Travel Tips & Adventures

By Guest Author Peggy Bradshaw
Photos by George Bradshaw

When we first arrived at Mt. Vernon, I didn’t realize it was going to be as extensive as it was. From the outside, the visitor center looks like any other visitor center, with its statues, gift shop and counters full of brochures and people to inform you of the wonders of the place you are about to see. Once you get through the visitor center, it is a whole other world outside.

Mt. Vernon visitor Center - with statues of George, Martha and the children

There are guides to show you around or you can look around on your own. It is best to tag along with one of the guides, because they are very knowledgeable about George and Martha Washington and all the buildings on the estate and what went on in each and every one. There is usually a line to walk through the main house, but the wait is never too long. They only take small groups through at a time, because of the narrow hallways and small rooms within the mansion.

Mt. Vernon

We were not allowed to take pictures within the mansion, but could at any other place on the grounds. The mansion has been restored to as close to original as possible and the furniture and fixtures, which did not originally belong to the Washingtons, are true to the period. The colors in the rooms were as authentic as possible as chosen by Martha and George. Your can purchase reproductions in the Lady Washington Shop in the visitor center.

George Washington's carriage

We wandered around the plantation, which is built on rolling hills and overlooks the Potomac River, located about 16 miles southwest of Washington, DC. We toured important outbuildings such as the wash and ironing houses, the stables and the carriage house, which houses one of Washington’s original carriages. The slave quarters can also be viewed, along with the shops that they toiled in – the blacksmith shop, the shoemaking shop, and the meat smoking house. Washington’s tomb is also on the grounds, along with the tombs and gravesites of relatives of George and Martha.

The Mt. Vernon Ladies Association saved and preserved the estate in 1853 and oversees the day-to-day operations yet today. The original estate contained over 8,000 acres; today only 500 are preserved. To walk the paths and grounds of Mt. Vernon is a trip back in time and walking shoes are recommended!

http://www.mountvernon.org/

Tomorrow – Travel to the Museum of the Pacific – which is in Texas – go figure!

Tags: Gardens, Historic, Scenery, Travel, US Domestic Travel, Washington DC

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 8th, 2009 at 6:00 am and is filed under Historic, Museums, Scenery, Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.