Has anyone taken public transportation to Mt. Vernon?

Checked the wmata website and it explained that you could take the yellow metro line to Huntington Ave. Then transfer to Fairfax connector bus 101 towards Mt. Vernon & Cunningham. Website says you walk .4 miles along the Mt. Vernon Hwy to Mt. Vernon. Looks like the travel time would be about 35 - 40 minutes plus connections. Cost is minimal.

Am curious about your opinions on the route, safety etc. Also, does that .4 mile walk wmata referred to actually get you to George's front door??

You do have the correct information about public transportation to Mount Vernon and the information is accurate.

Pay attention to the times of the buses as there are not a lot of them. As I recall the schedule is more geared to commuters than sightseers.

Mount Vernon is the one "A" list tourist destination in the DC area where you might find a car convenient, but plenty of people have used public transportation.

There are tour bus trips to Mount Vernon as well if you want to be pampered. When you get to DC, inquire at your hotel.

There is also a boat that leaves from the SW boat dock, but, if you do that, you have limited time at the mansion and all too much time on the boat. Some people have been known to snooze on the way back--pretty but also a full day deal by boat.

Thanks Lauren,

I am aware of the options of getting there (Mt. Vernon) via tour bus or cruise down the Potomac.

For our family of four these options would cost about $120, which, I believe includes admission to Mt. Vernon. So, either the public transportation or car rental for just the day make a lot of sense.

Thanks for the suggestion.

You might consider taking a cab from the Huntington Staton.

If you decide to take the 101 bus and walk, Mt. Vernon Hwy is primarily upscalish residental so I don't think you would need to worry about your safety. Also megamillions of tour buses truck people out to MV and park nearby so there are facilities for walking to the entrance.

The buses run pretty regularly if I recall, something likely hourly. Check www.co.fairfax.va.us/comm/trans/connector for futher info.

I did this trip last June(2002).
The Grayline Tours were not running the day I was there so I took the Yellow line to Huntington. My hotel clerk said to get a Metro tranfer ticket and use it to board the bus, cost .25 cents for the bus ride to Mt. Vernon.
There was no .4 mile walk. The buses depart from in front of the train station(it's the end the line so you won't miss your stop). After a fifteen minute ride I was dropped-off directly across the street from the Mt. Vernon entrance.
Buses come every hour and depart near the left side of the gift shop.
Also, the Metro ride is pretty nice. You emerge into daylight just as you cross the Potomac, with nice views of the river and the Jefferson Memorial.

We rented a car just for the day at one of the car rentals in downtown DC. I compared cost and it was a total of about $40 or 45 for a midsize. There are several rental places around downtown, ours was a couple of blocks from the Grand Hyatt. We picked it up when the place opened in the am and returned it in the afternoon. It was an easy drive but it was on a Sunday. Might not be as easy other days. We even had lunch in Alexandria. T

Thanks for the replies!

Logandog, glad to hear you had no problems doing this yourself. Also, I am figuring that since you said the 101 bus drops passengers right at the MV gate, the .4 mile walk that wmata explains as necessary at the bus drop-off must literally be the distance from the gate to George's front door, which is certainly quite close.

Either option of car or public transit will work fine. If we do the car rental we will follow you, liztx, and just pick it up in the am and return it in the afternoon (no parking issues then). Thanks for the help.