This place has been on my list for years. I always walk by it when I’m in Old Town but the hours are pretty limited, so I finally stopped in on a whim with a friend.

It’s the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum and honestly it’s much smaller than I expected, but in a good way. You can do a self-guided walkthrough, but we chose to join the guided tour and I’m really glad we did. It made everything make so much more sense because they explain what you’re actually looking at as you go room by room.

What stood out most was just how much history is packed into such a small space. You get a real feel for what medicine was like back then, and it’s fascinating knowing it was one of the first pharmacies in America.

It’s not a long visit, but it’s one of those places that sticks with you after. Definitely worth finally stopping in if you’ve passed it a hundred times like I did.

I had to pleasure of taking the poison tour that was offered by the museum, and I had so much fun learning about the way people in the late 1800 to early 1900s utilized what we now know was poisonous chemicals and herbs as unique treatment methods. It was so cool getting to tour the shop and storage spaces and learn about how the shop operated when it was still in business. I would love to come back and take another tour during their normal business hours to browse the exhibits, but Gray, our tour guide did a phenomenal job during our hour-long tour!

Very cool experience in the middle of downtown Alexandria. The historical value is so interesting, it really is frozen in time. The gift shop is also phenomenal found sons awesome books and stickers. Admission is only 5 dollars and discounted with military, aarp and something else. Definitely worth a pop in!

Amazing experience! Guide was incredibly knowledgeable and friendly. This place is truly frozen in time, and you will learn so many surprising things about the way people used to treat ailments and practice medicine.

Great museum to visit if you like old vintage stuff. Tickets were 5$ for adults and 3$ for kids. The people working there are amazing and very friendly. Also their shop has a lot of things to check out.