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October 13, 2006
In Which We Turn Midstream Again and Ended Up At Mount Vernon
When we first started talking about going on a few adventures for my birthday I immediately started looking for a lighthouse. Those that know me well know that I'm all about lighthouses and Alexis has grown to adore them too. So our initial plan for today was to go to Assateague Lighthouse in Virginia, but when I Googled the directions last night I realized that though it didn't look that far on the map, in the grand tradition of back roads it was going to be a 4+ hour trip one way. I started thinking about it and that was just nuts. We'd drive for 4+ hours and then spend maybe an hour or two there and then spend 4+ hours in the car back. That is not the ideal trip with a three year old, especially one that doesn't usually sleep in the car, so I went back to the drawing board. I tried to find a closer lighthouse, but they were either closed for the season, I'd been there (Havre de Grace), or they were just a let down in terms of size and condition.
I had several other different ideas pop into my head...Gettysburg, but I just couldn't really get into that one, Spruce Forest Artisan Village, but then again that one was way over on the other side of the state and not really closer than the lighthouse and of course Amish Country, but they are still being over run by press and such since the tragic shooting and I didn't want to get mixed up in the chaos.
I was trying to figure out where we were going to go and thought about just going over to historic Ellicott City, but again that's not much of an adventure given I love that place and have been there many times. Then out of the blue I remembered...Mount Vernon!
I've been wanting to go back to Mount Vernon for years and had never made it over there. Unfortunately there is no good way to get to Northern Virginia from Maryland without using the Beltway and on the Beltway is some of the most horrendous traffic you've ever seen in your life! We usually go down the Baltimore Washington Parkway as far as we can, because it's usually not as crowded as the Beltway, especially when it's not rush hour, and that's what we did today, though we did shunt back over to I-95 this afternoon due to construction on the Parkway. We left here around 9:30 and we headed back around 2:00, which given it was Friday put us on the first wave of the afternoon rush. We still had to deal with the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and that's always a mess, especially on the way back, but we got off the Beltway one exit from the bridge so it wasn't totally unbearable, but let's not get bogged down with traffic and let's get to the good stuff!
Click on the extended entry below to see some more pictures and read more about our day.
We arrived at Mount Vernon at 11, which just happens to be Alexis' normal lunch time so we ate lunch at the Mount Vernon Inn, which was a completely charming little establishment! It was done in period decorations, tables, etc. and was playing the most wonderful instrumental music! Alexis and I loved it, and well Jamison isn't impressed with anything that is old, but he did say his chicken sandwich was pretty good! ;o) And I had the best Root Beer! It was Mt. Vernon Five Farms Root Beer, which was listed on a San Franciso Root Beer "A" list. Check it out if you get a chance!
After lunch we bought tickets and entered the grounds of Mount Vernon. Mt Vernon is open 365 days a year, which surprsied me. This sign greeted us next to the main entrance:
This entrance itself was closed as they are in the process of doing some renovation work and some reworking for the new museum that is supposed to open in a few weeks.
Alexis was fascinated by the various buildings. Here she is peering into the shoemakers shop:
One of the first places we went on the ground was into the gardens. We stayed for a few minutes before something in there was bothering Jamison's sinuses so badly we had to leave. The part I liked the most was the knot garden, which I wish I had the room for!:
I also got a lovely picture of a butterfly:
So after we realized Jamison wasn't going to be able to stay in the gardens any longer we walked around to the main house. Alexis, being just like me and drawn to the water and nature, immediately set out for a large tree overlooking the Potomac River:
This is a view of the back of the house from the river side:
The moon was out today and it just looked magical above the house next to the weather vane!:
Here's a view of the weather vane from the front of the house:
When we went to take the house tour Alexis got a little antsy so Jamison took her back outside to walk around the grounds and let me go inside and take the tour. They did not allow photographs inside the house. When I came out of the house 30-45 minutes later Alexis was thrilled to see me. The other people on the tour were very amused by her! She acted as if she hadn't seen me in days, she was so happy to see me!
From there we walked around to the front of the house and I took this picture from the gate:
On the way out, down the path to the car, I found this button on the ground:
The button struck me, but I'm not sure of it's meaning. Jamison says he thinks it had something to do with POWs, but I'm going to do some research on that and see what I can find.
Overall we had a very good day, no nap aside. Mount Vernon is magical. If you've never been there, you should plan a trip, especially with the new museum opening in a few weeks. I had not been since 1986 and didn't remember a lot of it, but the outside of the house was instantly familiar. The view of the Potomac alone is worth the trip! I would think with the upcoming fall foliage it would be breathtaking! And I'm am most definitely going to try to do Mount Vernon by Candlelight this holiday season!
So that sums up our adventure for today. I hope you had a great day too! :O)
Posted by Dianne at October 13, 2006 7:08 PM
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Comments
Thanks for the tour, it sounds great!! I am glad you all had a another great adventure. I imagine the candlight tour will be awesome!!
Posted by: Joyce at October 14, 2006 6:50 AM
We had a lot of fun. There are so many historical things in this area. I want to go to Monticello next! :O)
Posted by: Dianne at October 14, 2006 7:53 AM