Old Town, like Gadsby’s Tavern, Carlyle House, Ramsay House (the ghost tours here are a ton of fun), etc. For those looking for art, there is a variety of options, like Paint This! (Great for dropping in and painting ceramics), Torpedo Factory (lots of local talent and also there are classes here through the nonprofit, the Art League), the Principle Gallery (tasteful artisan creations for sale), etc.

Restaurants and Nightlife

With over a hundred restaurants in Old Town, there are plenty of options to choose from. Countless cuisines, tons of
O'Connell's is a popular restaurant in Old Town Alexandria
O'Connell's is a popular restaurant in Old Town Alexandria
atmosphere’s and a lot are within walking distance of each other. Old Town’s nightlife has a lot of variety, from live music at O’Connell’s, to mellow crowds and craft beer at Overwood, to lively karaoke at the basement of the Flying Fish, to Irish folk songs at Murphy’s or Irish Walk, to shuffle board games at Light Horse, there is something for everyone here.

Diverse Home Options

Looking for a high rise condominium? You might like Alexandria House, or Port Royal. Looking for a townhouse community? You might like Cameron Mews. Looking for a garden style condo, closer to Arlington? You might like Canal Place condominiums. There are a wide variety of homes in the various neighborhoods in Old Town Alexandria.

Waterfront

For boaters, there is prime real estate at the Alexandria City Marina. Boating can be a very fun past time, especially if you’re thinking about making a trip out
Old Town Alexandria has water taxi's to Washington DC
Old Town Alexandria has water taxi's to Washington DC
to Tim’s Rivershore Restaurant. The waterfront is also a great spot to fish, or just to admire the view. A popular hangout in Old Town is on the waterfront behind the Torpedo Factory.

Parks and Courts

Old Town has a ton of well-maintained parks and courts. Whether you’re looking for a nice dog park to socialize at, somewhere to picnic at in the summer, a kickball field or ultimate Frisbee field, a pickup tennis game, a pick up volleyball game, a pickup basketball game, there are plenty of choices in Old Town.
The field stretches several blocks
Old Town is popular because of it's cultural attractions, shops and numerous restaurants.

Ideal Location

Being located in the in the heart of the City of Alexandria is amazing due to the aforementioned reasons. Also, Old Town is close to Arlington and Fairfax County. Old Town has lots of great aspects to it and is a great place to live in Northern Virginia. Additionally, Old Town Alexandria has a very nice school system, with the high school for the area being the famous T.C. Williams High School.