Mount Vernon Estate's second annual Spring Garden Party will be especially festive this year as it coincides with Mother's Day weekend, Saturday, May 10, and Sunday, May 11. And, who better to visit on such an occasion than Martha Washington.
Along with some of her friends, Mrs. Washington will be personally greeting visitors. There will also be 18th-century-style musical groups, garden tours, colonial games and dancing, and early-American gardening demonstrations.
In addition to receiving free seed packets, as a garden party favor, Estate visitors will have the opportunity to purchase heirloom plants and garden items during the Gardening Days gift sale which concludes May 11. All these added attractions are included in Estate admission of $13 adults; $12 seniors; $6 children, six to 11; free for children five and under.
Guests can also enjoy the Garden Party an extra hour this year, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. During those hours they can listen to 18th-century tunes by the Itinerant Band in the Upper Garden and livelier colonial tunes in the Lower Garden performed by Syllabub.
The First Lady and some of her younger family members will be gathered in the Upper Garden from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day to greet and talk with Estate visitors. "Martha Washington" will share her insights as a mother, grandmother, and first lady to a newly conceived and birthed nation in the Little Theater at 11 a.m, 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. The Bowling Green will come alive with colonial games both days from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Herbalist and Master Gardener Betsy-Ann Golon will share creations made from recipes in Martha Washington's cookbook while a costumed gardener uses 18th-century implements to care for Mrs. Washington's kitchen garden. George Washington's innovative landscape designs in his gardens and throughout the Estate are highlighted on 30 minute walking tours offered at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Washington's Estate was very much a working plantation in the 18th century. That is nowhere more evident than at the Pioneer Farm where there will sheep shearing demonstrations at 10 a.m., noon, 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. This year's visitors will also be able to visit the recently dedicated authentic "slave cabin" adjacent to the farm.
Visiting Mount Vernon Estate at any time of the year has definitely become an all day event since the opening of the new Ford Orientation Center and Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center. These must see attractions added 65,000 square feet of visitor facilities when they opened in October 2006. They encompass 25 new galleries and theaters that capture and hold the interest of visitors no matter what their age.
For those who want to gain a total picture of Washington not only as a military and political leader but also as agricultural entrepreneur and businessman there are the newly recreated Distillery and refurbished Gristmill. Both are located just three miles from the Estate on Route 235.