Washington's birthday--a virtual tour of Mt. Vernon

Earlier this week I headed to Mt. Vernon. Not physically, but via Mt. Vernon's Web site. I see lots and lots and lots of Web sites. Web site hopping is a great way to pass writing time. Mt. Vernon's Web site is the Rolls Royce of sites. There is so much material that it's easy to get lost in the wandering.

Details range from the reconstruction of a slave cabin to how to make Martha Washington's Great Cake to every detail about George Washington's house and gardens and his life, including before and after his presidency. In each section there are links that lead to more details. For example, when you go to the house and garden link there are other links to specific buildings. Each building has other links to more information. If you head to the Virtual Mansion Tour, you'll find links to specific rooms in the main house. Each room of the house has more links. In the Large Dining Room, you can find out about the molding, the artwork, the furniture and the room's purpose.

If you can't make it to Mt. Vernon in person, spend some time at the Web site and you'll think that you spent a week there. Besides that, you'll know more about 17th and 18th century life in the U.S. than most people do. Did you know the Great Cake takes 40 eggs? I do now.

Each month there are special events. For Black History Month programs center around the contributions of the slaves who lived at Mt. Vernon and the lives they led. Here's the page that details the history of slavery where George Washington was concerned.

Filed under: Arts and Culture, History, Learning, Festivals and Events, Stories, United States