Alexandria, VA and National Harbor, MD
The holiday season is in full effect and if you are looking for a nice mixture of history, shopping, adult fun, family fun, and delicious eats, then the area of Alexandria, VA and National Harbor MD is a great destination. You can start things off in Alexandria, VA with many different historical places and things to see and explore. A good mid-priced place to stay a little off the main tourist area is Crowne Plaza Old Town Alexandria. It is only about a 10-15 minute walk to all the hot spots on King Street and the Marina area, but if you don’t feel like walking, they do offer a complimentary shuttle back and forth.
To get even more into the holiday spirit you just cross the bridge into National Harbor, MD and stay at Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center. They offer an array of holiday packages to suit every need from budget to luxurious or even family friendly. The resort has everything and anything you could want or desire while there with multiple restaurants, stores, spa, pool, arcades, activities, and shows. The main attractions are ICE At Gaylord National Resort where they bring in the famous Harbin, China ice sculptors to build a cartoon land to walk through, the world famous Cirque du Soleil team puts on a holiday team show Cirque Dreams Unwrapped, and the Christmas Wish extravaganza in their amazing atrium where they make it snow every night during the holiday season with a laser light show. Gaylord National is a city within itself. Outside around the National Harbor there is the Capital Wheel for an amazing view of the surrounding area, many great shops and restaurants, and a water taxi to get around the waterfront.
While visiting a few places that I highly recommend to eat at are below as I really enjoyed these spots and you just might as well. The highlight was an amazing meal at Thanida Thai.
Thanida Thai – Alexandria, VA
Kanom Jeeb, Tod Mun, Tom Yum soup with shrimp, Pad See-ew with pork, Fried Ice Cream that they light on fire
Myron Mixon’s Pitmaster Barbeque – Alexandria, VA
3 Meat Plate with Huney Muney Cluck Rubbed Pulled Chicken, Black Angus Beef Brisket, and Baby Back Ribs with sides of Brunswich Stew and Jacks Peach BBQ Baked Beans and Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie A La Mode
Extra Perks – Alexandria, VA
American Breakfast with apple wood smoked bacon, multi grain bread, and fruit
Grace’s Mandarin – National Harbor, MD
Hong Kong X.O. Shrimp
Mason’s Lobster Rolls
Lobster Bisque topped with lobster, Connecticut Roll with full lobster
I would like to thank the following individuals for making this trip special:
Trey Newstedt – Specialist, Global Crowne Plaza Hotels
Julie Sharp – Corporate Liaison, Marriott International Inc.
Tim Moyer – Guest Experience Manager, Gaylord National Resort
BlueJeanFood 