Old Town’s Banned-Book Speakeasy Returns for Five Nights

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Literary-inspired cocktails, live piano music and a hidden library return to Morrison House Nov. 10–14.

Bookshelves flank the entrance to The Study at Morrison House in Alexandria — The entrance to The Study at Morrison House, where the Banned Book Speakeasy returns Nov. 10–14. Photo by LH Lawson / The Zebra Press (archive).

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Book lovers with a taste for a little mystery can slip into a hidden library in Old Town this week. The Study at Morrison House is bringing back its Banned Book Speakeasy with a new edition called The Restricted Collection.

The five-night experience begins Tuesday, November 10, at 5 p.m. and continues through Saturday, November 14, at Morrison House, 116 S. Alfred St.

A guest holds a Banned Book Speakeasy cocktail menu beside a book at The Study — A look at the Banned Book Speakeasy menu during a previous edition of the event at Morrison House. Photo by LH Lawson / The Zebra Press (archive).

Guests will encounter stories behind books challenged or restricted over the years, with literary-inspired drinks, food, live piano music and fireside conversation. The venue calls the experience a celebration of the freedom to read, with a charitable component supporting librarians across Virginia.

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Timed-entry admission is $12 per person; food and drinks cost extra. Of each admission, $5 goes to the Virginia Library Association.

Seats should be reserved in advance through Morrison House’s event listing. The experience is designed as a cocktail-bar outing, so check the ticketing information for age and entry requirements.

The Zebra covered the earlier edition; this November’s theme and five-night schedule offer returning visitors a new chapter.