Today we would return to Mount Vernon. On a previous trip to Virginia, Jason and I were forced to rush through the tour and unable to see the grounds due to arriving late. This time, we would be able to see everything and make a day of it. We decided to wake naturally (without an alarm), but hurried once awake. We quickly dressed and made our way to the breakfast room.
We arrived at the location the Marriott Employee had described but saw no sign of breakfast. We asked a woman behind a nearby counter if this is where we were supposed to be. She informed us that they only offer breakfast on the weekends. The check-in lady neglected to mention that. We thanked her anyway and made our way to Chick Fil A. We weren't too upset because we were in a hurry--fast food might have been the better option.
Once Jason ate his yogurt parfait and I, my chicken minis, we took off for Mount Vernon. We were very excited. We sang Ingrid Michaelson songs on the way and enjoyed the early morning together. Once arriving, we waited in line and purchased two tickets. Soon our bags were being searched so we could enter. I waited while they finished looking through Jason's satchel. While waiting, a man walked beside me and said... that's what you get for carrying a purse. He had only a simple camera and they let him through no questions. People are so friendly on vacation.
Below is a picture of our first view of Mount Vernon--one we missed on our first trip:
Just beautiful. We quickly got in line for the tour. This tour was very different from the one prior. Instead of having our own private tour guide, each guide was stationed at one room. As we went through the house, the tour guides would inform us about the items in the room and the history behind everything we saw. This tour did not include the basement or the third floor. It was a lot more limited than our last one, but we weren't upset--we remembered the last tour and had already had the pleasure of experiencing it once. Below are pictures of the outside (inside pictures were not allowed):
After seeing the inside of the house, we visited the grounds and looked at the small buildings on the sides. These small buildings were things like: the kitchen, where the slaves slept, where they kept the horses, ice rooms, and storage areas. After visiting these areas, we went to see Mr. and Mrs. Washington's tombs. Pictures are below:
In the picture below, there is a man playing a fife outside of the tomb. He was very good. He welcomed us and continued playing Amazing Grace.
After seeing their tombs, we searched for the slave memorial. Personally, this was a place we wanted to visit more than Washington's tomb. These were the people who actually built what we saw. These were the people who kept Washington going and did more work for our country with the least amount of credit than anyone. I had hoped their memorial would have been much grander than it was. Below are pictures:
Below is an outline of where they believe some of the graves are. It's hard to tell because they were not given a proper funeral.
Before leaving the memorial site, Jason grabbed some historical dirt for our collection. Of all the places on this site, this is the most significant to us.
After leaving the memorial, we overheard a mother trying to convince her kids to go with the to see the slave memorial. They were hesitant because they appeared tired. The mom said, "Let's see if we can find where the slave memorial is..." Jason turned around and told her where to go. We tried to tell the kids how cool it was and that they should go see it. The mom thanked us appreciatively and then the next thing we knew, they were off. We were glad the kids went. It was nice to see someone making that an important part of their visit to Mt. Vernon. The amount of people who visited Washington's tomb compared to the people who were at the Slave memorial was deeply saddening.
Here are some pictures of the items in the small houses outside of the main mansion:
The ice room below:
There were numerous animals on the property:
Below is a cute hog we found:
Beautiful pumpkin patch:
After seeing the grounds, Jason and I popped into their cafeteria for lunch. We both got taco salad:
Before leaving, we also stopped into the gift shop. We debated a few things but ended up leaving with some chocolate (delicious!) and a bottle of their spiced holiday wine. We had this wine the last time we visited--it's so good! After collecting our purchases, we made our way back to Colonial Williamsburg. We hurried back because we had a 5:15 reservation at Christiana Campbell's Tavern. We drove up with 30 minutes left to spare.
Before heading to the restaurant, we stopped at the ticket counter to purchase two ghost tour tickets for Thursday (they go quick around here). Afterward, we made the long walk up to the town. Below is a picture I snapped on the way:
Jason and I were having trouble finding the restaurant. Eventually we arrived, legs sore from walking so fast, but we were 10 minutes late. We quickly got to the front and asked if we made it okay. They said yes and seated us by a quiet table in the room to the right. Below is a picture of Christiana's:
Once seated, our waiter walked over and introduced himself to us. He also took my napkin from in front of me and told us how they used to use it in colonial times. The napkin was, in fact, a full table cloth. He then wrapped it around my neck and explained that they used these in order to prevent food from getting on their clothing, as they washed there clothes very rarely.
He then took our drink orders. Jason had water, but I ordered a Whiskey Cup. This included whiskey and rum, cranberry juice, pineapple juice, gingerale, and grenadine. It was delicious! We split it, because we also ordered a lot of food. Below is a picture of our meal. The picture below was just a pretty moment I caught:
Sweet potato muffins and rolls:
Our Whiskey Cup:
As we ate, two women showed up to entertain us. One woman (as seen in the first picture below) told us stories about how Washington came to visit and stay in this restaurant during the war. The second woman (as seen in the second picture below) sang songs from Colonial time period:
Clam and shrimp soup:
Fried Chicken, veggies, corn pudding, and soft corn bread. Jason and I both ordered the same thing, so you will only see one meal. Side note: the woman in the first picture above, walked by us at one point. She looked at Jason and told him to eat his fried chicken with his hands, not to use forks and knives. It gave us a good laugh.
My strawberry ice cream (part of the three course meal):
Jason's Raspberry Sorbet:
After finishing our meal, we decided to walk through the town at night. Below are picture:
Soon the sun had set and it became very dark and cold. We stepped in a few stores, purchasing only a quill and lavender. We warmed up and then made our way back to the Visitor Center. It became very cold and we weren't sure if the trail back to the parking lot was even lit with lamps. We were slightly nervous but it worked out just fine. The trail was well-lit and we made it back safely. It had been a beautiful and fun day! What a vacation already--and we still have four days left!
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