Wharf & Watershed

While many people think of Washington as a soldier and a statesman, he was also an accomplished businessman who managed an active fishery. His fishing operations were an important source of additional revenue for Mount Vernon, and there were many years where the harvest from the river surpassed that of the crops cultivated on shore.

The wharf, located on the shores of the Potomac River, supported these activities. It was where fish were caught, salted and shipped throughout the colonies and overseas.

Today, visitors can take a sightseeing cruise that departs and returns at the wharf. Forty-minute sightseeing cruises are available for visitors Tuesday - Sunday, April - August and occasionally in March, September, and October.