Not a Quick Jaunt AND Well Worth the Visit: Mount Vernon, the Washington's Virginia Home

An impressive view of the Mount Vernon George and Martha Washington called home. I have spent almost my entire adult life driving my children to school on Mt Vernon Avenue here in Bakersfield. In fact, this is the first year of my entire mother-of-school-children-career that I haven’t done the daily Mom Schlep to the street with the important name.

Perhaps that was one of the things that drew me to visit George and Martha Washington’s Mount Vernon when I visited the DC area this Summer. Well, the coupon on my rental car reservation also helped.

I thought it would be a quick jaunt down US History Lane.

Once again, I was wrong.

Someday I will get this all down but for now, no. I was very, very wrong.

I wish you could smell this as well as see it. Beautiful! Mount Vernon is not just a little house one visits, tucked away on a country road. It is a grand estate, a mini-town. There is industry, commerce, horticulture and unsurpassed beauty as well as a large house which is in the midst of being renovated. My history books didn’t go into much of this, perhaps because history books when I was young passed up social history altogether.

I didn’t know, for example, that Washington wanted to be remembered as a gentleman farmer. On his property was a very high tech (for the time) green house. There were several gardens where they grew vegetables, herbs and flowers.

I spent most of the time I was there with my jaw dropped.

I hung out with a blacksmith for a few minutes and talked to the gardening caretakers. I took not nearly enough photos.

Now this is what I call a writing porch! I highly recommend you pay the extra fee for the audio tour. You learn so much with your carry-able tour guide, all the tiniest details and great nuggets for conversation if you are with others. If you have children, they can share the responsibility for holding the audio wand and pushing the buttons which correspond with areas of note as you traverse the estate.

The back porch is more than expansive and looks out on an enormously inviting lawn. There are chairs set up in a row for your group to sit in and I saw more than several children playing on the lawn. I can’t help but think that would make Martha and George happy.

The tour of the home is one of the better tours I have been on and yes, I have been on many. Instead of being with one tour guide, the group moves from room to room where the specialist in that room tells you about it. There are items the Washington’s owned as well as period pieces. My favorite single item was a gift from Lafayette to the Washingtons. I am purposefully not telling you so you will find out on your own visit. The lack of interior photos is because they are not allowed. Go visit, go visit! *Happy smiles*

I also loved hearing about the hospitality of the day. It reminds me of what I experience with couch surfing. Someone arrives at the door, you welcome them, give them a place to sleep and get to know them for a bit. Instant friends, momentary family or icy frenemies all gather around the table. Oh, to be there at that time.

Unfortunately my photo of the dorm style part of the room was blurry. One of the informational boards told me the children slept on the floor. On my private audio tour I visited the houses where the slaves of the Washington’s lived, in two separate dormitory style cabins. One was for the men and one was for the women (and very young little boys). These were the slaves that worked in the home and around the estate, so we are told their living quarters were rather fine. The homes belonging to the people in the vicinity were not as grand as these and I can only imagine what the living quarters were like for the people working the fields.

There is so much to see in the Washington, DC area AND I was so glad I took (not enough) time to see Mount Vernon. It created context for every other place and monument I visited while I was there. I will definitely return.