Address: 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway
Pricing: $15 adults; $14 Sr; $7 ages 6 to 11; Free under 6
Phone: 703-780-2000
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through March; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily April through August
How To Get There:
Directions From the North (Frederick, Gaithersburg, Rockville, Bethesda) Travel south on Interstate 270 to Interstate 495 (the Beltway). Follow the beltway south to Virginia. As you cross the American Legion Bridge over the Potomac River, get in the right lane. Take the first exit in Virginia, marked George Washington Memorial Parkway. Follow the George Washington Parkway south for about 30 miles, which takes you directly to Mount Vernon. The Parkway is renamed Washington Street in Alexandria, and Mount Vernon is eight miles south of Alexandria, at the large traffic circle at the end of the Parkway.
Directions From the South (Woodbridge, Richmond, North Carolina) ?Travel north on Interstate 95 and turn off at exit 161, Route 1 North, marked Ft. Belvoir/Mt. Vernon. Continue north on Route 1 about six miles, through Ft. Belvoir. Just after Ft. Belvoir, turn right on Route 235 north. Mount Vernon is three miles straight ahead, at a large traffic circle.
Metro and Bus
Take Metro Rail's Yellow Line Train to Huntington Station in Virginia. Exit at the lower level (Huntington Avenue) of the station to catch a Fairfax Connector bus to Mount Vernon. For information about trains, call Metro at (202) 637-7000 or visit http://www.wmata.com/default.cfm
Parking:Free; offstreet
Visit Website
Mount Vernon: True buried treasure on display
Mar 16, 2010
Many of the items in a special exhibit at George Washington's Mount Vernon have exciting stories that surround their ownership and also tell us a bit more about America's original First Couple.
Consider a silver bottle roller that Washington is believed to have designed while he was President. The item was given to the family of Confederate President Robert E. Lee who sent it to Virginia Military Academy for safekeeping during the Civil War. When VMI was threatened, the roller was wrapped and buried. In 2007, a member of the Lee family found the item in a trunk and donated it to Mount Vernon.
“All of these pieces went out and had journeys and now are back at Mount Vernon," said Mount Vernon Assistant Curator Laura Simo. “There’s an entire history behind many of them [apart from Mount Vernon]. They had lives of their own.”
They also tell us about those that owned them. One look at a reconstructed bodice from a gown worn by Martha Washington and it's obvious she wasn't the overweight frump portrayed in history books. The bodice, constructed of eight silk fragments dating from 1765 to 1770, show Mrs. Washington was actually a trim and fashionable woman.
Many of the items and documents in the exhibit offer glimpses into George Washington's personal life.
His handwritten journal entries clearly show his love for children and written records indicate the purchase of many gifts for young relatives including a doll's trunk – also on display – that he purchased for his great granddaughter Eliza.
Although the exhibit is open until January 8, 2012, some documents and other fragile pieces can only be displayed for a matter of months. Go to Mount Vernon as soon as possible to ensure you see as many rare items as possible.
- by Nancy Dunham, Washington Reporter for HelloMetro
(Click to leave a message)
Nancy DunhamNancy Dunham is an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in The Washington Post, Not For Tourists, Maryland Life, The Washington Examiner, Relix, and many other publications.
