Hi there, looking for your help on deciding which tour to take that goes to Mount Vernon (MV). I have researched three tours, and your views/observations as to which may be best for my wife, two boys (16 &12) and myself.

First is the Potomac Spirit cruise from DC to MV, and this provides 3 1/2 hours at MV. Is this amount of time at MV about right/enough, and also what is the boat journey like - is there much to see on the way?

Second, is a Grayline bus tour to MV - this is 4 hours in total and doesn't seem to give long at MV?

Finally, there is a Grayline all day combo tour that combines the Washington/Embassy Row/Arlington National Cemetery Tour and the Mount Vernon/Old Town Alexandria Tour.

Thanks in advance of your thoughts and own experiences.

Pete

IMO, the best way to see Embassy Row or Old Town Alexandria is on foot - the worst is behind a bus window.

I would be VERY easy to rent a car and drive to MV - it's right off the GW parkway. It would also: 1)be much less expensive for 4 people 2) allow you to see as much or little of MV as you choose 3) allow flexibility as to when you start your tour 4) still allow you to park at Arlington cemetary to visit it.

If you are set on doing a bus tour, then the 4 hr Grayline to MV is the best option (your 2nd) of the three you listed. You won't see anything special on the Spirit cruise.

You can also get to Mt. Vernon on your own by taking the Yellow Line Metro to the Huntington Station and taking the 101 bus. This will allow you as much time as you want to enjoy the grounds, shop and eat. I cannot recommend the food at Mt. Vernon Inn Restaurant, the meal we had was warm to cool in temperature, but that might have been due to the time of day. If you do go on your own purchase the Audio Tour for $4.00 extra.

Dear peteuk:

My husband, daughter(12), and I took the grayline tour to MV in March. The four hour trip worked out best for us because my husband had to be back in DC for a meeting at 3pm. But I felt it did not give us enough time at MV.

There is so much to see and savor. We had to rush through the out buildings, museum and gift shop.(daughter and I like to shop). We arrived about 9:30 and only had a little over 21/2 hours to see everything. WHen we arrived there was a line to get in the house, about a 15-20 minute wait. We then walked the grounds, saw the out buildings and went to Geo. & Martha's tombs. WHen we got back to the house, all the lines were gone because most of the tour busses had left. This would have been an great time to see the place. We then had to rush through the Martha Washington gift shop and museum and haul back to the main entrance and bus.

Next time I would take the metro/bus option and do it on our own so we could see more of it in a leisurely manner.

Good luck and have fun,

MichelleY

I agree with the above posters! Embassy Row and Alexandria are best seen on foot, if you are going in the summer then I recommend a nice evening stroll.

I went to MV a few months ago, I drove myself there (easy). (MV is definitely not my favorite thing to do in DC, though.)

Have driven a few times to Mount Vernon. It was easy to do. 4 hours may or may not be enough time, depending upon the line to get into the house for a tour. Sometimes the line can be 1/2 to 45 minutes long. Sometimes alot less, sometimes more. If you just want to see the house 2 - 3hrs may be enough time. If you want to walk the grounds & visit the out buildings, 4 hrs might be enough if there is no line to get into the house. Depends upon what you want to do or see. If you want to see more than the house, & if you are waiting in line to get into the house, make sure you have a brochure/map of the grounds so you can plan out what you want to see in the amount of time available to you.

I agree: for a group of 4, it would be best to just rent a car for the day.

I've driven, and I've taken the bus from Huntington Sta. I'd do either of those over being herded by a bus or boat company.

There is an Enterprise rental agency not far from Huntington Station, on Richmond Rd - US1. You'll save on the airport taxes and won't have a very far drive if you rented from this agency. And for the money you'd save over the bus/boat tour, maybe you could visit Annapolis too, or drive to Potomac Mills if shopping is your thing. There's a Frank Lloyd Wright building near MV too, if I recall.