Planning a trip to northern Virginia and the surrounding area? Definitely make time for visiting George Washington’s Mount Vernon.
One of the top things we hoped to accomplish during our time in D.C. was to explore the surrounding area as much as possible. One of the bigger items is to see all the historic landmarks and one of those is George Washington’s Mount Vernon. The former home of George and Martha Washington is just 30 minutes outside Washington, DC and it’s worth the trip.
Visiting George Washington’s Mount Vernon
I kind of thought this would be one of those places where you show up, see the mansion, and then go home, but I was so wrong. Dane bought our tickets online and made us a mansion tour reservation as well. In retrospect, I’m glad he did that because it seemed pretty booked up the day we were there.
We visited on one of the first nice Saturdays in Virginia, so it was still cool outside, but the sun was shining (no rain or snow!) and it was great to walk around the entire property before our tour started. I learned a lot about George Washington and Martha that I never realized before, and as two self-proclaimed history nerds, we enjoyed the museum portions, as well as seeing Washington’s tomb.
Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon is open every day of the year, including holidays, starting at 9AM, with reenactments scheduled throughout the year. While the grounds are beautiful, my favorite part was seeing inside the mansion. Who knew George and Martha were such big fans of color?!
I will say that when we visited, it felt pretty crowded and there wasn’t a ton of guidance once inside (you follow a line of other visitors). We got lucky and were beside members of Mount Vernon who were able to tell us interesting facts about the Washingtons and the property.
Mount Vernon Mansion Tour

After our mansion tour, we grabbed drinks and sat on the lawn (a popular option, as it turned out) and enjoyed some of the sunshine. The views off the portico are stunning, so it’s worth stopping to enjoy them!
We spent about 5 hours at Mount Vernon, but could have easily done more. It’s a beautiful place and we have hopes to return again later this year when it’s decorated for Christmas.
If you liked this post, you might also enjoy Cherry Blossoms in Washington, DC