Visiting Mount Vernon

I was given complimentary tickets in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own.

When I was 12 I flew across the country by myself from California to Virginia to visit a friend who had recently moved to Virginia. I spent a week at her house and her and her Dad took me all over Washington DC and Virginia to do all the touristy things in the area. One of the places they took me was to Mount Vernon. I loved my visit and knew I wanted to return one day.

This summer as part of our Great American Tour Road Trip we visited Mount Vernon. For history this year we studied the American Revolution and really loved learning about George Washington. He was really selfless and greatly helped our country. He often put our country’s needs above his own.

As I didn’t remember a ton from my first visit 3o years before it was all new and exciting. The grounds are so beautiful and big. Definitely grab the map by the ticket counter. Tours are timed so we arrived a few minutes before and we were able to get right into the line. The way the tour worked was unique. There were tour guides placed outside the house near the tour line and throughout the house telling facts about the rooms we could see or sharing stories, and the line throughout the house would creep along.

In the foyer entrance was the key to the Bastille that was given to George Washington as  a gift from the Marquis de Lafayette. So cool!! Upstairs we saw the room where the Marquis would stay when he visited, and the room where George Washington died. Close to the exit of the house was a room set up with some actual furniture belonging to George Washington.

Along with the main house (which has a long term preservation project going on so different parts of the house will be unavailable at different times) you can also explore the grounds: the kitchen, stables, blacksmith shop, servants quarters, green house, gardens, smokehouse, wash house, the Washington’s old and new tomb, and more. It was fun to explore the grounds and even walk out to the Potomac River.

I think everyone should visit the home of our first President at least once in their life. I have read a lot of books about George Washington and loved to visit his beloved Mount Vernon.