Spotlight: Virginia - Mount Vernon

Spotlight: In the antebellum south, plantation owners lovingly gave names to their beautiful plantations. Although George Washington is more famous for his roles as general of the Colonial Army and first President of the United States, he was also a plantation owner. His plantation was named Mount Vernon by its previous owner, his brother Lawrence who named it after his commanding officer. The mansion began as a modest one and one-half story farmhouse built in 1735 by Augustine Washington, George's father. It was later inherited by George's half-brother Lawrence. When Lawrence died, ownership of the plantation eventually passed on to George, who began residing there in 1754. Over the next 45 years, George slowly added on the Mansion, supervising each renovation and eventually expanding it to 21 rooms.

      Following Washington's death in 1799, the estate began to deteriorate due to decreased revenues. It was saved from ruin by The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association who acquired and restored the historic buildings. It was designated a National Historic Monument in 1960.

Location: Mount Vernon is located at 3200 Mount Vernon Highway, Mt. Vernon, VA on the shores of the Potomac River, just south of Washington D.C.

Cost: Adults (12+): $20, Seniors (62+): $19, Youth (6-11): $10, Children (0-5): free

Time: Open from 9:00-4:00 (November-March), 9:00-5:00 (April-October); we planned on only staying for 2-3 hours, but ended up staying 6 1/2 hours. You could easily spend a full day here.

Description: After the death of his brother, Lawrence, George took up residence in the Mansion at Mount Vernon. The 21 rooms are painted in vibrant colors and adorned with elegant furnishings from the era. Visitors can walk through the first and second floors and listen to guides who give interesting details about the house and its residents. The distinctive cupola on top of the mansion not only provided a fabulous view of the estate and river, it also served as a natural air conditioning by siphoning hot air out through the open windows. The shaded piazza was also unique for that era, allowing the family to take tea outside on hot summer days.

     Many of the essential household operations took place in the many outbuildings located around the Mansion, including: the Kitchen, the Blacksmith Shop, the Spinning House, the Greenhouse, the Smokehouse, the Stables, and more.

Spinning House

Blacksmith Shop

     Surrounding the Mansion and outbuildings are several fabulous gardens. Some of the gardens were to add beauty to the grounds. Others served different purposes including growing fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices. They also allowed Washington to test out the viability of new species of plants in the humid Virginia climate. Visitors can also explore the wooded landscape of the 1/4 mile forest trail.

     Around the property, visitors can see the various animals that Washington raised on his grounds: horses, donkeys, cows, hogs, sheep, turkeys, chickens, mules and oxen.
     Washington was originally buried in the Old Tomb near the Mansion. However, prior to his death, he had chosen a site for the New Tomb to be constructed. Once it was completed, the remains of George, his wife Martha, and other family members were moved to the new site. Near the New Tomb is a Slave Memorial and Burial Ground for the unmarked graves of the many slaves and free blacks that lived, worked, and died at Mount Vernon.

     From April to October, visitors can explore the reconstructed Pioneer Farm where Washington experimented with new agricultural ideas such as crop rotation, fertilizers, plowing practices, etc. You can visit the replica 16-sided Treading Barn and the reconstructed slave cabin and watch workers in period dress perform labors that were common during the late 1700's.

     One of Washington's most successful enterprises was his fishery. Visitors can walk onto the reconstructed wharf where they can access the sightseeing cruise from April to October.

     The Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center traces Washington's life through a variety of multimedia presentations that explore his childhood, his adventures on the American frontier, his role in the Revolutionary War, his presidency, and of course his family life at Mount Vernon. The museum displays more than 500 objects that were part of the Washingtons' daily lives.

Photographic proof of the Cherry Tree incident

Washington's sword

     The Robert H. and Clarice Smith Auditorium shows four different movies included in the price of admission: The Winter Patriots, Yorktown: Now or Never, Saving Mount Vernon, and Mount Vernon in Virginia.
     Your general admission ticket also gives you access to the nearby Distillery and Gristmill, both of which are still functioning just as they did at the end of the 18th century.
     The Mount Vernon Inn Restaurant serves classic American dishes common during the late 18th century, and served by waiters in period dress in a colonial setting. There is also a food court with quicker, modern options. We tried the Mount Vernon Inn Restaurant and enjoyed it immensely.

our waiter at the Mount Vernon Inn Restaurant

Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)

Things You Should Know: - Parking is free. You can also come by rail from Washington DC. Take Metrorail's Yellow Line to Huntington Station. Exit at the lower level of the station (Huntington Avenue) to catch a Fairfax Connector bus to Mount Vernon. Board the Fairfax Connector Bus #101, the Fort Hunt Line, for a 20-minute trip to Mount Vernon's entrance gate.
- Timed tickets to the Mansion tour are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
- Daily add-on tours include: the Sightseeing Cruise ($11), National Treasure Tour ($7), Gardens & Groves Tour ($4), the Enslaved People of Mt. Vernon Tour ($4), and the Audio Tour ($6). To engage our daughters more, we did the National Treasure Tour (based on the Hollywood movie) and loved it! It is the only tour that takes you under the mansion to the subterranean cellar.

Cellar door entrance

Ice House entrance

Erika hiding where Ben Gates entered the party

- On the tour we learned that although there is no secret passage in the cellar; there was one from the bottom of the Ice House to the river at the base of the hill. When the script writers learned this, they got so excited, they modified the script to include a secret passage.
- Weekend add-on tours include: Dinner for the Washingtons ($7), Through My Eyes Character Tour ($7), and the All the President's Pups Walking Tour ($7)
- You get a 10% discount on online ticket purchases from the Mt. Vernon website.
- If you come with kids, download the Agent 711 Spy Adventure app which allows them to use their spy skills as they explore the grounds.

Nearby: Piscataway Park, Fort Washington Park, Woodlawn & Frank Lloyd Wright's Pope-Leighey House, Gunston Hall