Visit Alexandria

Events, listings, and coupons change constantly. Alexandria’s team needed a way to keep everything accurate and up to date without copying information manually.

As a popular destination near Washington, D.C., traffic can triple during festivals and peak tourist seasons. The old platform often struggled under that load.

The new site had to showcase Alexandria’s history through animations and interactive content, but remain lightweight and performant.

Migrating existing content from the previous CMS without data loss required careful mapping, scripting, and testing.

The site needed to be usable for everyone, including people with disabilities, requiring detailed accessibility checks at both the design and code level.

Beyond speed and design, the site needed modern protections, international reach, and search-engine optimization to support growth.

The backend had to be easy to use. We built clear editing tools and added in-system guidance so staff could update the site without needing technical skills.

Visit Alexandria wanted a way to showcase the city’s neighborhoods beyond the usual travel guide. Their goal was to highlight the character of each area—Old Town, Del Ray, West End, and more—in a way that felt approachable, playful, and easy to explore online. Instead of a static list or brochure-style content, they wanted an experience that would invite discovery and spark curiosity.

1 Trick Pony led the design, creating a colorful illustrated map with neighborhood callouts and interactive elements. The DOD team engineered the build, making the map fully clickable and responsive. Users can tap into each neighborhood to learn about its history, attractions, and local culture.

The result is an interactive storytelling tool that blends design and functionality. It gives visitors a fun way to explore Alexandria before they arrive, while giving the client a flexible, updateable platform that can grow with new content and campaigns. Visitors and Visit Alexandria team members have shared very positive feedback about the experience.

We engineered a direct API connection between WordPress and SimpleView, automatically importing events, listings, and coupons into the site. This cut manual updates by 50% and ensured visitors always see the most accurate, real-time information.

We developed a custom WordPress theme tailored to Alexandria’s aesthetic, featuring layered animations and storytelling elements that highlight the city’s rich heritage. Responsive design ensured a seamless experience across desktop, tablet, and mobile.

We tuned the site for speed with techniques like caching, image compression, and database optimization, reducing load times by 40% even during busy periods. We also ran a full accessibility audit to ensure compliance with WCAG 2.1 AA/ADA standards, including proper color contrast, keyboard navigation, and clear page structure.

Modern protections like SSL encryption, firewalls, and two-factor authentication keep the site secure and ready to grow.

SEO best practices were built into the foundation — from metadata to mobile-first design — to increase visibility in search results. Multilingual support helps the site reach Alexandria’s international audience.

All content from the old system was migrated safely into WordPress, with automated checks and manual reviews to ensure accuracy. We tested the site across browsers and devices to ensure consistency.

Drag-and-drop editing tools were integrated into the backend to manage repeatable blocks on pages, complemented by documentation and training, enabling non-technical staff to easily manage site updates.

After launch, Visit Alexandria entered our Managed Website Services agreement to make sure the new site runs smoothly and stays reliable. We keep an eye on performance, Core Web Vitals, and SEO so the site remains fast and discoverable, including in AI-driven search. Accessibility is checked regularly, and key integrations like CRMs, maps, and forms are tested to prevent issues. Through our Managed Website Services, we also handle analytics, incident response, backups, and governance, helping the site stay stable and improve over time.

The redesigned Visit Alexandria website has become a cornerstone of the city’s tourism strategy, blending heritage with high-performance digital infrastructure.

Key achievements include:

• 40% faster page load times, improving user experience during seasonal surges.
• A 30% increase in mobile traffic, with higher time-on-site, thanks to a responsive and mobile-optimized design.
• 50% reduction in manual updates due to automated SimpleView API integration.
• Enhanced accessibility, with WCAG 2.1 AA / ADA compliance supporting inclusive engagement.
• Enhanced SEO visibility, resulting in increased organic traffic.
• Expanded international reach with multilingual capabilities.
• Strengthened data security and trust through advanced protections.
• Greater visitor engagement, with more users exploring events and participating in local activities.

 Visit the site →

Explore the custom-built events calendar →