Mount Vernon
Home of George Washington
Site Details
Pin location is approximate.
3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway
Mount Vernon, VA 22121
Family Friendly?
Yes
Visitors Per Year
1,000,000
During the 20-minute mansion tour offered throughout the day, visitors are taken through the servants’ quarters, a large front room (an add-on by Washington), upstairs bedrooms, Washington’s study, and a kitchen.
- The highlight of the tour is the Key to the Bastille, given to Washington by the Marquis de Lafayette.
- Guests learn that Washington was a voracious reader, leaving behind 1,200 titles.
- Notably, he voluntarily relinquished power twice (as commander of the army and as president).
- Washington freed those slaves under his power in his will and decreed that the elderly and infirm among them be cared for and that their children be educated using funds from the estate.
The Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association has reconstructed the slave quarters, with panels detailing what slavery was like for those who lived at Mount Vernon. An hour-long tour on slavery is available once or twice per day (depending on the season). During the tour, guides walk visitors through the quarters, detail individual stories, and discuss Washington’s attitudes and actions toward the institution of slavery.
Mount Vernon distinguishes itself by having a Museum and Education Center that chronicles George Washington’s life and accomplishments: biographical information, his role in the French and Indian War and as commander of the Continental Army (a short film adds detail to his military contributions), his presidency, and his Farewell Address. Visitors can end their journey with a visit to Washington’s tomb on the grounds.
Mount Vernon is accurate, comprehensive, and proportional in its exhibits and tours. The Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association has appropriately incorporated the story of slavery as part of the story of life at Mount Vernon in a straightforward manner, without straying from their primary obligation of detailing Washington’s accomplishments. The latter is, rightly, the main focus at Mount Vernon.
Overall, the tour guides and exhibits adopt a modest tone, doing their best to rely on primary sources. The guides take pride in their work and are exceptionally knowledgeable. Discordant notes from Mount Vernon tour guides are few and far between.
Mount Vernon is a picturesque and delightful place for a family to spend an afternoon. The grounds and gardens are extensive, and the mansion is situated in beauty, with the Potomac River on one side and a grassy lawn and rolling hills on the other. Mount Vernon offers a great number of specialty tours, and interpreters in costume are often present.
The Museum and Education Center is particularly geared toward students. Children will be entertained by the snow that comes flurrying from the theater vents as Washington crosses the Delaware River. Interactive exhibits put visitors in Washington’s place, asking them to consider what they would do when faced with challenges like the Genet Affair or given contradictory advice by advisors like Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton.
George Washington was America’s indispensable man, a prudential statesman with an exceptional character. Washington gained notoriety through the French and Indian War and later led the Continental Army to defeat the world’s greatest military power. He lent credibility to the Constitutional Convention, which was initially convened to amend the Articles of Confederation, and his support of the Constitution helped ensure its passage. Washington is the only President to have been elected unanimously, and his actions while President set precedents that continue to define that office today. Throughout his presidency, he had to navigate the troubles of national debt and the development of the two-party system. He also had to manage America’s response to unrest abroad, notably, the French Revolution and relations with Great Britain.
Owned By: Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association of the Union
Operated By: Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association of the Union
Government Funded: No
Did you know?
George Washington commissioned the dove of peace weathervane that sits atop the cupola when he was in Philadelphia for the Constitutional Convention.
Recommended Reading
- George Washington: A Collection, edited by W.B. Allen
- The Presidency of George Washington by Forrest McDonald
- Founding Father: Rediscovering George Washington by Richard Brookhiser
Reviewed By
Brenda Hafera
Assistant Director and Senior Policy Analyst in the B. Kenneth Simon Center for American Studies at The Heritage Foundation
The opinions expressed above are those of the Reviewer who is providing a good-faith historical assessment to educate the public. Reasonable opinions can vary, and the Reviewer’s opinion is not necessarily the opinion of The Heritage Foundation or its affiliates.