A Day at Mount Vernon

We traveled to Washington, DC, last month and spent a day at Mount Vernon while we were there. Since today is Washington’s Birthday, I thought it as good a time as any to tell you about our trip.

It has been almost fifteen years since last we visited George Washington’s estate, and we were extremely impressed with all the improvements that have been made in the interim.

Of course, one of the disadvantages of off-season travel is that the gardens aren’t in bloom this time of year, and the preservation society waits until winter (when crowds are slim) to make necessary maintenance repairs, so the cupola was a little obscured in our photos.

Nevertheless, those disadvantages are completely outweighed by the fact that there were no lines to contend with, and we got the tour guide all to ourselves. We learned a lot.

To ensure even our youngest ones paid attention to the guide’s talk, we let them know in advance that they’d be quizzed over what she’d said afterwards in the car and wouldn’t get any treats until they answered at least one question correctly.

They were all ears. The guide was happy to provide detailed answers to all the questions any of us thought to ask or to clarify any points of confusion.

Since our last visit to Mount Vernon, a new educational center has been added, just down the hill from the mansion.

This museum is fabulous! Walking through it, you can almost feel the history come to life.

Several films play in different rooms of the museum at regular intervals throughout the day. In one side room, Martha Washington recalls her life together with George as she re-reads the correspondence between them before tossing the letters, one by one, into the fire.

You’ll definitely want to catch the film in the 4-D theater: Seats rumble with the cannon shots during key battles of the Revolutionary War, and snow falls from the ceiling as Washington and his men cross the Delaware Christmas Night.

There is even a children’s room in the museum where little ones can don period clothing, listen to stories about Washington, learn to play the games he played as a child, and even stage parties in a dollhouse replica of his mansion.

Mount Vernon is just a short drive outside of Washington, DC. If you’ve never been before, or if it has been several years since your last visit, you should definitely put a day at Mount Vernon on your itinerary next time you’re in the area.

More Travel Ideas for Families

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