It just seems appropriate to visit and write a review of Mount Vernon after doing so with Monticello, as both were the residences and plantations of two prominent American presidents in Virginia. We visited the site in Dec 2024 as a side trip while visiting family for Christmas. Whether it has the potential to be inscribed or not and regardless of our opinions about George Washington as a slave owner, I'd recommend a visit here.

The mansion tour

At the time of our visit, the mansion was undergoing significant renovation (see photo, with the facade obstructed by tarpaulin) and only a very limited part of the mansion could be accessed. It was helpful to attend the free virtual tour at the Ford Orientation Centre. We entered the mansion through the door that opens to the New Room. This multi-purpose room is the most interesting (to me) of all the rooms in the mansion. Its walls are painted in pastel green, and it has a Palladian window with composition ornament and a ceiling with stuccowork. Our tour guide pointed out some interesting artwork as well, such as the paintings (check out Trumbull's Washington at Verplanck's Point) and the motifs on the marble mantelpiece.

We stepped out of the mansion (yep, that was it!) and took in the view of the Potomac River from the veranda (and yes, the view is beautiful as Els pointed out). We then went to the kitchen and storehouse located in the lower garden. There were workers coating sand and paint onto the wooden wall to create the appearance of stone blocks, a process called rustication. It was a bit funny how the workers were so nonchalant about the crowd of tourists gathering around them. We then crossed the bowling green towards the upper garden and greenhouse, which is a fine building in itself. We then checked out slave quarters beside the greenhouse, which had some displays of furniture and kitchenware. We lingered here for a bit before our guide concluded the tour.

The tour was a quick one but had we visited after the renovation was finished, we could've explored the other rooms on the first and second floors of the mansion. It would have been interesting to see the Lafayette Room, the Yellow Room, and the Washingtons' bedchamber on the second floor.

Through the Eyes tour

This hour-long tour is guided by an actor portraying an actual 18th-century resident of Mount Vernon who retold the lives of those employed and enslaved at the plantation. We had Tom who played Edinburgh-born James Anderson, Washington's farm manager, and boy was he brilliant! Some guests thought that the actor was faking his Scottish accent but he actually is Scottish, so it was just apt he was playing James. 

James, the character, brought us to different parts of the farm on the southern side of the estate. We visited the poop repository (yes, located near the mansion!), the paddocks where the rare breed Hog Island sheep are raised, and the cattle and sheep enclosures. It pretty much gave you a pretty good idea of how the farm operated. The sheep were so cute and curious about our presence, but I think they were also waiting for James to pet them. We finished the tour visiting Aladdin the camel, who visits Mount Vernon during the holiday season. Washington was enamoured by rare animals that he bought a camel for 18 shillings.

Note that there are other interesting parts of the estate that we didn't visit, such as the tomb, the slave memorial, the wharf, and the Washington farm past the memorial. 

Some practicalities

All visitors are required to buy the Grounds Pass to enter the site. While tickets are sold on-site, it's best to book them online as it'd give you options to indicate your time of visit and see what other tours are available (where we found the Through Our Eyes Tour). I also bought the official guidebook which I thought was a good purchase.

If you have a full day, I'd recommend combining your trip to Mount Vernon with a visit to the historical district of Alexandria on the Potomac River. Manassas National Battlefield Park is also an option if you are into the history of American Civil War, though this is a 45-minute drive from Mount Vernon. And since I've mentioned Manassas, I'd also suggest visiting Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, an important American Civil War site east of Lynchburg, VA.