For a long weekend getaway, try a trip to Washington, D.C. and Mount Vernon, Virginia.
A van tour of Washington, D.C. and a visit to Mount Vernon, George Washington’s Estate and Gardens in Alexandria, Virginia give a terrific human and historical sense of President Washington. First in War, First in Peace, his estate is First in Popularity amongst presidential homes and museums. Charming guides from the Mt. Vernon Ladies Committee gave my writers’ group insightful and delightful tours. We also enjoyed the rare privilege of exploring the third floor and were invited to climb the ladder to the cupola. I clambered up first! and was smitten with the 360-degree panoramic view of the estate, buildings and Potomac River.
Back on earth, during the mansion tour guides told of George Washington’s Masonic activities. Exhibits in the museum included a case holding his Freemason symbols, including a candle and pyramid. George Washington was initiated as a Mason on September 1, 1752, at the Lodge at Fredericksburg. On November 4, 1752, he was made an apprentice. Washington quickly moved up the ranks, becoming a “Master Mason” on August 4, 1753, at the age of 21. We saw a portrait of George featuring his wearing his Masonic apron and sash, holding other symbols. Washington, in full Masonic dress, laid the cornerstone of the Capitol, using a Masonic trowel and square. Many of the founding fathers of our nation were also Masons, we learned on the tour. In light of the new Dan Silva book,
The Lost Symbol, this was especially timely to me, an avid fan.
The day before we visited Mt. Vernon, we toured the Gaylord property and National Harbor. Then our group hopped aboard a van for a tour around Washington, D.C., just a short eight miles away. Guests at the Gaylord can also book river rides, ferries and vans at the reception desk area; many itineraries are available.
We drove past the White House, along the National Mall, stopped at the Newseum for two hours, then strolled through the Roosevelt Memorial, ate a picnic lunch on the bus and listened to our knowledgeable guide tell tales of American history and heroes.
We stopped for two hours to tour the newest museum on the National Mall, the Newseum on Pennsylvania Ave. This 250000-square-foot museum of news showcases the history of journalism in America, with one of its most striking and heart-wrenching exhibits including a wall of world newspapers front pages published after the Sept. 11 World Trade Tower, Pentagon and Pennsylvania attacks. A salvaged TV transmitter and tower blistered and burned from the attack at the WTT, is on view and caused my heart to skip a few beats. Other floors display Pulitzer prize winning published photographs including some from the Vietnam era. Interactive exhibits, videos and displays cover the six floors.
The National Art Gallery is across the street from the Newseum so I entered the free museum, skipped up to the second floor, passed through the enormous rotunda and columns then viewed the Impressionists, Renaissance, Dutch and other painters before heading back to the van.
On Friday morning, instead of the 40-minute ride by boat down the Potomac River to Mt. Vernon, we hopped the hotel shuttle van for the 20-minute drive. Saved by the van.
We began our visit to Mount Vernon at the Ford Orientation Center. A 20-minute action-adventure movie, We Fight to be Free, depicts a heroic and charismatic Washington at pivotal moments in his life. The centerpiece of a visit is seeing George Washington's home; an original building filled with 18th-century treasures, many of them owned by Washington. The Mansion sits high above the Potomac River with a stunning view of the Maryland shore.
Forty-five acres of the estate are open to the public. A spectacular view of the Potomac River from the Mansion's piazza transports visitors back in time. Four gardens showcase heirloom plants known to have been at Mount Vernon in the late 1700s. Washington himself designed the landscape which includes 13 trees that stand today as the last living witnesses of Washington's lifetime.
The Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center has sits “underground” so as not to disturb the setting of the farm and mansion.
George Washington’s newly restored water-powered Distillery & millers in colonial attire who explain how the mill works and its role in Washington’s entrepreneurial farming operation operates Gristmill is already one of the favorites of visitors.
On the Potomac River, Gaylord National Resort, Hotel & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland is Washington, DC area’s only waterfront resort. Just across the Potomac River from Alexandria, Virginia, Gaylord National Resort opened in April 2008 and includes a 2000 room 18-story, glass-enclosed atrium, an indoor stream and fountain.
National Harbor’s additional hotels, condominiums, shops, marina, entertainment and restaurants make this a destination in driving or boat distance from Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Maryland. Disney will build a hotel here soon.
Old Hickory Steakhouse, with Old English classic design and clubby décor, recreates the ambiance of an 18th century Georgian row house. The lounge includes a wine cellar showcasing a collection of award-winning wines from around the world, and a unique cheese cellar. Old Hickory has one of the areas only maitre d’Fromages. We feasted for more than two hours in an elegant dining room overlooking the Potomac River and lights of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. Divine.
The Gaylord outdoors and indoor events on its property and on the National Harbor plaza, a common area with a popular funky sculpture, like The Awakening, a huge sculpture of a man’s head, arms and legs rising from the sand. The next big event is ICE! An indoor, winter wonderland made entirely of ICE! will feature ice sculptures sculptured by the famed Harbin Ice Sculptors, Nov. 19 - Jan. 10, 2010.
Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, 201 Waterfront Street, National Harbor, MD.1-301-965-2000, www.gaylordnational.com.
Potomac Riverboat Company, www.OnBoardDCTours.com, 301-5261; Gaylord Transportation Desk or National Harbor Kiosk.
703-339-7200.
Mount Vernon is open 365 days of the year. Visit the website www.mountvernon.org for more information.
