The Yankee Visits Mount Vernon

Before I left Connecticut I set an intention that at least once a month I would go visit someplace new. For my first weekend, I actually visited two new places near my new home, both yesterday. First, I went to St. Clement's for church. You can read about my here. And since the weather forecast called for nice weather in the afternoon, or at least no rain, I decided to drive down to Mount Vernon after church.

Although the nice woman at St. Clement's recommended driving down the Parkway, but I went the way I had directions for, which was primarily on Route 1. Route 1 runs from Maine to Florida, and it runs through coastal Connecticut where I grew up. It was an odd feeling to be driving along Route 1 and knowing that it wasn't the Boston Post Road, Connecticut Avenue, or Wesptort Avenue, even if it looked familiar in some places. I arrived at Mount Vernon shortly after noon to find the parking lots almost overflowing. I almost turned around and went home. But I found a spot at the far end of one lot and walked to the historic area. There was no line at the ticket booth where I purchased my annual pass, no line at the Guest Services counter where they took my picture and made up my Annual Pass ID card, and no line at the house.

My first view of the house caught me off guard. It isn't white. Every picture I've ever seen of Mount Vernon shows a white house. It's a pinkish-beige color. I'm guessing maybe they recently found something while researching or renovating. The second thing that surprised me is that it's not that large, although it would have been much larger than most people's homes at the time. I guess I've become accustomed to all the McMansions that sprout like weeds these days. Oh, and the informal dining room is an ugly shade of green.

The views of the Potomac are spectacular. Maybe one day I'll take the boat down from Alexandria.

I started the slave life tour but left it about midway through. It seemed geared primarily toward children, and there really wasn't anything that I hadn't already read about or learned elsewhere. Much more interesting was the exhibit in the museum about dining at Mount Vernon.

I spent about three hours before heading home. There's plenty more to see, and I have the annual pass. I did drive home via the Parkway. She was right. It is a beautiful drive. There's also a bike path that parallels the Parkway. Before too much longer I hope to be able to ride down and back.