Ship Biscuit Ornaments at the Alexandria Archaeology Museum

Free, no registration required; drop in any time 2–5 p.m.

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About this adventure

Ship's biscuits, like hardtack, were baked to last through long sea voyages, and a nearly complete 18th-century one was dug up at the Robinson Landing site on Alexandria's waterfront. On the first Saturday afternoon of December, drop in at the Alexandria Archaeology Museum inside the Torpedo Factory Art Center to make your own ship's biscuit ornament. Each one is stamped with the year and taken home to bake, so children can keep an eye on how well it is preserved, a small hands-on lesson in how archaeologists read old objects. It is free with no registration, and it falls on the same Old Town weekend as the Scottish Walk parade and the boat parade of lights.