Open 365 Days a Year, Mount Vernon is located just 15 miles south of Washington DC.
From the mansion to lush gardens and grounds, intriguing museum galleries, immersive programs, and the distillery and gristmill. Spend the day with us!
Discover what made Washington "first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen".
The Mount Vernon Ladies Association has been maintaining the Mount Vernon Estate since they acquired it from the Washington family in 1858.
Need help with homework? Our Digital Encyclopedia has all of the answers students and teachers need.
The Washington Library is open to all researchers and scholars, though by appointment only.
Join us for lunch and compelling discussion with a member of our 2017-18 class of research fellows as she discusses her research topic The Hardest Conflict: Morale and Identity in the Continental Army during the American Revolution, 1775-1783 on Tuesday, August 14, 2018. A boxed lunch will be provided.
Learn More TicketsMount Vernon welcomes author Craig Bruce Smith to the Robert H. and Clarice Smith Auditorium to discuss his book American Honor: The Creation of the Nation's Ideals during the Revolutionary Era on Thursday, August 9, 2018.
Learn More TicketsJoin us for lunch and compelling discussion with a member of our 2017-18 class of research fellows as he discusses his research topic The Proclamation of 1763 and the Idea of a Beautiful America on Tuesday, July 24, 2018. A boxed lunch will be provided.
Learn More TicketsMount Vernon welcomes author Gonzalo M. Quintero Saravia to the Robert H. and Clarice Smith Auditorium to discuss his book Bernardo de Gálvez: Spanish Hero of the American Revolution on Thursday, July 5, 2018.
Learn More TicketsMount Vernon welcomes author Colin G. Calloway to the Robert H. and Clarice Smith Auditorium to discuss his book The Indian World of George Washington: The First President, the First Americans, and the Birth of the Nation on Wednesday, June 13, 2018.
Learn More TicketsMount Vernon welcomes Washington Library Cabinet member and author Eric L. Motley to the David M. Rubenstein Leadership Hall to discuss his book Madison Park: A Place of Hope on Thursday, June 7, 2018.
Learn More TicketsJoin leading curators, historians, and art historians as they examine a wide variety of styles, objects, methods, and techniques which crisscrossed the Atlantic between Britain and America.
Learn More TicketsJoin us for lunch and compelling discussion with a member of our 2017-18 class of research fellows as she discusses her research topic The Traitor’s Wife: Peggy Arnold and Revolutionary America on Thursday, May 17, 2018. A boxed lunch will be provided.
Learn More TicketsThe 2018 Michelle Smith Lecture Series will include three presentations delivered by a cadre of outstanding authors over a period of three months. A reception and book signing will take place after each lecture.
Final Lecture in the Series:
May 8 - Patrick Henry: Champion of Liberty by Jon Kukla
Single lecture tickets can still be purchased for the May 8th program. Please click the link below to learn more about this option.
Learn MoreMount Vernon welcomes author Kate Elizabeth Brown to the Robert H. and Clarice Smith Auditorium to discuss her book Alexander Hamilton and the Development of American Law on Thursday, May 3, 2018.
This event will also feature a presentation from the Virginia Society of the Sons of the American Revolution to Mount Vernon in support of the George Washington Friends and Enemies project.
Learn More TicketsMount Vernon welcomes author Steven C. Bullock to the Robert H. and Clarice Smith Auditorium to discuss his book Tea Sets and Tyranny: The Politics of Politeness in Early America on Thursday, April 26, 2018.
Learn More TicketsThe 2018 Michelle Smith Lecture Series will include three presentations delivered by a cadre of outstanding authors over a period of three months. A reception and book signing will take place after each lecture.
Final Lecture in the Series:
May 8 - Patrick Henry: Champion of Liberty by Jon Kukla
Single lecture tickets can still be purchased for the May 8th program. Please click the link below to learn more about this option.
Learn MoreMount Vernon welcomes author Joseph F. Stoltz III to the Robert H. and Clarice Smith Auditorium to discuss his book A Bloodless Victory: The Battle of New Orleans in History and in Memory on Tuesday, April 3, 2018.
*Due to inclement weather in the Washington, D.C. area, this event has been rescheduled to Tuesday, April 3, 2018. If you have reserved a ticket for the previous date, you will automatically be on the registration list for this program.
Learn More TicketsIn observance of Women's History Month, Mount Vernon and the Washington Library welcome historians Martha Saxton and Cynthia Kierner to the David M. Rubenstein Leadership Hall on Thursday, March 29, 2018. Moderated by current Washington Library research fellow and professor of History at Kalamazoo College, Charlene Boyer Lewis, these scholars will discuss their groundbreaking, new research in a program titled, “Keep all matters in order your self…”: Two Women from the 18th-Century South. A cocktail reception and object viewing will follow.
