Part of what made our visit so fun was the interactive activities designed for kids. Mount Vernon has both an old-school, pen and paper scavenger hunt and an app-based spy adventure / scavenger hunt. We did both and loved them, and they were a great way to thoroughly explore the grounds. We picked up the paper Adventure Map at the Ford Orientation Center. This activity consisted of 10 different puzzles. The first 9 puzzles led you to different locations on the property and asked a question which could be answered using clues from that location. For example, Puzzle #4 stated …
Category: Trip Reports
Mount Vernon Pioneer Farm
The Pioneer Farm provides a period-authentic example of farming on Washington’s estate, as well as demonstrations of different farming techniques, cooking, sheep shearing, and more. It was a bit of a trek down to the farm but worth the time and effort. (A shuttle is available between the farm and the Education Center from April to October.) We watched a cooking demonstration for a short while and then wandered through the farm to the Threshing Barn. The Threshing Barn is an invention of Washington’s – a 16 sided, 2 story barn used to separate wheat berry from the stalk. Historically, …
Mount Vernon Tombs
Both George and Martha Washington are buried at Mount Vernon. George Washington’s will provided instruction for the construction of a new tomb, which is now his final resting place. Visitors to Mount Vernon line up every day to pay their respects to the Father of Our Country and his First Lady. Even after walking the grounds all day and envisioning Washington’s life there, it was hard to wrap my head around the fact that George Washington’s body was on the other side of that gate. It was surreal and sobering. A staff member was on hand to make sure that …
Mount Vernon Outbuildings
There are more than a dozen outbuildings on the estate that have been maintained in their original look and function. The family utilized slave labor to complete many of the tasks required to keep the estate running and each building had a specific purpose. Each building is set up as it was in Washington’s times. The majority of the buildings cannot be entered but can be viewed from the outside through doorways. An informative display at the entry explains what the building was used for. The Blacksmith Shop at Mount Vernon is a reconstruction of the original and is fully …
Mount Vernon Grounds and Gardens
Located on the banks of the Potomac River, the property encompassed some 8,000 acres in George Washington’s days, but the current grounds are a mere 500 acres. Washington himself was the primary landscape designer of the vast property. A large bowling green in front of the house is the central element of the design, and the 4 gardens on the grounds both showcased Washington’s flowers and plants and provided fresh fruits and vegetables for the family. We walked through the Upper Garden, a formal garden with a greenhouse and 6 planting beds. The current plantings replicate Washington’s own garden, according …
Mount Vernon Mansion
The mansion is the centerpiece of Mount Vernon. It was originally built as a smaller 1.5 story home by George Washington’s father, Augustine Washington, in 1734. Twenty years later, George Washington took it over and embarked on a series of additions and renovations that resulted in the 11,000 square foot home you can visit today. The home was built in the Palladian style, which focuses on symmetry. Ironically, the numerous additions resulted in a slightly asymmetrical house. The dome and front door do not align perfectly and the windows are not symmetrical. The exterior of the home was built using …
George Washington’s Mount Vernon
Because we live further from DC than my sister, we ended up staying an extra night to make the trip worth the drive and to avoid driving home in the middle of the night. I wanted to find one more activity that we could do that last morning but didn’t want to pay the high prices to stay in the city another night. I did some research on sites outside the city and decided that George Washington’s Mount Vernon would be the perfect add-on. Mount Vernon is the estate of George and Martha Washington. The grounds are massive and include …
National Air and Space Museum
The second stop on our Smithsonian museum day was the Air and Space Museum. When we visited DC 5 years ago, the kids spent hours here. On this trip they spent hours in the Natural History Museum and less time here. Their lengthy visit at the Natural History Museum turned out to be fortuitous, as we found that much of the Air and Space Museum was closed for renovations on this trip. The division of time was perfect and an hour and a half was all we really needed here. The Air and Space Museum main atrium definitely has a …
National Museum of Natural History
In all, the Smithsonian has 19 museums, galleries and gardens, as well as a zoo. All of its museums and the zoo in Washington DC offer free admission. With 11 of its DC museums located on the National Mall, they are super convenient… and the price can’t be beat! On our first trip to DC, we spent a lot of time in the Air and Space Museum and then popped into the Natural History Museum for a bit. On this trip, we did the reverse – we spent hours in the Natural History Museum (much longer than we expected) and …
National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden
Located adjacent to the West Building of the National Gallery of Art, the Sculpture Garden features over 20 works of art on 6+ acres of the National Mall. With 6 public entrances at various points around the block, it makes for an easy diversion from wherever you are headed on the mall. We actually stumbled across it on our way back to the hotel from the monuments and some of us chose to explore the grounds. (Others of us chose to rest on the benches, while still others of us chose to climb trees, which they quickly found out was …