george washington birthplace national monument

We were staying in Colonial Beach, and we heard about visiting GW's birthplace. Most people think of Mount Vernon, but he was born on Pope's Creek. We enjoyed the movie, the tour, and the ability to play the harpsichord! The surrounding area is quite breath taking. We visited later in the summer, so flowers were still in bloom, and we observed the beautiful garden outside the visitor's center.

George Washington Birthplace National Monument is located in Westmoreland on the Northern Neck area of Virginia. A 50-foot obelisk at the end of Popes Creek Road greets visitors to Washington’s birthplace. Originally, the obelisk was erected on the site where the Memorial House is now located. It was moved from the Memorial House site to its present location because people who wanted to memorialize Washington built a house on the site where they believed was the original birthplace home. Actually, the birth home was destroyed by fire. The foundation of the original house has been excavated and is about 100 feet from the Memorial House. The grounds also include replicas of colonial farm buildings. Washington lived here a little over 3 years before the family moved to what is now Mount Vernon. When we visited, we saw a large group of Tundra Swans who winter on Popes Creek. We learned they usually arrive around Thanksgiving and begin migrating North in mid-March. The sheep are the only ones allowed to freely roam the grounds instead of being fenced in like the cattle and oxen. I strongly recommend taking a guided tour by one of the park rangers. Stop at the Visitor Center and view the short video and pick up a map of the monument grounds. There are two eagles who are frequent visitors to the area as we were told and witnessed for ourselves.

It was definitely remote although pretty easy to find if you follow the signs. When we were there the historical part was closed for maintenance, so we never saw any of the actual birthplace buildings. Bummer. However, the cemetery and the beach on the Potomac are both very cool. Also, picnicking area and livestock on the farm are two of the attractions I would've taken advantage of had it been warmer.

GW's birthplace is the very first NPS site for a person. It is also tucked away on a small road (Rt 17) that is some distance from any major city. Consequently there is not a lot of flash and glitz.But because it is off the beaten path you get to see things up close and personal. What we like best is the people that operate it. The NPS people are good and know their stuff. But the local docents are what make it special. They are the ones that make it seem like a working plantation.If you visit in the spring you will see what happens on a plantation in the spring. Visit at the height of summer and you will see how they coped with heat and humidity. Visit in the fall and learn all about the harvest. So you really can't visit one time and think you have "seen it".I have been to Ferry Farm, Mt. Vernon, the Grist Mill and even Ft. Washington and Alexandria (where George slept in all the row houses :), all associated with George Washington. This one is best for an up close look at how life went on back in the day. You didnt have to look at everything from BEHIND THE VELVET ROPE! That is what made it special to us. It is great for school age kids.(And Stratford Hall plantation is just down the road! Two great stops in the same neighborhood.)

We were heading home from Newport News area to PA when we saw the sign on RT 17 for the George Washington Birthplace National Monument. We decided to follow the signs and were glad that we did. There was a guide in the house who was quick to tell us that the house was not the actual house but a representative of the actual house although much larger. The guide was very knowledgable and pleasant.

Our guide gave the tour with a long history of the Washingtons that rhymed--a little different than the usual tour, and not easy to do--I will call him the "colonial rapper." Reminded me a bit of Homer and his Odyssey. Not sure how he remembered it all. The house is an imaginative reconstruction of a colonial house, but combines the spirit of many houses we've seen in an appropriate way. The odd thing was that the film had closed captioning that was so poorly done that we were distracted from the film. Best not to try to follow the words, poor spelling, etc. and just watch. This film REALLY needs redone with proper titling. That said, glad we went, and free. The site is important. We are Washington fans. Worth it for that.

NPS has not done much with this site which is really dissapointing. Minimal exhibits (free) and charge too much for the psaltry exhibts inside the museum. The grounds were also sad given other NP sites I have visited. Since this place is way out in the sticks, I'd recommend visiting somewhere else and take those 4 hours and enjoy. This isn't that place.

We went to George Washington's Birthplace National Monument today in Colonial Beach, VA as part of our historic 6 month road trip. The visitor center shows a 14 minute film which is started at the visitors request. The home was actually built in 1923 as a memorial on the eve of two hundred years since George Washington's birth. An excavation in the 1930s show that the house and out buildings bear little resemblance to the actual home but the original foundation was unearthed and an outline of oyster shells marks the spot. The tour of the home is given on the hour and lasts about half an hour or so. Our tour guide Chris Kennedy was outstanding with his storytelling about our first president, the home and the family members that lived on the property. I don't think it matters if you see the movie before or after the home visit. The home is about 300 yards from the visitor center and it is a nice easy walk along Popes Creek. I highly recommend a visit to learn more about our first president because the tour guide told us about George Washington's life experiences such as growing up on a farm, dancing and other things that made him the great military leader he was.

There is little to see at Ferry Farm. There is a huge D.A.R. building and not much else. One cannot even look at the exhibits without paying admission and the exbibits are skimpy and less notable than other places. One can walk quite a distance and see the site/pit of the original house which was recenlty discovered. The D.A.R. may reconstruct the house at some future date. The entrance to the grounds is both awkward to get into and leaves a lot to be desired.

No dogs allowed. We travelled a long way to experience history and our small dogs are very well behaved. We didn't see anything we wanted to. Disappionted!

Found this place on accident. Went out for a rainy day drive and saw the signs as we were heading down the 301. By the time we arrived the rain had settled and we (my two kids, husband and myself) decided to get out and take a tour. We decided to just walk along the trial without a tour guide and it was a gorgeous sight. We didn't do the guided house tour because my oldest was wearing sandals and the path was a little muddy from the rain, so we turned around prematurely. We will definitely be going back!

We only found this place by accident. We noticed the signs on our way to Lee's birthplace and how could we resist? It's a nice area to get out and wander around. The house (which we did not take a tour of) is not accurate to the one Washington was born in. A marked area is nearby of what the real house was like. There are other buildings to see, as well as animals. The biggest disappointment was dogs are not allowed to walk around with you.

We toured the Birthplace of the Nations first President. The Park Ranger tourguide gave a very detailed and interest presentation on the history of the grounds, house, and farm. It is located on Pope's Creek, which is tributary of the Potomac River, just north of where the Potomac River flows into Chesapeake Bay. From the welcome center you have a perfect view of all three water ways. On our visit we could see in the distance a tall sailing ship enroute to War of 1812 anniversary program in the Washington, DC area. Not overrun by tourist, the park area has picnic facilities and trails to walk along the creek area. A pleasant day trip from the DC area.

After visiting the Washington Monument and Mount Vernon, there's no better way to appreciate how George Washington became who he was than to visit his birthplace. And if you love the outdoors and a bit of hiking, there's all that here, too.While his birthplace home burned to the ground long ago, the foundation is marked clearly as the result of an archeological excavation, and you can see artifacts from the house at the visitors center. Be sure to watch the short video presentation and grab a map of the site before you head out.I'm not sure whether the tours are regularly scheduled, but we managed to catch one presented by one of the rangers, who also had a marvelous grasp of the living history of the time when George was born and was able to help us better appreciate the circumstances that led to Washington becoming our first President.The other buildings were in good repair, several had been reconstructed but still exhibited the workings of the 1700s, and the ranger helped to fill in details. We'd have loved to see folks performing some of the work, as we did at Mount Vernon, but their absence was not greatly detrimental to our enjoyment.

We traveled to the site and found it to be very interesting and very well preserved. Not as large as Mt. Vernon but still worth the trip.