This annual event was created to share new scholarship and insights into the life and times of Martha Washington and is made possible through a generous grant from the Richard S. Reynolds Foundation of Richmond, Virginia.
Learn More TicketsJoin us for lunch and compelling discussion with artist Igor V. Babailov on Wednesday, March 28, 2018. The program will last around one and a half hours, featuring a presentation on Babailov's previous work such as his portrait of George Washington titled, My Beloved Country and a live portrait demonstration. A boxed lunch will be provided.
Learn More TicketsThe 2018 Michelle Smith Lecture Series will include three presentations delivered by a cadre of outstanding authors over a period of three months. A reception and book signing will take place after each lecture.
Final Lecture in the Series:
May 8 - Patrick Henry: Champion of Liberty by Jon Kukla
Single lecture tickets can still be purchased for the May 8th program. Please click the link below to learn more about this option.
Learn MoreMount Vernon welcomes author Kevin J. Hayes to the Robert H. and Clarice Smith Auditorium to discuss his book George Washington: A Life in Books on Wednesday, February 21, 2018.
Learn More TicketsIn observance of George Washington’s Birthday, the Washington Library invites you to join us for lunch and compelling discussion on Tuesday, February 20, 2018 with the Robert H. Smith Senior Curator at George Washington's Mount Vernon, Susan P. Schoelwer. Her lecture for this special program is titled, The Face of the Nation: Crowd-Sourcing George Washington. A boxed lunch will be provided.
Learn More TicketsJoin us for lunch and compelling discussion with a member of our 2017-18 class of research fellows as she discusses her research topic In Memory of the Best: The Classical Commemoration of American Presidents in the Nineteenth Century on Thursday, February 15, 2018. A boxed lunch will be provided.
Learn More TicketsMount Vernon welcomes authors Lea Berman and Jeremy Bernard to the Robert H. and Clarice Smith Theater to discuss their book Treating People Well: The Extraordinary Power of Civility at Work and in Life on Thursday, January 18, 2018. The event will be moderated by Roxanne Roberts, a reporter and feature writer for the Style section of The Washington Post. A reception with a cash bar will be available to guests following the evening's program. Please note that the Mount Vernon Inn will be closed.
Learn More TicketsMount Vernon welcomes author Paul Staiti to the Robert H. and Clarice Smith Theater to discuss his book Of Arms and Artists: The American Revolution through Painters' Eyes on Wednesday, December 13, 2017.
Learn More TicketsTo celebrate the four-year anniversary of the opening of the Washington Library, the Library is hosting an old-fashioned debate regarding the Freedom of the Press moderated by Mark Preston. The Founding Debates are sponsored by The Ammerman Family Foundation to honor James C. Rees, whose vision lives on with the Washington Library.
Learn More TicketsThe Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is proud to present this educational series delivered by the Gay Hart Gaines Distinguished Visiting Lecturer in American History, a position established to honor the Association's 18th Regent through the generosity of Lewis E. Lehrman, co-founder of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. This series is designed to provide a deeper understanding of, and expertise in, a particular subject related to George Washington. This year's lecturer is Gordon S. Wood.
A few single event tickets remain for the third and final lecture in this series. These tickets can be purchased using the TICKETS link provided.
Learn More TicketsMount Vernon welcomes authors Mark Edward Lender and Garry Wheeler Stone to the Robert H. and Clarice Smith Auditorium to discuss their book Fatal Sunday: George Washington, the Monmouth Campaign, and the Politics of Battle on Thursday, November 9, 2017.
Learn More TicketsDuring his exciting and well-traveled lifetime, the Father of Our Country slept in a great number of beds, and today, historic sites from Maine to Georgia proudly proclaim that “George Washington Slept Here.” Join leading historians, curators, and academics for an enlightening look at the wide variety of places where Washington lived or visited, including his early years on the frontier, the tropical island of Barbados, his war-time headquarters in Massachusetts, and the nearby capitol city of Annapolis. We will also explore his collection of maps and surveys, learn about his adventurous journey to the Southern States in 1791, and examine many of the actual beds he slept on.
Learn MoreJoin us for lunch and compelling discussion with a member of our 2017-18 class of research fellows as she discusses her research topic America’s First Band of Brothers: Friendship, Camaraderie, and Collusion within the Continental Army during the Revolutionary Era on Thursday, October 26. A boxed lunch will be provided.
