I’m usually always a fan of getting my own rental car, that said if you’re just doing Old Towne and Mount Vernon, Uber or Lift is your best bet.

I always avoid the metro/busses. Some will say they are fine. I prefer my safety.

We get sunny, clear days in February.  I live close to Mt Vernon and we prefer this time of year to July - August.

Uber/Lyft are best, and most convenient. Conventional taxis here suck beyond belief. Buses are actually fine, except they don't go where you want to go. Metro sometimes does. But realize Alexandria is across a very polluted river from a shithole that the third world would be embarrassed to have, and contagion is a thing. ETA: you can take the metro to some mighty fine museums in that shithole, it's not all bad. Just stay on the national mall and other designated safe(r) zones.

If you're carrying, remember, National Parks buildings are a no-no, and most of Alexandria is posted as a no carry zone for safety of robbers constituents. It's "not terrible" compared to the aforementioned shithole, but it can get exciting.

Weather here is weird, and I've been here since '78.

February - you could flip a coin.  It could be nice,
but I'd expect cold mornings (high 20's / low 30's)
and cool afternoons (high 40's / low 50's).

I don't have a dinner suggestion (I haven't been
there since my pub crawling days), but as you'll be in
Old Town, look for places on King Street.

Like others have said, Uber and Lyft are pretty good.

Busses are inconvenient, irritatingly so when it's cold.

Metrorail is usually decent, but occasionally has its hiccups.

Rt. 1 near Mt. Vernon is no Chicago or Detroit, but be aware
of your surroundings at night, because the thugs there look
for crimes of opportunity.  

Enjoy VA!  

Welcome in advance to VA

For dinner we always enjoy Virtue Feed and Grain.
It’s kind of on the water, and the patio is dog friendly.  I’m not a booze drinker but they fancy themselves a place for good Bourbons.
https://virtuefeedgrain.com/
Blackwall Hitch or The Chart House in the old torpedo factory aren’t bad either.

Mount Vernon is a nice visit, but it won’t be a full day. The grounds are nice in the summer, but it’s on the water and will be cold.

I’d suggest the National Mall for the day or maybe a tour of Arlington National Cemetery. Tons to do on the Mall, walkable, perfectly safe during the day, and it’ll keep you busy. The Washington Monument is also now open for tours so you can take an elevator to the top.  You’ll need to book tickets in advance.  It’s been closed for ages and just recently re-opened. Do not under any circumstance bring a gun or even ammo into DC though.

Use Uber or the like to get around if you decide on DC, Old Town is walkable but a bit hilly. For Mount Vernon there is plenty of parking so driving there won’t be an issue.

HTH

I'm in the Del Ray neighborhood north of Old Town. If you're flying into Reagan, and depending on where your hotel is, how much luggage you have, and if you're walkers, you can probably skip the rental car.

I would take the metro from DCA to Old Town and then either walk or catch the free Old Town trolley that runs up and down King St to get to your hotel. Tons to do on King Street food-wise and you can take the same metro to Arlington National Cemetery and/or into DC for museums.

As others have said, don't fuck around with guns or ammo in DC. Most museums have metal detectors anyway, so you're not going to be able to grayman it into most of the places you'd actually want to go into in DC anyway.

As mentioned, Virtue Feed and Grain is good, but you can find pretty much any type and price of food you'd want on King St.

if Mount Vernon is on your list, I'd just Uber/Lyft to/from Old Town. Won't be a cheap ride, but if that's the only reason to get a car the round trip will still be cheaper than the rental, valet, and gas.

PM me if you want to chat

You can walk from the Hilton to the Masonic Temple of doom.  I had my wedding reception at the Hilton.

That's a very cheap uber ride.

RE: Public transport: You are a stone's throw from King St. metro and the public Dash buses are free.  

The whole area is very walkable. You can easily walk to King St and down to the river from your hotel to check out shops, restaurants and bars (def check out Murphy's). You can take the free trolley back to the King St Metro station if you've had enough walking/too much to drink at that point.

@medicmandan

What do you think of Alexandria so far?

I moved to Del Ray Alexandria in '78 when
I was six.  It was a small town city then, nothing
like now.

Are you still doing Mt. Vernon on Friday?

ETA - I've visited the Temple half a dozen times.
         I'm mostly curious because I've lived here
         so long, I like hearing outsiders' opinions.

The GW masonic temple is at the northern end of King St. Could walk it, but it is on a pretty big hill

ETA: def wouldn't want to walk that hill in Feb in formal wear, haha.

Nobody better recommend Crystal City Restaurant for dinner.  



@medicmandan

I've been in (not) VA for awhile, and parts of it are beautiful.

It's changed a lot since '78.

Route 1 (Richmond Highway) was always kind of crappy,
and muggings & robberies happened often there, from then 'til now.

Mt. Vernon (the plantation)/G.W. Parkway are cool.

Old Town Alexandria is the best part of Alexandria.
King Street is where the nightlife is (it's no Las Vegas).

It's been along time since I've taken my family to the Masonic Temple,
and it is very... masonic.

VA is historically rich.  Sometimes the people here don't appreciate that.

I'd love to get your take on the traffic here.  Hopefully y'all can avoid it.

ETA - Right in OP's first sentence - late February.  
         Missed it. Assumed you were speaking at VA Lobby Day.  

If the week is about G.W. you should consider getting a group together to visit the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon for their Leadership Institute’s Washington Team building/executive experience. Has to be prearranged and there is some kind of cost. I did it with a school group and it was top notch. Cool to see G.W.’s bedside Bible and copy of the Constitution with his annotations in the book.
https://www.gwleadershipinstitute.org/index.html

@medicmandan


Are you ready for the trip?

The date is getting closer...




It snowed enough this morning to get our kids out of school,
but the afternoon warmed up substantially.  Lucky brats!

I assume you're flying into DCA (Ronald Reagan) Washington National Airport.