New Series of 18th-century Weekend Experiences, Whiskey Tastings, Patriot Run, Colonial Market, Plant and Garden Sale, Book Events, and Much More
Mount Vernon, VA, August 5, 2024 – Summer may be winding down, but events and activities at George Washington’s Mount Vernon are in high gear during August and September. August features a series of unique hands-on experiences for visitors to learn about life as it was in the 18th century. In September, fall kicks off with George Washington Whiskey Tastings, a Fall Plant and Garden Sale, The George Washington Patriot Run, and the immensely popular Colonial Market and Fair.
For the 18th-century weekend experiences in August, guests can explore and engage with staff, experts, and history interpreters on life in colonial America. Foodways: Farm to Table is scheduled for August 10 and 11; Book Arts is scheduled for August 24 and 25; and Animals of Mount Vernon on August 31 and September 1 and include:
- A discovery of 18th-century food growth, preparation, and dining during tours of the gardens, salt house, smokehouse, slave quarters, greenhouse, and the Mansion kitchen. Interested in the recent discovery of 18th-century bottles containing preserved cherries in the cellar at Mount Vernon? The Historic Trades staff will be on the 12-acre field to demonstrate the uses of preserved fruits.
- Mount Vernon’s livestock experts share the history of the animals' jobs on the estate, along with meeting sheep, oxen, and horses. At the Spinning House, learning about transforming sheep’s wool into cloth and textile production.
- Explore canine life at Mount Vernon during a 1.25-mile walking tour of five historic locations, including the landmark west gate. Bring your dog!
- Learning about colonial book-making with special guests from Colonial Williamsburg, along with President Washington’s personal secretary Tobias Lear, reading Washington’s only published book, The Journal of Major George Washington.
Additional upcoming historical and fun activities at the expansive Mount Vernon estate in August and September include:
- Lunch at the Library: 100 Years of Mottahedeh Design on August 7. Mottahedeh President Wendy Kvalheim will discuss her new book, Splendid Settings: 100 Years of Mottahedeh Design, a must-read for china and porcelain collectors. Learn more.
- Brown Bag Lunch with George Washington Presidential Library Fellow Lindsey M. Fisher-Hunt on August 8. Fisher-Hunt will discuss her research project, Mapping Their Influence: The Widespread Reach of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, which explores the social, educational, and familial connections between women of the postbellum world and how they saved historic sites. Learn more.
- Brown Bag Lunch with George Washington Presidential Library Fellow Sally Hadden on August 14. Haden will discuss her research project, One Supreme Court, which examines the U.S. Supreme Court’s history and the influence of the court's creators. Learn more.
- Ford Evening Book Talk: Democracy in Darkness on August 15. University of Notre Dame professor Katlyn Carter will discuss her book, Democracy in Darkness: Secrecy and Transparency in the Age of Revolutions, which examines how 18th-century debates over secrecy and transparency in politics shaped modern democracy. Learn more.
- Dine at the historic Mount Vernon Inn during Alexandria Restaurant Week, which is scheduled for August 16-25. Read the special menu and make a reservation.
- Brown Bag Lunch with George Washington Presidential Library Fellow Meg Roberts on August 14. She’ll discuss her research project, Caregiving and Crisis in the American Revolutionary War, which centers on the enslaved caregivers whose labor underpinned early American care networks. Learn more.
- Brown Bag Lunch with George Washington Presidential Library Fellow Sarah Juliet Lauro on August 26. Lauro will discuss her research project, Monumental: Commemorations of Enslaved Resistance, which explores the history of slave resistance worldwide. Learn more.
- Mount Vernon After Hours Exclusively for Members on August 30. Members and their guests can explore the expansive grounds after hours, purchase a picnic from the Mount Vernon Inn Restaurant, and dine al fresco on the lawn. Members also will receive 20 percent off on all purchases from The Shops at Mount Vernon. Learn more.
- Fall Plant and Garden Sale on September 7. Shop for seasonal color, heirloom plants, native perennials, trees, and shrubs. The exclusive General's Choice line features plants propagated from seeds or cuttings collected from plants growing on George Washington's estate. Members receive a 10 percent discount. Learn more.
- George Washington Whiskey Tastings on September 7, 14, 21 and 28. Enjoy a rare opportunity to taste Mount Vernon's one-of-a-kind distilled spirits made using 18th-century distilling methods and techniques, learn the history of George Washington's whiskey from Mount Vernon's Historic Trades team, and tour the Distillery & Gristmill. Learn more.
- Ninth Annual George Washington Patriot Run on September 8. This race offers 5K and 10K options along the scenic George Washington Parkway with views of the Potomac River and Mount Vernon. The Finish Festival offers music, food (including freshly baked bread from Half Crown Bakehouse), and beverage concessions, and a free beer for each runner. Participants will receive a commemorative t-shirt and medal engraved with George Washington's bust. Learn more.
- Colonial Market and Fair on September 14 and 15. Step back in time for food and wares by colonial artisans, theatrical entertainment, live music, and demonstrations, all included in the regular price of admission. Learn more.
- Ford Evening Book Talk: Serpent in Eden on September 17. Historian Tyson Reeder discusses his book Serpent in Eden: Foreign Meddling and Partisan Politics in James Madison's America, the story of espionage, shadow diplomacy, and domestic backstabbing in the formative years of America. Learn more.
- Sensory-Friendly Family Morning on September 21. Neurodivergent individuals and their families can enjoy a sensory-friendly morning and tour. Learn more.
- Fall Homeschool Day on September 23. Home school families are invited to learn about the 18th century by exploring the Farm at Mount Vernon. Learn more.
Read the complete listing of Mount Vernon events here. Photos for usage are available here. Please credit the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association. Most Mount Vernon events are free or discounted for members. Information about Mount Vernon membership is available here.
Please note that Mount Vernon has embarked upon a landmark Mansion Revitalization project. During visits, preservation teams are restoring the framing, masonry, drainage, and environmental controls of the Mansion, ensuring America’s first president’s home will be ready to receive millions of guests for generations to come. Individual rooms will be taken off display as work progresses through the structure. The New Room is currently not on view, and the Education Center exhibit on George Washington’s life will be off display for an extensive rebuild from July 2024 to Spring 2026. However, the expansive estate remains open to visitors, including the museum, more than a dozen historic buildings, the gardens and farm, and the Tomb.
Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, is owned and operated by the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, the oldest national historic preservation organization in the United States. The estate is open to visitors and includes the Mansion, a museum and education center, gardens, tombs, a working farm, a functioning distillery, and a gristmill. It also includes the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon.
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