Learn More TicketsThe Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is proud to present this educational series delivered by the Gay Hart Gaines Distinguished Visiting Lecturer in American History, a position established to honor the Association's 18th Regent through the generosity of Lewis E. Lehrman, co-founder of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. This series is designed to provide a deeper understanding of, and expertise in, a particular subject related to George Washington. This year's lecturer is Gordon S. Wood.
A few single event tickets remain for the third and final lecture in this series. These tickets can be purchased using the TICKETS link provided.
Learn More TicketsMount Vernon welcomes David and Ginger Hildebrand to the David M. Rubenstein Leadership Hall to discuss David's new book Musical Maryland: A History of Song and Performance from the Colonial Period to the Age of Radio on Thursday, October 19, 2017. Throughout the discussion, the Hildebrands will perform on a variety of colonial-era instruments.
Learn More TicketsPlease join the the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy and the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington for a conversation with former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Henry Cisneros, on Thursday, October 12, 2017. A reception will follow the discussion.
Learn More TicketsJoin us for lunch and compelling discussion with the Honorable Hugh Fairfax, a descendant of Thomas 6th Lord Fairfax, the Proprietor of the Northern Neck of Virginia, and brother of Nicholas, 14th Lord Fairfax, as he discusses his new book Fairfax of Virginia: The Forgotten Story of America’s only Peerage, 1690-1960 on Wednesday, October 11, 2017. A boxed lunch will be provided.
Learn More TicketsMount Vernon welcomes author S. Max Edelson to the Robert H. and Clarice Smith Auditorium to discuss his book The New Map of Empire: How Britain Imagined America Before Independence on Tuesday, October 3, 2017.
Learn More TicketsPlease join George Washington's Mount Vernon and the Virginia Law Foundation for the Third Annual Constitutional Institute, exploring Freedom of the Press - Constitutional Protections, “Fake News,” and Where Do We Go from Here?, on September 28 and 29, 2017 at the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington. This program is generously supported by the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation.
Learn More TicketsJoin us for lunch and compelling discussion with a member of our 2016-17 class of research fellows as he discusses his research topic A Merchant’s Republic: Independence, Depression, and the Development of American Capitalism, 1760-1807 on Wednesday, September 13. A boxed lunch will be provided.
Learn More TicketsThe Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is proud to present this educational series delivered by the Gay Hart Gaines Distinguished Visiting Lecturer in American History, a position established to honor the Association's 18th Regent through the generosity of Lewis E. Lehrman, co-founder of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. This series is designed to provide a deeper understanding of, and expertise in, a particular subject related to George Washington. This year's lecturer is Gordon S. Wood.
A few single event tickets remain for the third and final lecture in this series. These tickets can be purchased using the TICKETS link provided.
Learn More Tickets
Mount Vernon welcomes author Carol Berkin to the Robert H. and Clarice Smith Auditorium to discuss her book A Sovereign People: The Crises of the 1790s and the Birth of American Nationalism on Thursday, September 7, 2017.
Please join us for lunch and compelling discussion with a member of the Washington Library's 2016-17 class of research fellows as he discusses his research topic, Envisioning Empire on the British-American Frontier: What did the West mean to George Washington? on Wednesday, August 30. A boxed lunch will be provided.
Learn More TicketsJoin us for lunch and compelling discussion with a member our 2016-17 class of fellows as she discusses her research topic Protestant Relics: The Politics of Religion & the Art of Mourning in the Early American Republic on Tuesday, August 22, 2017. A boxed lunch will be provided.
Learn More TicketsMount Vernon welcomes author Philip G. Smucker to the Robert H. and Clarice Smith Auditorium to discuss his book Riding with George: Sportsmanship and Chivalry in the Making of America's First President on Wednesday, August 2, 2017.
Learn More TicketsMount Vernon welcomes author Larrie D. Ferreiro to the Robert H. and Clarice Smith Auditorium to discuss his book Brothers at Arms: American Independence and the Men of France and Spain Who Saved It on Tuesday, July 11, 2017.
Mount Vernon welcomes author Matthew Mason to the Robert H. and Clarice Smith Auditorium to discuss his book Apostle of Union: A Political Biography of Edward Everett on Thursday, June 15, 2017.
Join leading gardeners, historians, horticulturalists, archaeologists, and preservationists as they reconsider the importance of gardening, landscapes, and design in early America.
Learn More TicketsMount Vernon welcomes author Edward Gray to the Robert H. and Clarice Smith Auditorium to discuss his book Tom Paine's Iron Bridge: Building a United States on May 16, 2017.
The 2017 Michelle Smith Lecture Series will include three presentations delivered by a cadre of outstanding authors over a period of three months. A reception and book signing will take place after each lecture. Participation is by subscription to the entire series.
