The Carlyle House Historic Park in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia

The Carlyle House Historic Park Photo by N. Greene

Carlyle House Historic Park

The Carlyle House Historic Park in Old Town Alexandria remains one of Old Town Alexandria’s most important colonial landmarks and offers insight into 18th-century mercantile life.

It is located at 121 North Fairfax Street near the waterfront in Old Town. It’s an 18th-century Georgian mansion built in 1753 by merchant and architect John Carlyle.

John Carlyle was born in 1720 in Carlisle, England. As a young man, he immigrated to colonial Virginia to work in the tobacco trade, one of the most lucrative businesses in the colonies. He maintained strong economic ties to Britain as a merchant, trading Virginia tobacco through Scottish and English firms and relying on British credit networks. During the French and Indian War, his home hosted British General Edward Braddock and colonial governors.

The French and Indian War was fought between Britain and France in North America, with both sides allied with different Native American nations as they competed for control of land and trade in the Ohio River Valley. During the war, the American colonies were still part of the British Empire, and colonists generally supported British military efforts—though tensions over British leadership and later taxation would strain that relationship in the years that followed. The American Revolution disrupted Carlyle’s business ties with Britain, and he suffered financial difficulties late in life. He died in 1780 in Alexandria.

You can check out the admissions fee and all upcoming events at Carlyle House Historic Park by visiting their official event page here.

Opening Hours:

• Monday: 10AM – 4PM
• Tuesday: 10AM – 4PM
• Wednesday: CLOSED
• Thursday: 10AM – 4PM
• Friday: 10AM – 4PM
• Saturday: 10AM – 4PM
• Sunday: 12PM – 4PM

Holiday Closures:

• Thanksgiving Day: CLOSED
• Christmas Eve: CLOSED
• Christmas Day: CLOSED
• New Year's Day: CLOSED

Take the Old Town Trolley to Carlyle House Historic Park

The free Old Town Trolley has a stop in the heart of Old Town Alexandria near the waterfront and the historic district where Carlyle House Historic Park is located. The Carlyle House Historic Park is very close to Market Square (300 King St, Alexandria, VA) in Old Town Alexandria. It is only a short walk of about 0.1–0.2 miles (roughly 1–3 minutes on foot) between the two, since both sit within the historic downtown area just a block or two apart along Fairfax Street and King Street.

See the map of the Old Town Trolley route.