This is the second post of a new travel series. In this series, we are headed east starting in Wisconsin and going all the way to Virginia to see the home of George Washington and Colonial Williamsburg. To start at the beginning, go HERE where we stop in Indiana to celebrate Easter with my daughter, son-in-law, and our grandchildren.
This past April my husband and I drove out east to see Mt. Vernon and Colonial Williamsburg. I have wanted to see Colonial Williamsburg my entire life, so it was quite the dream come true for me. Hubby decided that since we were already in the area that we should also stop and see the home of George Washington: Mt. Vernon. It is located about two hours north of Colonial Williamsburg.
As I shared in my last travel post, after spending Easter with my daughter and her family in Indiana, we drove to Fredrick Maryland which was 8 1/2 hours away. The next morning, we headed to Mt. Vernon which was only supposed to be about 1 1/2 hours away but ended up taking 2 1/2 hours because of traffic. DC traffic is just awful, that's all I can say. In fact, for us midwesterners, all traffic out east is just terrible. We midwesterners don't know how ya'll eastern people can live like that.😁 But, you have a beautiful area, lovely weather, and lots to see and do so maybe traffic is just what you're willing to put up with to enjoy everything else.
Now, unfortunately Mt. Vernon is undergoing a major reconstruction right now. I knew about the construction when planning our trip and asked hubby if he still wanted to go, and he said "yes" because he didn't know when, if ever, we'd be in that area again. So I thought I'd include the photo below so you could see what Mt. Vernon would look like without the construction, because when we were there, the house was almost completely covered up with scaffolding.
When we arrived at Mt Vernon it was still fairly early despite our late start so we found parking quite easily and not a lot of people around. However, by mid-day it was getting a little busier.
We had ordered our tickets on-line but you can buy tickets at the site too. Inside is this beautiful stained glass art which shows scenes from the life of President Washington. There is also a slide show in the theater which shows slides of the all the rooms inside the Washington home that you won't be able to see due to construction plus a large model of the home.
The cost of Mt. Vernon is very reasonable, especially considering the large grounds and everything there is to do and see. It costs $26 for adults for a "Grounds Pass" and $2.00 to tour the mansion.
When we first walked on the grounds, we headed towards the greenhouse, gardens, and slave quarters. My hubby is standing at the end of one of the reconstructed slave quarters.
I always love seeing old gardens from the past and learning how they grew their produce and what they grew.
The Upper Garden showcased George Washington's talent as a landscape designer: He intentionally combined practical vegetable plants with the beauty of a flower garden. Hey! That's how I garden too. I want my vegetable garden to look pretty, so I add a lot of hanging flower baskets!
This is the greenhouse with the slave quarter reconstruction on one side and other displays of interest (like a shoe maker repair shop) on the other. These wings were built on the sites of the 18th century slave quarters.
The original greenhouse was completed in 1787. The greenhouse provided a winter refuge for tropical and semi-tropical plants and also to house enslaved workers . The original greenhouse burned down in 1835. The present structure was built in 1951 on the original foundation based on drawings of the original structure. Fun fact: The reconstruction incorporates bricks from the White House when it was renovated between 1948 and 1952.
In the greenhouse wings you can see displays of enslaved workers living conditions and read about their daily lives.
You can also see displays of other jobs on the farm like shoe repair.
This is the blacksmith shop. As early as 1755 there are records that George Washington always had a blacksmith on his property. This building is a reconstruction completed in 2009 on the original site of the blacksmith shop.
You can watch and hear all about the various ways the blacksmith was used on the farm.
All the buildings on the estate are open for viewing. I believe this one is the Overseer's Quarters. George Washington was regularly gone from his property and needed someone to oversee his estate while he was away. He had his own cabin to live in and in 1779 the overseer earned $133 dollars a year plus room and board.
This is the inside of the Overseer's Cabin.
The Spinning House. The spinning house was used to produce basic textiles to be used on the estate.
There were so buildings on the estate, I can't possible show them all to you. They were all housed in these little white buildings with red roofs. Below is the Salt House with the Overseer Cabin behind it. The Salt House provided secure storage for all the salt Washington brought over from England, Portugal, and the Caribbean. Salt was so important to preserve food in the days before refrigeration.
Other buildings on interest on the property were the Smokehouse, the Wash House, the Stable and Coach House, the Ice House, the Garden House, the Dung Repository (that's an interesting one! 😉), the Storehouse, the Gardener's House, the Kitchen, and the Servant's Hall.
The Ice House was not only super cute but had quite the nice view!
When you purchase a mansion tour ticket you are given an EXACT time to see the mansion, and they are so strict about that. They would not let us in line one minute before our tour. When our time finally came up, we got in the first line. Here the guide starts to share a little bit about the home. This is the side of the house that faces the property. The other side faces the Potomac River. Both sides were covered with construction stuff so I couldn't get a decent photo anywhere.
On one side of the mansion is the outdoor kitchen and the other little building currently being worked on is the Storehouse/Clerk quarters.