Learn MoreThe 2017 Michelle Smith Lecture Series will include three presentations delivered by a cadre of outstanding authors over a period of three months. A reception and book signing will take place after each lecture. Participation is by subscription to the entire series.
Learn MoreMount Vernon welcomes author Michael J. Klarman to the Robert H. and Clarice Smith Theater to discuss his book The Framers' Coup: The Making of the United States Constitution on Tuesday, April 11, 2017.
The 2017 Michelle Smith Lecture Series will include three presentations delivered by a cadre of outstanding authors over a period of three months. A reception and book signing will take place after each lecture. Participation is by subscription to the entire series.
Learn MoreJoin us for lunch and compelling discussion with the Washington Library's first Georgian Papers Fellow, Dr. Bruce Ragsdale, as he discusses his work at the Royal Archives in London and Windsor Castle. A boxed lunch will be provided.
Learn More TicketsMount Vernon and the Fred W. Smith Library welcome Flora Fraser and Zara Anishanslin to the David M. Rubenstein Leadership Hall to discuss 18th-Century Women as Consumers on Both Sides of the Atlantic on Thursday March 16, 2017.
Learn More TicketsJoin us for lunch and compelling discussion with a member of the 2016-17 class of research fellows as he discusses his findings at the Washington Library on Wednesday, March 15, 2017. A boxed lunch will be provided.
Learn More TicketsMount Vernon welcomes author John Steele Gordon to the Robert H. and Clarice Smith Auditorium to discuss his book Washington's Monument: And the Fascinating History of the Obelisk on Wednesday, March 1, 2017.
Please join us for lunch and compelling discussion with Jennifer Stertzer, Erica Cavanaugh, and Adrina Garbooshian-Huggins from the Financial Papers of George Washington Project at the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington on Wednesday, February 22, 2017. A boxed lunch will be provided.
Learn More TicketsMount Vernon welcomes author Erica Armstrong Dunbar to the David M. Rubenstein Leadership Hall to discuss her book Never Caught: The Washingtons' Relentless Pursuit of their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge on Wednesday, February 15, 2017.
Mount Vernon welcomes author John Avlon to the Robert H. and Clarice Smith Theater to discuss his book Washington's Farewell: The Founding Father's Warning to Future Generations on Wednesday, February 1, 2017.
Mount Vernon welcomes author Kathleen DuVal to the Robert H. and Clarice Smith Theater to discuss her book Independence Lost: Lives on the Edge of the American Revolution on Wednesday, January 18, 2017.
Mount Vernon welcomes author Lydia Brandt to the Robert H. and Clarice Smith Auditorium to discuss her book First in the Homes of His Countrymen: George Washington's Mount Vernon in the American Imagination on Wednesday, December 7, 2016.
Mount Vernon welcomes author John Sedgwick to the Robert H. and Clarice Smith Theater to discuss his book War of Two: Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, and the Duel that Stunned the Nation on Wednesday, November 16, 2016.
As America endures one of the most contentious and expensive presidential campaigns in history, this year’s George Washington Symposium will focus on the nation’s first and best president, and the remarkable administration that laid the foundation for all who would follow in his footsteps.
Learn More TicketsThe Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is proud to present this educational series delivered by the Gay Hart Gaines Distinguished Visiting Lecturer in American History, Richard Brookhiser. This series is designed to provide a deeper understanding of, and expertise in, a particular subject related to George Washington. This year's subject is Washington and Politics: In His Life, and After.
Please join us for lunch and compelling discussion with a member of the 2016-2017 class of fellows as he presents his findings at the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington on Wednesday, October 26, 2016.
Learn More TicketsMount Vernon welcomes author Lorri Glover to the David M. Rubenstein Leadership Hall to discuss her book The Fate of the Revolution: Virginians Debate the Constitution on Thursday, October 20, 2016.
Please join the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington and the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture for a roundtable discussion of race and slavery in history and popular culture, focused on The History Channel’s recent retelling of Alex Haley’s Roots.
Learn More TicketsThe Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is proud to present this educational series delivered by the Gay Hart Gaines Distinguished Visiting Lecturer in American History, Richard Brookhiser. This series is designed to provide a deeper understanding of, and expertise in, a particular subject related to George Washington. This year's subject is Washington and Politics: In His Life, and After.
Please join the the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy and the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington for a conversation with FBI Director James Comey on Monday, October 3, 2016.
Learn More TicketsPlease join George Washington's Mount Vernon and the Virginia Law Foundation for the Second Annual Constitutional Institute, exploring The Constitutionality of Executive Orders and Their Use Since Washington's Time, on September 29 and 30, 2016 at the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington. This program is generously supported by the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation.
