Press Release
New Holiday Experiences at Mount Vernon: Winter Glow, Holiday Tea, and Christmas Illuminations
Visit The Shops at Mount Vernon for Unique Holiday Décor and Gifts
ALEXANDRIA, VA-George and Martha Washington’s Mount Vernon estate was bustling with friends and relatives during the holiday season. That tradition continues today as George Washington’s Mount Vernon launches new holiday traditions for guests to experience: Winter Glow, Holiday Tea, and Christmas Illuminations.
While at the estate, visitors are invited to The Shops at Mount Vernon to find unique holiday ornaments and décor, as well as an array of distinctive gifts for everyone on your shopping list. Featured gifts include unique holiday ornaments, the Mount Vernon Advent Calendar, the Commander In Chief Collection, exclusive Mount Vernon rocks glasses and whiskey, children’s gifts, and an expansive array of books for history buffs. And just in time for the holidays, comes the introduction of the Mount Vernon Print Shop, where customers can select their desired artwork, choose from framed or unframed prints, and customize the size. Every purchase from The Shops at Mount Vernon at Mount Vernon supports the mission to preserve George Washington’s legacy.
The special holiday activities at the expansive Mount Vernon estate are listed below. Related photos for usage are available here, for attribution to the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association.
- Winter Glow on November 29-30, December 15-19, and December 23, 2024. Kickoff the holidays with an enchanted 18th-century experience surrounded by festive lighting set to holiday music. Visitors will enter the lantern-lit Mount Vernon historic area, then experience Washington’s famous landscape transformed by light and music. Historic spaces throughout the estate will be aglow and illuminated, creating a festive atmosphere that will delight guests of all ages. Warm up by the crackling fires, roast s’mores, run through a straw bale kids maze, and play “I Spy General George Washington” around the estate. Don’t leave without meeting Aladdin the Camel, continuing the tradition of George Washington bringing a camel to Mount Vernon in 1787. Learn more.
- Holiday Afternoon Tea on December 6 – 8 and 13 – 15. Create special holiday memories and start a new tradition of Holiday Afternoon Tea, a perfect gathering with friends and loved ones. Enjoy a selection of festive teas, delicate tea sandwiches, tempting sweets, and a live harpist at The Mount Vernon Inn’s historic atmosphere. Learn more and make a reservation.
- Christmas Illuminations on Dec. 20, 21, 22 at 5:30 p.m. Join Mount Vernon for a family-friendly celebration of the holiday season. Watch holiday fireworks over the Potomac River, hear festive holiday music, wander an18th-century winter market and encampment, meet Aladdin the Camel, participate in 18th-century dancing in the upper garden’s greenhouse, and visit the Interpretive Center for a story time reading of Gingerbread for Liberty. Learn more.
Read the complete listing of upcoming Mount Vernon events here. Most Mount Vernon events are free or discounted for members. Members also receive 10% off shopping and dining. Information about Mount Vernon membership is available here.
Please note that Mount Vernon has embarked upon a landmark Mansion Revitalization project. During visits, preservation teams are restoring the framing, masonry, drainage, and environmental controls of the Mansion, ensuring America’s first president’s home will be ready to receive millions of guests for generations to come. While the Mansion will always remain open during this vital work, individual rooms will be taken off display as work progresses through the structure. The Education Center exhibit on George Washington’s life will be off display for an extensive rebuild from July 2024 to Spring 2026. However, the expansive estate remains open to visitors, including the museum, more than a dozen historic buildings, the gardens and farm, and the Tomb.
Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, is owned and operated by the Mount Vernon Lad.ies’ Association, the oldest national historic preservation organization in the United States. The estate is open to visitors and includes the Mansion, a museum and education center, gardens, tombs, a working farm, a functioning distillery, and a gristmill. It also includes the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon.
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