"Washington's Mount Vernon Plantation" Mount Vernon by Ewingjr98

Mount Vernon Travel Guide: 188 reviews and 411 photos

Washington's Mount Vernon Plantation - Mount Vernon

Mount Vernon was George Washington's home on the Potomac from 1759 through 1799. At its peak, the plantation had 8,000 acres of land, 45 of which are open to the public today. Though a walk on the grounds is very pleasant, the highlight of this trip is the tour of the 21-room mansion. Just be prepared for a very long wait! When I visited the estate in 2001, the line to visit the house was over one hour long, so we decided to skip it (they claim there is usually no wait in Jan, Feb, Mar, and Nov)! On a more recent trip in 2009, the crowds were much smaller, so we had lunch at the Mount Vernon Inn, checked out the Greenhouse, then toured the mansion after about 20 minutes in line. Our favorite spots were the back porch overlooking the Potomac River, Washington's Tomb, and the gardens.

To get to Mount Vernon, just follow the George Washington Parkway; the house is 16 miles south of Washington DC. The entry fee is now $15 (climbing dramatically from about $9 in 2002 to $11 in 2007). It is open every day of the year from 8am to 5pm in the summer and 9am to 4pm in the winter.

Washington's Gristmill

George Washington's Gristmill and Distillery are located about three miles west of Mount Vernon on Route 235. They were part of the original estate, with the gristmill constructed in 1771 and the distillery established in 1797. The gristmill ground wheat into flour, and it is said the distillery produced 11,000 gallons of whiskey a year, making it the largest distillery in America at the time. The distillery was destroyed around 1814 and the mill was demolished in the 1850s. The mill was rebuilt in 1933 and the distillery reconstructed in 2007. Open to the public from April through October.

Last visit to Mount Vernon: May 2009
Intro Updated May 13, 2009
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Comments (2)

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SteveOSF May 18, 2009 at 11:17 AM

Nice page on this historic spot. I enjoyed visiting Mount Vernon in the mid 1990s. The price of admission was much less then.
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Yaqui May 13, 2009 at 6:21 PM

A beautiful place filled with our countries history. Great tips!