The Servant's Hall is the second line they take you in while waiting to tour the mansion. Here we went inside and learned all about how the servants of visitors to the mansion would wait here while their employers were visiting the Washingtons. It is an original building.
Do you notice the "stone" siding of the home? It's actually not stone at all but wood made to look like stone. Paint was applied to pine and sand was then thrown onto the wet surface to create a stone-like texture.
The mansion tour begins in what Washington called "The New Room". It was the last addition to his house and the grandest space. The original home was just the lower center portion, then a second story was added in 1759, and the wings were added in 1774 and 1776.
The New Room was used for several functions, but primarily as a receiving room for Washington's visitors.
The ceiling is two stories high and has beautiful architectural features.
Gotta love these windows!
The room was intended to represent unpretentious beauty and fine craftsmanship, qualities Washington believed represented the new nations values.
Here you can see the extent of this construction. They are adding heating and cooling to help preserve the life of the home. They are also adding all new floor beams as the house seems to be falling apart, as evident by its crooked exterior. Construction is scheduled to be completed by 2026, but could go longer. It was depressing being there while it was all being reconstructed, but at the same time I totally understand as this home really needs it.
After touring the New Room they then take you outside to the front of the house where you can see this view of the Potomac River. It is gorgeous! And wow, what a place to have a home. Unfortunately the entire side of this house was covered in scaffolding so no photos!
The tour guide then takes you back into the house to show you George Washington's office but I didn't even bother getting the camera out because there was nothing there! It was completely gutted to the studs. It was so disappointing. I knew I wouldn't see much of his home, but I really thought I'd see more than that. Oh well, at least I could say I stood in the home of the father of our country!
Next, the tour guide takes you out of the mansion and into the outdoor kitchen. It was interesting, but definitely not as interesting as seeing some other rooms of the mansion. In those days the kitchens were often outdoors for safety and heating reasons.
This is the root cellar located just off the kitchen. I could not believe the cool breeze coming out of the room, and it was a hot day too.
After our tour we were told we could walk on the grass in front of the mansion, so we did that so we could take some photos and soak up the beauty.
There are so many character reenactments going on at Mt. Vernon. You really have to pick and choose which ones interest you the most. We stopped in to hear Martha Washington talk about life on the farm. She does interact with the audience too, and everyone is welcome to converse with her and ask questions.
By now, we were starving. There are two restaurants to eat at on the grounds. One is a fancier dine-in restaurant where you can savor the flavors of early America. The other is a food court where you can grab a wrap, pizza, or burger. We chose the food court, which was actually very nice, because we wanted more time to explore the grounds.
Next, we went to the museum. There are actually two museums on the property, but guess what? Only one is open, the other is closed for renovations. UGH! Seriously, did they have to renovate both the mansion and the museum at the exact same time? Well, we went to the museum that was open. This one focused on the people who shaped Mount Vernon including the Washington and Curtis families, the enslaved and hired workers, and the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association which has owned and preserved Mt. Vernon since the 19th century.
Inside this museum is the history of Mt. Vernon and many original artifacts of the mansion.
Well now it was time to go back outside and explore the rest of the estate. We stopped at the gate where original visitors would have driven their horse drawn through. What a magnificent view that must have been back in the day!
We said hello to some of the farm animals, like these bulls. They also have sheep, pigs, chickens, and horses.
There was a loud teen tour group while we were there, so we decided to take a detour for some peace and quiet, and I was so glad we did. It was so peaceful and beautiful going through the woods. This is called the "Forest Trail" and it leads to a slave cabin, a 16 sided barn, a farm, a boat shelter, and the wharf; so it was a good detour! Thanks loud teen group!
The sign below explains all about George Washington the farmer (click on photo to enlarge it). We so often think of him as a politician, but he truly was a farmer at heart.
Pictured below is a reconstruction of the 16 side barn. It was used to thresh wheat. The original barn was built between 1792 and 1794 and demolished in 1875.
Across from the barn is a slave cabin.
Continuing on down the road past the farm lead us to the Potomac River wharf. Here you can take a cruise of the river, but we arrived too late and the last boat for the day had already departed. However, we did enjoy looking at the sheep grazing on grass and views of the water from the beach.
What is a visit to Mount Vernon without stopping by the grave site of George Washington to pay our respect to the founder of this beautiful country? Located straight up from the beach one comes across his tomb where he, Martha, and other family members are buried. George Washington stated in his will that he wanted to be buried at home at Mt. Vernon. The one thing I gathered more than anything while visiting this place, was how much he truly his home. He put so much time, thought, and care into every inch of his property. He was constantly redesigning, rethinking, renovating, etc. I can really relate to that! I've lived in my late 1800's home for over 27 years and the work never ends. I'm always redecorating, fixing things up, reconstructing the garden: it is a labor of love.
Even though we missed out on so much of Mt. Vernon due to the renovations, I'm glad we went. I was exhausted by the end of the day, if everything was open, I probably could not have seen it all in one day anyway. I don't think I'll ever get back to Mt. Vernon in my lifetime, but I sure hope I do!
Next week: Colonial Williamsburg!
Have A Great Day! Amy
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