Thanks for the advice to get there early. I think that sounds like a great plan.

Louisa, that's great. I so hope we get to see them, and I hope they're in bloom for your daughter's wedding. They would look wonderful in her wedding photos. We did decide to stay in Old Town. Do you know what boat we would take to get there, or do you have a link?

You want the boat that will take you to Ohio Drive: http://potomacriverboatco.com/new-na...arbor-taxi.php

Thank you, the blossoms would be wonderful for wedding photos but at this point I will be thrilled with anything in bloom.

Thanks, Louisa. How are the cherry blossoms looking?

Does anyone know of anywhere in this area or DC area where you can see bald eagles flying, a nest, etc.? I think my husband would enjoy that. Is it pretty uncommon?

We had rain on Tuesday, so I suspect the cherry blossoms around the Tidal Basin are pretty much "kaput". (They were at the height of the blossoms over the weekend.) But there are other cherry trees and blossoming trees/plants around D.C. now, so it's still really pretty.

There was a photo in today's Washington Post showing a nest with a baby eagle in the National Arboretum. The caption said that the area was being cordoned off to keep the eaglet from being disturbed. If you'd like to see the photo, go to the following and look for the 19th or 20th picture: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/...0_gallery.html

Eagles have made a pretty healthy comeback along the Potomac River.

Mason Neck Wildlife Refuge is about a half drive from Mount Vernon is worth a trip for eagle spotting. More info here:

http://potomacriverbaldeagles.com

and a Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/PotomacRiverBaldEagles

Awesome photo, longhorn - thanks for sharing that.

Thanks, obx, that is great info.

Here is the link to the ebirds hotspot map for bald eagles around Mt. Vernon. It looks like a drive down to the refuge obxgirl mentioned or a drive up the George Washington Memorial Parkway will be worth your while.

http://ebird.org/ebird/map/baleag?ne...=1900&eyr=2015

There also looks to be a lot of recent sightings near the Belle Haven Marina across the Potomac from the National Harbor.

Birdie, that's a great site. Love seeing all the hotspots for sightings. Thank you!

Thanks for all the help everyone. We loved Mount Vernon. We were there for six hours! The grounds are so pretty with all the trees in bloom and that view of the river is amazing. The education center is really well done. Pretty cool how they make it snow inside the theater.

Glad you enjoyed it. Your timing was superb!

A bald eagle flew overhead during my daughter's wedding ceremony on Saturday at River Farm, which is halfway between OT Alexandria and Mount Vernon. River Farm is one of Washington's original five farms and now home of the American Horticultural Society. The grounds and flowers were gorgeous!

I'm glad the weather was nice for the wedding, LouisaH, and for your trip volcanogirl. Did your husband get to see an eagle?

Volcanogirl, so glad to hear you enjoyed your Mt Vernon visit.

Louisa, your daughter got one of the most beautiful spring days the area has ever seen. I hope it was the start of a beautiful marriage.

Congrats on your daughter's wedding, L. It started raining on our eagle day so we didn't get to see one. Good excuse to come back!

And we were able to eat at the restaurant on site at Mount Vernon. I've read mixed reviews, but the food we had was very good. Big portions too - we split a pulled pork sandwich and shared a really good strawberry balsamic salad, and it was plenty. We also tried a small cup of peanut soup just for kicks. The servers no longer dress in period costumes, but we thought the restaurant was charming and had nice, friendly service.

What did you think of the peanut soup? Most think it sounds strange but I love it.

I had a bite and thought it was fun to try, but not my favorite, and next thing I knew my husband had downed the entire cup! He loved it. I feel like we went to Mount Vernon at the perfect time of year. The weather was so great, and everything was so green. I was talking to a woman who worked there, and she said that during the cherry blossom festival, they've been having 7,000 people come through every day.

We ended up not doing any of the specialty tours and still had plenty to keep us busy all day. How long has the educational center been there? It seemed so new and really high tech. Just a great day. I would love to go back someday and do some other tours like the dinner tour and the slave tour. I loved seeing all the little sheep too, so cute. It's pretty impressive how they keep everything running so smoothly. The lady we spoke with said that Prince Charles and Camilla had just visited.

I have been to Mt. Vernon twice in my life, once as a teenager and then again as the mother of a teenage son. Both times, it was one of the highlights of my trip to the DC area. It is a special place and well worth the effort to visit.

Glad you had such a nice visit. I would love to go back and spend more time.

Yes, it was one of our favorite parts of the entire trip. The view from that back porch is just spectacular. Has anyone ever stayed nearby? I think the Inn there is just a restaurant if I'm not mistaken.

Old Town or the very busy and commercial Route 1 are the closest areas for hotels.