Learn More TicketsTo celebrate the three-year anniversary of the opening of the Washington Library, we are joining forces with the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia to host an old-fashioned debate entitled Hamilton v. Jefferson on Executive Power: What Would Washington Say?
Learn More TicketsJoin us for an engaging evening of conversation as Dr. Edward J. Larson discusses his new book George Washington, Nationalist on Thursday, September 22, 2016.
Learn More TicketsMount Vernon welcomes author Mary Sarah Bilder to the Robert H. and Clarice Smith Theater to discuss her book Madison's Hand: Revising the Constitutional Convention on Thursday, September 15th, 2016.
The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is proud to present this educational series delivered by the Gay Hart Gaines Distinguished Visiting Lecturer in American History, Richard Brookhiser. This series is designed to provide a deeper understanding of, and expertise in, a particular subject related to George Washington. This year's subject is Washington and Politics: In His Life, and After.
Mount Vernon welcomes author Warren Bingham to the Robert H. and Clarice Smith Auditorium to discuss his book George Washington's 1791 Southern Tour on Tuesday, August 30th, 2016.
Join us for lunch and compelling discussion with a member of the 2015-16 class of fellows as she discusses her research and findings at the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington.
Learn More TicketsJoin us for lunch and compelling discussion with a member of our 2015-2016 class of fellows as he presents his findings and research at the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington.
Learn More TicketsPlease join us for lunch and compelling discussion with a member of our 2015-2016 class of fellows as he presents his findings and research at the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington.
Learn More TicketsMount Vernon welcomes author Patrick K. O'Donnell to the Robert H. and Clarice Smith Auditorium to discuss his book Washington's Immortals: The Untold Story of an Elite Regiment Who Changed the Course of the Revolution on July 5, 2016.
Join us for lunch and compelling discussion with a member of our 2015-2016 class of fellows as he presents his findings and research at the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington.
Learn MoreMount Vernon welcomes author Fergus M. Bordewich to the Robert H. and Clarice Smith Auditorium to discuss his book The First Congress: How James Madison, George Washington, and a Group of Extraordinary Men Invented the Government on June 9, 2016.
The 2016 Mount Vernon Art and Architecture Symposium draws together leading curators, historians, art historians, and preservationists as they reconsider iconic images and landmark structures of early America. Retrace the steps of artists whose unforgettable images of the Revolution and its heroes still shape American identity. Revisit long-lost interiors that gave physical form to the ideals and aspirations of the new Republic, from Baltimore garden rooms, to Boston parlors, to Mount Vernon’s piazza.
Learn More TicketsMount Vernon welcomes author Nathaniel Philbrick to the Robert H. and Clarice Smith Auditorium to discuss his book Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution on May 10, 2016.
Mount Vernon welcomes authors and historians Annette Gordon-Reed and Peter S. Onuf to the Robert H. and Clarice Smith Auditorium to discuss their new book "Most Blessed of the Patriarchs:" Thomas Jefferson and the Empire of the Imagination, on Thursday May 5, 201
Learn More TicketsMount Vernon welcomes author and historian Adrienne M. Harrison to the David M. Rubenstein Leadership Hall at The Fred W. Smith National Library to discuss her new book A Powerful Mind: The Self Education of George Washington on May 3, 2016
The Supreme Court Historical Society and The Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington at Mount Vernon have joined together to present two lectures, one at the Supreme Court and the other at Mount Vernon, which will examine George Washington’s essential role in shaping the judicial branch of our nation’s government.
Learn More TicketsApril is National Poetry Month, and to help celebrate this important literary occasion, the Washington Library invites you to an afternoon of Tea and Fellowship with Ron Smith, the Poet Laureate of Virginia.
Learn More TicketsThe Supreme Court Historical Society and The Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington at Mount Vernon have joined together to present two lectures, one at the Supreme Court and the other at Mount Vernon, which will examine George Washington’s essential role in shaping the judicial branch of our nation’s government.
Learn More TicketsThe Supreme Court Historical Society and The Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington at Mount Vernon have joined together to present two lectures, one at the Supreme Court and the other at Mount Vernon, which will examine George Washington’s essential role in shaping the judicial branch of our nation’s government.
Learn More TicketsMount Vernon welcomes author and historian Cokie Roberts to the Robert H. and Clarice Smith Auditorium to discuss her new book Capital Dames: The Civil War and the Women of Washington, 1848-1868, on Thursday April 7, 2016.
Learn More Tickets
