George Washington's Mount Vernon, Children's museum in Fairfax County, US
George Washington's Mount Vernon is an estate spanning 500 acres along the Potomac River, featuring a mansion and 30 outbuildings designed in the Palladian style. The property displays how the structures were organized and expanded over time, with period gardens and working buildings from that era.
The Washington family acquired the land in 1674, and George Washington expanded the property significantly between the 1750s and 1770s. This building period shaped the estate as it appears today.
The property is maintained by the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, which runs educational programs showing how life unfolded here during early America. Visitors experience the mansion and grounds as they reveal the rhythms and practices of that era.
The property sits about 15 miles south of Washington DC and welcomes visitors daily with guided and self-guided options through the mansion and grounds. Plan a few hours to walk through the house, gardens, and various buildings at a comfortable pace.
The estate preserves English boxwood gardens from 1786 and operates a working distillery that produces spirits from George Washington's own recipes. These working practices reveal the intensive labor required to run such a large farm.
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