1. Home of America’s First Hero.
Come Discover
“No estate in United America is more pleasantly situated than this”
- George Washington
Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association
M ount Vernon is the most popular historic home in America, where you can stroll
four different gardens, hike the Forest Trail, and explore the real George Wash-
ington.. Located just 16 miles south of Washington, D.C. and 8 miles south of Old Town
Alexandria, Virginia, the plantation rests on the banks of the Potomac River. Visitors
are invited to tour the Mansion house and more than a dozen outbuildings including the
slave quarters, kitchen, stables, and greenhouse. Pioneer Farmer site, a four-acre work-
ing farm that includes a re-creation of Washington’s 16-sided treading barn. George and
Martha Washington rest in peace in the tomb where wreath laying ceremonies are held
daily, and the Slave Memorial and Burial Ground is nearby.
Visitors learn about Washington’s exceptional life and accomplishments through
interactive displays, a major movie, short films produced by The History Channel, and
high-tech immersive experiences. Three life-size models created by a team of artists
and forensic and computer experts depict Washington as never before seen at three
significant stages of his life - including as a land surveying teenager - which dispel the
elder statesman icon and encourage people to think about Washington in a new way:
an incomparable American hero who evolved from a young man of modest means into
this country’s greatest president.
Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association
A rich and comprehensive collection of objects introduce Washington’s world in a
new state-of-the-art museum. Visitors get an unprecedented look at furnishings,
china, silver, clothing, jewelry, Revolutionary War artifacts, rare books and manuscripts,
and other personal effects of the Washington family. Some of these treasures are
exhibited at Mount Vernon for the first time in the newly opened Ford Orientation
Center and Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center, where visitors are
introduced to the real
George Washington. The facilities include 25 galleries and theaters, interactive
displays, and more than 700 artifacts. The most famous dentures in the world are on
permanent display, along with three life-size models of Washington created from a
forensic investigation.
Washington was also a successful business entrepreneur and innovative farmer.
Three miles from his home visitors can tour his Distillery and Gristmill. At the Distillery,
visitors will be able to see costumed distillers operating five copper stills, stirring mash
tubs, and managing the boiler as they demonstrate 18th-century distilling. The two-story
building also features a storage cellar with barrels, an office, and two bedrooms where
the site manager and assistant would have lived. The Distillery and adjacent Gristmill
are open April 1 - October 31, with costumed distillers and millers operating the fasci-
nating water-powered machinery in both buildings.
Open the door to George Washington’s world, and share a part of Mount Vernon...
past, present, and future.
www MountVernon.org
Tel +1.703.780.2000 Mount Vernon Ladies Association
222 Best of DC Best of DC 223
Mount Vernon Ladies Association