Meet the Animals of Mount Vernon during Livestock Open House Event

Alexandria, VA – Join Mount Vernon’s Livestock team for a self-guided tour of its brand new 12,500-square-foot livestock building featuring spacious stalls, a tack room, medical facility, grooming area, and office space.  In June 2019, Mount Vernon opened the Linda Mars Livestock Facility, a new state-of-the-art building, for the estate’s livestock, staff, and volunteers. While the site is normally off-limits to the estate’s visitors, Mount Vernon is opening up the space to visitors exclusively on August 11 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“The new Linda Mars Livestock Facility is a beautiful, functional, and safe space for our animals and staff,” said Mount Vernon livestock manager Lisa Pregent. “We are very excited for this opportunity to open our barn doors and share our new home with the public.”

During the self-guided tour, meet Glory, the adorable donkey, and many of Mount Vernon’s horses! Some of Mount Vernon’s Hog Island Sheep will be on hand for children to pet. Learn about Mount Vernon’s rare breeds program and the animals that would have populated Mount Vernon during George Washington’s lifetime.

For more than 25 years, Mount Vernon’s livestock team has cared for oxen, horses, sheep, hogs, and other animals that help bring stories about Washington’s farms, entrepreneurial spirit, and horsemanship to life. Through the estate’s nationally recognized rare and heritage breeds program, Mount Vernon’s livestock team cares for more than 100 animals that are representative of the breeds Washington kept 200 years ago.

The Livestock Open House event is included in general admission to Mount Vernon. For more information and to purchase a ticket, please visit mountvernon.org/livestockopenhouse.