George Washington's Mount Vernon — Attraction in Mount Vernon

I am surprised by all the positive reviews. I assume, like me, people are appreciative of the chance to step into the home and walk the grounds beloved by the patriarch of the United States. I appreciate the way the discussion about slavery is handled with care and respect for the truth. The burial ground for the enslaved people is moving and an important place of reflection...HOWEVER...there is an obvious lack of leadership, management and culture among the staff. I have visited multiple presidential homes and this was the worst experience I have had, by far. We paid $78 for 2 adults and 2 elementary age children to tour the grounds and mansion (with a 10% discount). We purchased a timed ticket for the mansion tour a month ahead. We expected, as with all the other presidential home tours, to have a tour guide lead us through the house with a group of others, providing a few minutes to reflect in each spot and ask a question or two...but instead, we stood in a very long que (hundreds of people) outside the house for 30+ minutes (shaded at times) without a docent, besides the one who spoke to us about the rules of the house (she actually yelled it at us because there were so many people and no crowd control...I was near her and didn't hear it all). She did offer to answer questions but you got the impression from all the staff that questions were generally unwelcomed because of the inefficiency of taking the time to answer (yell) them. So we waited 30+ minutes in line outside the home before entering the foyer through the open back door...and this is where it just got stupid. We get into the foyer and a docent at the door tells us (yells again) to "take a look around" except that there are so many people in the room already...waiting to go up the stairs to see the rest of the house that there was no where to go to "look around" so the visitors made their own zig zag line to attempt to see the rooms as a docent yells a brief 3 minute (obviously memorized) blurb about the space. Here we stood awkwardly for 10 more minutes waiting to follow the rest of the herd up the stairs. Seriously people, I felt like a cow in a cattle pen. And that is how we proceeded through the entire house...like cattle...being yelled at by each staff member a brief 3 minute speech (which started over if you didn't get shoved forward before it ended). The two times a visitor attempted to ask a question, we were ignored. I like to think it was because the staff couldn't hear us over all the other cattle. The exceptions being the docents outside Washington's bedroom and office. They seemed to care a bit more than others. And that was it. The entire actual inside mansion "tour" lasted about 20 minutes and at least 10 of that was being squished in the entry foyer and trying to figure out where the heck to go. When we exited the kitchen area at the end of the "tour", we were told we were being handed off to the next "colleague" to answer any further questions except that guy steps up and instead of greeting us, proceeds to pull out a cell phone and look down at it...so we (and everyone else we were standing with) left.

This could be done SO much better. First of all, on a random October Monday there were 11 charter buses and 2 school buses (that we saw) and more arriving as we left. Why not have a day(s) dedicated to school groups and other large tour groups? The teenage school kids were everywhere without obvious signs of guidance/supervision. There needed to be better organization by staff and chaperones.

Bottom line, this is a sacred place in The United States. It should be managed like one. It was not. It was managed like a place whose leadership is trying to make as much money as possible in a single day at the expense of the public and this...

This larger than life former home and estate of founding father of the United States of America, is a must visit if you are in the DMV or even elsewhere on the east coast. It gives you a great insight into the former president’s life and what influenced his perspective. Privately owned and non-government funded, the ladies who own and run the property, have done a commendable job to restore, renovate and run it. They receive zero support from the government and depend solely on funds from tours, memberships and income from the gift shop. The membership makes complete sense if you live nearby and are likely to go back with visitors during the year. At a mere $69, ‘it pays for itself’ by the second visit and members are allowed to take in up to four guests for free each year. The estate is beautiful and sprawling, with a spectacular view of the Potomac on one side of the house. In the distance, the state of Maryland is visible on the other side of the river. Washington spend much time sitting on a chair (still displayed) taking in the breathtaking view of the river and marvelling at the expanse of it and his estate. You buy your ticket and are advised to go into the theatre to get a quick virtual tour/guide of what to expect. There are 30 minute movies through the day, if you have the time. I would recommend going to the estate with a couple of hours to spare. The tour guides are strategically placed in every room of the house and the path leading up to it. They are all (at least the ones we came across) very well trained and informed. They share knowledge and when they don’t have the information, will find out or hand you over to the next guide. The house itself comprises two dining rooms (one green - to show wealth and prosperity) & 9 bedrooms - of which, one guest bedroom is on the ground floor. Each bedroom has a different theme and the Washington’s loved having guests and were extremely hospitable. The kitchen is a little away d free rom the main home as it generated a lot of heat and therefore discomfort through the day. In those days, they are three main meals, which were prepared here - breakfast, lunch and tea! The family also cured and preserved their own meat in an outhouse, on the estate. Martha Washington also prided herself in producing excellent meats and often gave this away as gifts. Also on the estate are the stables, washing house (for their laundry), ‘garage’ for the carriage etc. In his will, George Washington asked for all the slaves on the estate to be freed. They were also buried on the estate. The tombs and remains of George and Martha Washington are on the estate. They were moved twice before being finally laid in the current place, along with the rest of their family, in accordance with the last will and testament of George Washington. Another aspect of the house that I was really drawn to, was the study, and in more detail, his desk. You’re transported back in time to the many important decisions that would have been made and documented here. The study is also his library. His desk has a pedal which generated power for the ‘fan’ above his head. Washington was a tall man, so the current position of the fan is not accurate. It was originally way higher. I normally don’t ‘’shop’ at gift shops near monuments (besides my fridge magnets and shot glasses), because they’re usually over-priced. However, we are reminded that the ladies receive no government funding and depend on the income generated in various ways on the premises, to maintain the property. There was some renovation work going on - we were told in preparation of the 250th anniversary coming...

This was my first time in these parts and had to visit this location:

We purchased the tickets online, printed them and went to their Reception area to have them scanned and learn what we can visit Although we arrived earlier than our timed entry, we were allowed to visit the house first and then the grounds, ending in the museum and shop You are separated into groups when visiting the house with guides in each room telling you their 'lesson': some guides are nice, some just awful and rude, like the young skinny guy who could not wait to get rid of us The house is not made of brick as you would think - I kept knocking even the outside walls and this shocked me for this practice used even then of not having brick houses, while everybody in Europe, Middle East, Asia is keen on having brick houses only The rooms are not 'Louis XIV' luxurious, yet representing the style back then and which you still can find in many places in Europe - I am talking about the 4 poster bed and wall designs in the ground floor rooms. The rooms have been painted as they were in Washington's time and in one of the rooms you will see one of the Bastille keys given to Washington by La Fayette There are some artefacts from back then which the guides will point to you and where La Fayette stayed when visiting Washington From here we moved to the grounds, seeing the area from the house overlooking the Potomac as Washington was over viewing his business (reminded me of the many cathedrals in Spain, Portugal and Italy where from the Inquisition was looking at the ships bringing goods in) descending then to his grave, beautifully kept with that of his wife Martha, and then to near the river where from we took the shuttle bus bringing us back to the museum area The museum is further packed with information and habits from those times: there is the dress worn by Martha when marrying Washington plus the jewellery. Lots of information about the revolution and Washington's life. The shop had lots of items to purchase however we had to leave because of a group of very nosy teenagers longer than me, pushing you aside, shouting etc - the whole place was like a zoo and the poor security guy was looking in disbelief. I wonder how much information these kids remained with? The car park has lots of spaces, yet I doubt in summer time will be enough for all the visiting people - as we left (Saturday, before Easter, at lunchtime, was already packed. Simply gorgeous area and grounds - we might come back...