I have always loved Halloween in Alexandria.

My memories of the holiday take me back to trick or treating in Del Ray as a very young kid. Several neighbors took the time to create haunted houses for local children to walk through and scare us silly. We knew all of the houses by heart; the house that would give us the healthy treats, the house that would give us money (the corner of Howell and Cliff), and my favorite, the house that would give out the full size candy bar!

As I got a little older, my friends and I would treat or treat along Old Town’s famed Lee Street and explore the spooky haunts of the city on the ghost and graveyard tour. Though friends always loved Old Town for the practical reason of being able to get to stop at more houses in less time, I always loved the special ambiance of the old streets at Halloween.

This feeling remains with me today and is one of the reasons my husband and I purchased a townhome in Old Town last year, right around the corner from Lee Street, where I used to trick or treat. At our first Halloween last year, we enjoyed greeting the rush of kids who came to our door. 

The gas lamps, the crunch of the fall leaves beneath my feet on the brick sidewalks, the smell of a fire, smoke rising from the chimneys, a stroll after dinner and stopping to chat with friendly neighbors congregating on the street — these things have always held a special place in my heart. It is how it feels to be home.

If we can help you find that special feeling of being home, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We are always happy to help!

For more articles like this one, sign up for our weekly blog roundup.