George Washington's Mount Vernon estate is one of the most iconic homes in the world. Now you can virtually visit this historic home and plantation in vivid detail through our web tour and free virtual reality apps.
360-Degree Photography
At the heart of the Virtual Tour is a set of beautiful 360-degree panoramic images that you can fully control and view.
Tour every major room within the Mansion, and see the upper garden, kitchen, the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon, and George Washington's Gristmill & Distillery.
Many of our panoramas were filmed in locations that are not always open to the public, giving you unparalleled access.
Engaging the Virtual Tour is easy. Just use your mouse, trackpad, or finger to move left or right and up or down. These motions will enable you to see ornate ceilings, original floorboards, and Washington artifacts, giving you an exciting full-immersion experience.
Clickable Points of Interest
Each of our Virtual Tour panoramas includes a number of clickable points of interest. These clickable points allow viewers to learn more about various details, including artwork, objects, architectural elements, buildings, archaeological sites, furniture, plants, books, and more. Stories of human and historic interest are also connected to the viewable locations.
Each of our points of interest includes images and text descriptions that bring topics vibrantly to life. By zooming in, you can see the stunningly intricate details of paintings, sketches, and other fascinating objects.
If you would prefer to travel through the panoramas without the displayed clickable points, you can click on the point's toggle (the eye symbol in the menu) to turn them on and off.
Videos from our Experts
We have infused the Virtual Tour with videos from our character interpreters, curators, and other Mount Vernon experts. Now you can have 24/7 access to those who know the most about the objects, architecture, and landscapes featured on the Tour.
Other videos, such as our hopper boy video found on the Gristmill Fourth Floor panorama, bring to life all of the intricacies of our fully-functioning gristmill—from the inter-working movement of the gears to the exciting sound of full production.
Many Ways to Navigate
We've made the Virtual Tour easy to use and simple to navigate. The best way to move from room to room or panorama to panorama is to locate and click on the panorama-to-panorama clickable points. Appearing as dots, you will find these navigational points near doors and passageways that lead to nearby locations. Via these clickable navigation points, you will be able to wander naturally—as you would if you were actually there.
Users who would like to move quickly from one point within the Virtual Tour to another can also use the menu that is found along the bottom of the desktop version of the tour. Choose the section of the tour that you would like to engage, and then click on the panorama of choice.
We have also included a mini-map display that can be viewed through the map icon at the bottom of the screen (desktop version). Once activated, you can see where you are located within the tour. From here, you can also click on various points to go to another area of the tour.
Virtual Tour Menu
Virtual Tour Mini-Map Display
Virtual Reality
The Mount Vernon virtual tour offers an immersive way to explore George Washington’s estate through free virtual reality apps. Here’s how you can experience it based on your equipment:
Meta Quest: If you have a Meta Quest headset, you can download the Mount Vernon VR app directly from the Meta Quest Store. This app allows you to experience a 360-degree view of each room and area, so you can explore the estate as if you're actually there. You’ll use the controller to select points of interest (POIs) to learn more about each space.
Smartphones (iOS and Android) with Google Cardboard: For a VR experience on iPhones or Android phones, you can download the Mount Vernon VR app from the Apple App Store (for iOS) or Google Play Store (for Android). This version is specifically designed to work with Google Cardboard viewers. Here’s how to use it:
- First, open the app in magic window mode, which allows you to move anywhere in the tour.
- When you’re ready for VR, tap the toggle button to switch to Cardboard VR mode, then place your phone in your Cardboard headset.
- To navigate, “stare” at a POI for one second to select it.
Works on Tablets and Smartphones, Too
The web version of the Mount Vernon Virtual Tour is accessible via popular tablets or smartphones. Now you can wander the historic Mount Vernon estate from anywhere you have an internet connection.
Mount Vernon Virtual Tour
Now that you've learned how the tour works, it's time to begin exploring.
Our Thanks
We would like to thank The Founders, Washington Committee for Historic Mount Vernon and Scott and Lynn Molitor for their support of the Mount Vernon Virtual Tour project.
This offering was produced in partnership with HULLFILM, a leader in the production of virtual tour offerings.