Lovely Union Station in Washington DC
I probably shouldn’t compare lovely Union Station in Washington DC (clean, gorgeous architecture, civilized waiting area) with Penn Station in New York City (dirty, crowded, ugly, and not a seat to be found), but I can’t help it . . .
Penn Station - the ugly end of the line
. . . could you??
So much of our recent trip to Washington DC revolved around the man whom it was named after, that I wanted to save a visit to Mount Vernon, George Washington’s estate in nearby Virginia, until the last day of our vacation.
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| Mount Vernon |
By then, my kids would have seen the Washington Monument and gazed at the Declaration of Independence, which Washington fought to support. They would have visited “The Price of Freedom” Exhibit at the National Museum of American History and understood George Washington, the soldier, as well as visited the US Capitol to understand George Washington, the statesman.
But a visit to Mount Vernon, George Washington’s estate that he shared with his wife, Martha, and her children, is a peek into George Washington, the farmer and . . . dare I say this? . . . the ordinary man.
So Mount Vernon deserved a full day of our time.
After touring the grounds and taking our “National Treasures” tour, the kids and I ate a leisurely lunch in the Mount Vernon Inn restaurant. (A little hokey with the colonial theme, but it was more relaxing than the food court . . . ) Then it was back to the manor to take the Manor House tour (basically a self-guided tour with docents placed at strategic spots to explain various rooms)
Inside the manor, we walked through carefully restored rooms decorated as close as possible to what they would have looked like in Washington’s time. His dining room walls were painted a bold green (perhaps a future reference to his later image on the $1 bill??) but the rest of the rooms were modest and in keeping with what a southern plantation owner would have.
The view from his back porch, though?? Amazing .. .
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| View of the Potomac from Mount Vernon |
It was too bad that we were rushed through the house, though. The kids and I could have gone a little slower and asked more questions. But with several school groups before and after us, we were herded through like cattle.
At least we got to take our time in the Donald O. Reynolds Education Center. This is where you see the more personal details of George Washington and his family from his beginnings as a land surveyor and officer in the French and Indian War to his inauguration as our nation’s first President.
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| Diorama of Washington’s Inauguration |
Twitter Travel Trivia: All these personal artifacts from Washington’s home made our first president seem very real to my guys. But nothing made him more human than his carefully preserved dentures, which are contained in a secure box that lets off loud alarms if you get too close. (Yes, several of the school groups did this . . .) Apparently Washington suffered all his life from dental problems and only had one tooth left when he died! The small side exhibit details dental practices of the 1700s and explains how his dentures (made from real human teeth and hippopotamus ivory) were constructed.
By the end of our day at Mount Vernon, we knew more about George Washington and had also visited another of our “must-see” sites.
Fifty-three places visited, 447 to go!
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| Mount Vernon |
A visit to Mount Vernon, George Washington’s estate in Arlington, VA, is an easy day-trip from Washington DC and a fun excursion with kids. Besides being listed in Frommer’s 500 Places to Take Your Kids Before They Grow Up, Mount Vernon truly is a national treasure that has been wonderfully restored to what it probably looked like during Washington’s time.
There are several ways to get to Mount Vernon – a Tourmobile from Washington DC or a river cruise along the Potomac. We chose to rent a car for a day so we could explore Mount Vernon at our leisure and not feel rushed to be anywhere at any specific time.
Kid-wise, Mount Vernon is very friendly with two fabulous interpretation centers – the Ford Orientation Center (where we headed first and watched “We Fight to Be Free”) and the Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center (home to shops, restaurants, and a good museum).
They’ve even created a special “Adventure Map” to help guide young visitors around Mount Vernon and discover some of its treasures.
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| My youngest with Mount Vernon’s “Adventure Map” |
Following a kid-friendly map, we traipsed around the grounds of Mount Vernon answering puzzle questions which we then turned in at the souvenir shop to get a pressed penny as a prize.
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| At the stables to figure out one of the “Adventure Map” puzzles |
Twitter Travel Trivia: As an added extra, we decided to also take a “National Treasures” tour when we visited Mount Vernon.
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| National Treasure Tour badge |
Led by a wonderful volunteer, we got to see some of the special spots where the Disney movie, “National Treasure: Book of Secrets” was filmed. Including . . . .
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| Entering the basement of Mount Vernon |
. . . . the basement of Mount Vernon! Sadly, there wasn’t a secret passageway in real-life, but looking at how well the house was built was an education in itself. We also checked out the ice-house and wandered along the river to get a fabulous river view of the estate.
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| Examining the old ice-house at Mount Vernon |
The “National Treasures” tour lasted only about an hour and it was a perfect addition to the more traditional Mount Vernon house tour that is offered to everyone.
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| Nationals Park in Washington DC |
With Wimbledon starting today in London, a record finish by Rory McIlroy at the US Open yesterday, and all sorts of sports events occurring throughout the summer, I thought I’d post about how fun it can be to take your kids to a sporting event while on vacation.
In our family, we’re car racing (check out my posts on the Indy 500 and ALMS race at Limerock, CT) and baseball fanatics, so we tend to gravitate to those venues. The food is kid-friendly and there’s usually entertainment in addition to the game. Plus, it’s a great break from all the sightseeing.
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| “Screech” at Nationals Stadium |
During our recent trip to Washington DC, I took my guys to the Nationals vs. Mets game at Nationals Stadium. After all the museums and monuments I had dragged them to, it was nice to sit back with a hot dog and some peanuts and enjoy a baseball game.
Yes, tickets to these events cost money. But during the summer, you can often take advantage of the availability of cheaper seats during the week since you’re on vacation. Stadiums will often offer two-for-one promotions to fill seats. Tennis fans can purchase (relatively) cheap grounds passes that offer access to a variety of matches.
For a good choice of hotels with discount prices, visit Where to stay in Washington DC for more information.
Twitter Travel Trivia: And though I’ve only mentioned two sports, don’t forget about a variety of other sports played during other times of the year – soccer, lacrosse, basketball, and football – just to name a few. Or think outside the box when it comes to sports and competitions – I certainly try to. When our family heads to Wyoming this summer, we’ll be going to a rather unique sporting event – a rodeo in Cody, WY – my guys can hardly wait!
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| George and Teddy at Nationals Park |
Considering we’re already hearing tons about the 2012 Presidential race, I thought I’d show you our version that we saw at Nationals Park in Washington DC . . .
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| Lincoln wins again!!! |
Twitter Travel Trivia: It was a close run, but “Abe” Lincoln cut some corners and edged out “Teddy” Roosevelt, “George” Washington, and “Tom” Jefferson at Nationals Park “Presidents Race” – a promotional event held during the fourth inning of every Washington Nationals home game!! Poor Teddy – he has yet to win a race!
