Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum

Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum

Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum
4.5
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
Closed
Wednesday
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
About
The Apothecary served local customers, including the Washingtons and Robert E. Lee, between 1792 and 1933. The shop was transformed into a museum shortly after its closing and visitors can still view the original ingredients, products, and documents left behind by this 141-year-old family business.
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The area

Address
Neighborhood: Old Town
Reach out directly

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles301 reviews
Excellent
204
Very good
70
Average
24
Poor
2
Terrible
1

Denise V
Newark, DE18 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Family
The torpedo factory and restaurants along the Potomac in Alexandria are worth the trip. Just go in early afternoon to get a place to park your car, later in the day, there are no spaces to be had. Also, the artist studios and art galleries close at 6 pm. I would not recommend eating outside however, the Jets taking off from Reagan Airport fly overhead at low altitude as they ascend, making for a very noisy lunch or dinner on the waterfront.
Written October 16, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

battchiefswife
9 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2024 • Couples
My husband and I took a guided tour of the Apothecary Museum and were amazed at the many original items on display. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and explained everything in detail. I would highly recommend adding this attraction to your itinerary.
Written July 16, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

anj32694
Charlottesville, VA24 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023 • Couples
Loved this!! My husband and I visited on a Saturday morning. Guided tours are available in the afternoons, but for $5 per person you could do a self guided tour. Don’t be dismayed by the fact that the self guided tour is in one large room because there is enough cool stuff to see!
Wooden drawers for dry ingredients, rows of canisters and bottles. One counter delineates how the prohibition affected apothecaries, as most liquid medicines were mixed in some type of alcohol. There were many treatments that were believed to be scientific at the time, such as blood letting and mercury based medicines. I found it to be fascinating, as someone who works in healthcare. There was an employee there to answer questions, who was very knowledgeable and friendly. We spent a good 30-40 minutes there. I bought a book about medicine and treatments throughout the ages called Quackery which is an amusing take on many different ways to die prior to modern medicine.
Written August 20, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Siobhan L
Belton, TX971 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2023 • Family
The history of this pharmacy is very interesting. It was in operation from 1792 to 1933 when a large decline in sales from the Great Depression forced it's closure. The unique aspect is that everything inside was left intact and the doors opened as a museum in 1839. The contents are fun to look at, but at $8 a person entry fee it's a bit steep. They offer guided tours daily but if they are sold out you can pay and go in for a brief 5-10 minute look at the first floor in between tours. The entire history as well as a virtual tour are available online so if you have a large family I wouldn't pay for this. It is on the Alexandria Key to the City pass (highly recommend purchasing) but this gets you the free 5 minute option which we found was ample.
Written September 6, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

boberto000
Kauai, HI25 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2022 • Family
This apothecary is a window into history, preserved in many ways as it was originally. Fascinating to look around, even if it is limited.

The biggest drawback by far was the staff attempting to aggressively sell tickets to the tour. The entry/gift shop is a small room, and 3 staff members asked every single person if they wanted to buy the guided tour or the self-guided downstairs tour. We tried to look over the rope to see what the downstairs looked like (determining which tour) and someone immediately jumped in the way to ask us to buy the downstairs tour if we wanted to look at it.

Overall experience was uncomfortable - even when we were planning to pay to look around. Perhaps they’re hurting for money to stay open?

$10 guided tour, $5 self-guided tour (employee said most people stay about 5 minutes)
Written September 16, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sharon F
19 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2023
The Apothecary Museum, located in Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia, is a gem of a place filled with old bottles, old casks, old containers with original printing, that were used to store seeds, chemicals, roots, powders, potions….all sort of materials used in the field of pharmacy during the 18th, 19th, and early 20th century. That in and of itself was enough for me to search it out…but the staff, and our Docent, made it all come alive as she discussed how people’s illnesses were viewed, reviewed and treated. What a window into the past! It is a very old building, the floors and counters are originals as are what lines every wall from top to close to the bottom. Take the tour…..it is worth the extra $3, for sure!
Written March 30, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jennifer B
World195 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020 • Couples
I had never heard of this museum until recently but it has been operating since the 1930s. The apothecary shop has a fascinating history and seeing the all of the original contents was so much more interesting than I would have thought. Tours are for 10 people and last 30 minutes. Tickets are $5 and you'll want to order them in advance so that you get the time slot you want.

Accessibility notes: The building entrance is wheelchair accessible but it's tiny inside so there is really no room. Second floor of the tour appears to be accessible only by stairs.
Written February 17, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sonja H
Oklahoma City, OK10 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2022
The museum is small, but the staff is so knowledgeable about everything you'll want to know about old world medicine. We all learned some interesting and fun facts. Kids will love to take some of this knowledge back to school to surprise their teachers!
Written October 20, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

swearengen
Colonia, NJ838 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2022
We were too late for the full tour, so did the 1st floor self-tour. One of the girls that worked there actually hung with us and gave us a bunch of info, which was very nice of her, and made it more interesting. But there's enough info on the cards placed around room to give make the $5 entry worth it anyway.
Written May 21, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Posttime
United States248 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2022
On Sat. morning June 18th, 10:00am, we did the Harry Potter Tour and had Hufflepuff Kristy as out tour guide, OMG! she could have not made this tour any better. The tour was amazing, the four adults were just as intrigued and fascinated throughout the tour as our little 9 yr. old Harry Potter fan. Many thanks to Lauren who helped me set this up, Liz who confirmed it for me, and of course special thanks to Kristy. Can't wait to come back and try the other tours, programs, etc, that are offered as well.
Written June 19, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2025)

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