How much time will you be spending at Mount Vernon?
Less than 3 Hours
There is so much to see and do at Mount Vernon that we recommend you allow at least three hours to experience the estate. However, if you less time, we suggest these activities:
Tour the Mansion
See the home that George Washington shared with his wife, Martha. The Mansion at George Washington's Mount Vernon is one of the most iconic 18th-century homes in America.
Reserve your Mansion tour in advance online, as capacity is limited.
Due to preservation work, some rooms may be off-view during your visit. Learn more.
View Washington's Tomb
Visit the final resting place of George and Martha Washington, as well as 28 other family members.
Visit the Slave Memorial
Commemorate the community of the enslaved people who lived and worked at Mount Vernon.
The memorial is located on sacred ground in an area used as a cemetery by the enslaved and free black community.
Stroll the Gardens and Grounds
Walk through the estate’s four gardens and examine a great variety of trees, flowers, and plants that provided food for the Mansion’s table and beautiful settings for an evening stroll.
While the gardens look their best from April through September, you can visit the greenhouse in the upper garden year-round.
Explore the Outbuildings
View more than a dozen buildings where many of the estate’s essential operations took place.
Enslaved men and women used their skills to make tools and textiles, care for livestock, and process food. Today, visitors can explore the outbuildings where much of this work was done.
Observe blacksmith demonstrations throughout the year. Other demonstrations seasonally.
Interact with Characters
Visit with people from Washington’s world as they stroll the grounds.
Costumed interpreters portray members of the Washington family and the enslaved community.
Meet the Animals
Mount Vernon keeps animals similar to the breeds that Washington had, including sheep, pigs, oxen, and horses.
Each spring, the estate welcomes more than twenty baby sheep, who guests can visit in the paddock south of the lower garden.
More than 3 Hours
In addition to the above, we recommend:
Take a Specialty Tour
Mount Vernon offers a series of tours that dive deeper into topics such as the daily life of Mount Vernon's enslaved community. Tours vary by season.
Visit the Museum
Inside the museum exhibit Mount Vernon: Story of an American Icon, you'll discover the history of Mount Vernon and its landscape.
You'll also meet the people who shaped Mount Vernon, including Washington and Custis family members, enslaved and hired laborers, and Vice Regents of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association.
Explore the Farm
The four-acre farm includes a replica of Washington’s 16-sided treading barn and a reconstructed slave cabin.
Our historic trades staff performs 18th-century demonstrations from April to October, including wheat treading, sheep shearing, and cooking over an open fire.
Take a Photo Cruise
March - September
Experience Mount Vernon from a different perspective during this 45-minute narrated photo cruise excursion on the Potomac River.
Boat cruises are offered seasonally.
Discover the Distillery and Gristmill
Weekends, April - October
Visit the fully-functioning reconstructions of Washington's Distillery and Gristmill. Watch the mighty gears turning and the stones grinding at our Gristmill, where flour and cornmeal were produced.
Within our functioning distillery, you can see where we make George Washington's whiskey.
Drive less than three miles to the reconstructed distillery and gristmill.
This site is open on weekends, April through October.
How Much Time to See Everything?
Activity | Duration | Distance from Entrance | Season | |
Mansion Tour | 20-45 minutes, duration varies throughout the year | 10 minutes | Year-round | Learn More |
The Washingtons' Tomb | 15 minutes | 10 minutes | Year-round | Learn More |
Slave Memorial and Burial Ground | 15 minutes | 10 minutes | Year-round | Learn More |
Gardens and Grounds | 15-30 minutes | 10 minutes | Year-round | Learn More |
Outbuildings | 30-45 minutes to see all | 10 minutes | Year-round | Learn More |
Museum | 1-2 hours | 5 minutes | Year-round | Learn More |
Specialty tours | 45-60 minutes | 10 minutes to Mansion Circle | Dates/times vary | Learn More |
Dining | 30-60 minutes | 5 minutes | Year-round | Learn More |
The Farm | 45 minutes | 15 minutes | April-October | Learn More |
Distillery & Gristmill | 1 hour | 2.8 miles (access via shuttle or driving, 12 minutes) | April-October | Learn More |
Photo cruise | 45 minutes | 15 minutes | March-October | Learn More |