Planning a Visit to Mt. Vernon
Who to contact?
- Mt. Vernon has specials for large groups, including school groups. In order to find out more information on visiting Mt. Vernon, visit the website and click on contact us.
- Preparation for this trip doesn't take long at all! Everything you need to know about preparing a trip to Mt. Vernon is listed on the website.
- Click on Plan a Visit and pick the type of visit you are interested in. There is a section titled Kids' Activities, that suggest possible hands-on experiences throughout Mt.Vernon and an average amount of time spent on this self-led tour (about 3 hours).
- Yes, there is a cost to visit. For groups (20 or more) of students (K-12) in 2012, the price of admission is $7 a person, but in 2013 the price will rise to $8 a person. To see other ticket prices visit for group entries visit Mount Vernon Online.
- There is a cafe area near the educational center in the and gift shops (the large one before you leave). The educational center and museum are free to enter!
- Visiting Mt.Vernon can connect to many content areas. The political life of George Washington and the slave quarters connects to social studies where the farm and land features connect to science and math concepts. There are signs all over Mt. Vernon and people dressed up all over talking to people and answering questions, even Mrs. Washington!
- The website provides resources and games for teachers and students. There are opportunities for students and teachers to look at some primary sources from George Washington at Mt. Vernon. There is also a game for students to walk around the estates of Mt.Vernon and read about primary sources located at Mt.Vernon.
- Mt. Vernon itself offers students and teachers the opportunity to become hands-on with history! The educational center allows students to be hands-on with learning, through many different ways of learning. Providing primary sources throughout the educational center, like George Washington's sword and even his infamous teeth! Signs are provided everywhere with the history of Mt.Vernon.
After Visiting Mt. Vernon
What was positive about visiting Mt. Vernon?
What did I learned about field trip planning and future field trips?
- Visiting Mt.Vernon is an enriched and positive experience for people of all ages! While visiting Mt.Vernon, I was about to connect what I read about in books to what I was seeing in real life. For example, in the book Who was George Washington, the author mentions many things from Washington's farm life, including the wheat barn located on Mt.Vernon. Being able to make those connections make the experience that much positive! Another positive
- The whole visit to Mt. Vernon was amazing! If I were to change one thing about the experience, I would change the order in which I visited the site. The first building I entered was the mansion, which was great, but then I explored the land towards the farms. I would have liked to explored the slave quarters and blacksmith area after the mansion instead of looking at the the stables, the farms, Washington's grave, and the Potomac River. These are all important to see during the visit, but there were more people that were dress up as a character interacting with the visitors towards the blacksmith house, including Mrs. Washington herself!
- Be informed! Read and learn as much as you can before hand about Mt.Vernon, so that when you visit you can connect to you are seeing.
- Give yourself at least 3 hours to explore Mt.Vernon fully!
- Get there early.
- Go to Mt. Vernon in the winter (this is Mt. Vernon's slower season), they might let you explore the upstairs of the Mansion where Martha Washington slept after George died.
What did I learned about field trip planning and future field trips?
- I learned that field trip planning can take some time to research. The website provided many answers about students prices and groups trips to Mt. Vernon. That's just one thing I had to research though. When planning a field trip I should know how long the field might take, what is provided for students, and are there places for students to eat lunch.
- I believe that going on the field trip before bringing students to a site, like Mt.Vernon, helps me prep the students better for what they are about to experiences. I could give students a scavenger hunt list of primary sources they are might see.