George Washington’s estate has launched its newest tour, “Mount Vernon in AR.” George Washington’s Mount Vernon is one of the country’s first historic sites to integrate augmented reality tours on smartglasses into its regular visitor offerings.
The “Mount Vernon in AR” tour invites guests to enjoy lesser-known stories of the first president’s estate revealed by immersive 3D imagery layered over a view of the real landscape. Holograms of George and Martha Washington, 360-degree recreations of former buildings and gardens, and images of artifacts placed in their original context, are among the many tools used in the one-of-a-kind storytelling.
“The augmented reality tour enables us to do things we cannot do every day: show primary sources next to places and objects, do large-scale reenactments of key events, and take guests back through time to show them what Mount Vernon looked like throughout Washington’s entire lifetime,” said Matt Briney, vice president of new media for Mount Vernon.
The tour begins in the Ford Orientation Center. At stops throughout the estate guests see and hear moments from the lives of Mount Vernon’s residents come to life, such as young Washington playing an 18th-century lawn game or George, the enslaved gardener, describing the role of the greenhouse.
The tour is now available for $12.50 in addition to general admission. This experience is weather dependent. For more information, visit mountvernon.org/AR.