Tours and Educational Programs

Private Guided Tours:  Adult groups and educational programs for students or scouts are available for a fee. All tours are tailored for group needs, educational standards, and interests. Tours require advanced reservations. To arrange educational programs or tours of city-owned historic buildings email Susan.gray@fairfaxva.gov or call 703.385.8415.

The city has published a free self-guided walking tour brochure, "Courting History," that provides a brief history of the city and noteworthy buildings in the Old Town Fairfax Historic District. This brochure is available from the Fairfax Museum and Visitor Center, 10209 Main Street, or call 703.385.8414.  See Map of History.

Fairfax Museum and Visitor Center "Second Sunday" Program

Programs are held at 2 p.m. on the second Sunday of each month. Unless otherwise noted, programs are held at the Fairfax Museum and Visitor Center, 10209 Main Street. Free (unless otherwise noted). Check back to find out about additional programs planned throughout the year. Information: 703.385.8414.

2019

 Sunday, October 13, 2018-- Fairfax Museum and Visitor Center - 2p.m.

"Gay Fairfax"

 Historian John Olinger will interview Bart Forbes, founding member of the pioneering cable access television newsmagazine "Gay Fairfax" in the 1990s. Forbes and Olinger will also discuss the broader LGBTQ civil rights movement in Northern Virginia.

 Sunday, November 10--Fairfax Museum and Visitor Center - 2 p.m.

“Goodbye Booze”: The Music of Prohibition

Dr. Gregg D. Kimball, Director of Public Services and Outreach at the Library of Virginia, will trace the musical legacy of prohibition through spoken narrative, period images, and live and recorded music.  Feel free to sing along!

Sunday, December 8 --Fairfax Museum and Visitor Center - 2p.m.

"Prohibition in Washington, D.C.: How Dry We Weren't" 

Author and tour guide Garrett Peck  will explore how prohibition impacted our capital city.  Book sale and signing will follow the talk.

 

Civil War Interpretive Center at Historic Blenheim

Program Series are free and held at 2 p.m. on Saturdays (unless otherwise noted) at the Civil War Interpretive Center at Historic Blenheim, 3610 Old Lee Highway.  703.591.0560.

Historic Blenheim, October 26, 2019 - 2 p.m.

"The Nameless and Faceless of the Civil War."  Author Lisa Samia will read from her collection of 28 poems and 28 essays on the historical representations of Civil War events and everyday soldiers through the narrative of poetry.

Book sales and signing will be offered after the presentation.   Free

"Beneath the Paint: Civil War Graffiti Symposium"Historic Blenheim, Saturday, November 2, 9:30a.m.-3:30 p.m. $15; optional lunch $10

 --Speakers and topics include: Kim O'Connell, the history of Civil War Graffiti; Conservator Chris Mills, the technical side of graffiti conservation; and Conservator Kirsten Travers Moffitt, graffiti investigation and conservation at Historic Blenheim.  Sponsored by the Northern Virginia Civil War Graffiti Trail.

Reservations required. Register here

 Historic Blenheim, Sunday December 8, 2019,  12pm-4pm

“Christmas in Camp and Making Do at Home”

Travel back in time to learn how Civil War soldiers and the folks back home celebrated Christmas.  Meet the soldiers in camp; drill with soldiers; join in with a cease-fire exchange of gifts; house tours; make Handmade Victorian ornaments; write letter to soldiers; sew a "housewife"; pack a food crate for soldiers.