George Washington Memorial Parkway
a day / 24 miles / 48 minutes
This scenic grand gateway and greenway to our Nation’s Capital offers the opportunity to experience the historic story of the birth of our Nation. See Mount Vernon where George Washington lived, sweeping views of our Nation's Capital, and the breathtaking Great Falls of the Potomac.
Day 1
9:00 - 0.1 miles / - 9:00
Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens
The Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens was home to George Washington for 45 years. The Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association (MVLA) purchased the estate in 1858 and officially opened this historic landmark to the public. Visitors can pay tribute to the Nation’s first president and his accomplishments, see the Mansion House and 50 acres of gardens, as they existed in 1799. Mount Vernon is a historic landmark, protected by federal and state regulations.
9:00 - 2.6 miles / 5 minutes - 9:05
Fort Hunt Park is home to a historic fort and serves as a popular recreation area. Fort Hunt was constructed by the federal government as a coastal fortification during the 1890s. During World War II, the fort served simultaneously as a Prisoner of War (POW) camp and as a center for manufacturing escape devices to be secretly sent to American POWs held abroad. Today Fort Hunt Park offers picnic areas, athletic fields, trails, a playground, and summer concerts.
9:35 - 4.0 miles / 8 minutes - 9:43
Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial
Arlington House is the nation’s first memorial to President Washington. The first president's adopted grandson, George Washington Parke Custis built the home in stages between 1802 and 1818. Custis lived at Mount Vernon where Martha Washington and her second husband, George Washington, raised him. Custis considered Washington a father figure and pursued his greatest passion: perpetuating the memory and principles of President Washington. Civil War General Robert E. Lee's family later inhabited the house, vacating it when Lee joined the Confederate Army. The grounds now include a memorial in his honor.
9:43 - 1.5 miles / 3 minutes - 9:46
Jones Point Lighthouse / DC South Cornerstone
Jones Point Lighthouse, constructed between 1855-1866 by the Light- House Board, served primarily as a warning light for naval ships approaching the Washington Navy Yard. The rooftop lantern, with a "fresnel" lens was a common design for lighthouses along the Chesapeake Bay and the lighthouse was operational until 1926. The lighthouse is on the National Register of Historic Places. The DC south cornerstone marked the boundary of the original map of the Federal City.
10:01 - 7.0 miles / 14 minutes - 10:15
LBJ Memorial Grove / Lady Bird Johnson Park
"The promise of America is a simple promise: Every person shall share in the blessings of this land." This is one of the many quotes that is on the memorial stone at the LBJ Memorial Grove. Columbia Island was renamed in honor of the former First Lady and her campaign to beautify Washington, DC. LBJ Memorial Grove, a memorial to President Lyndon B. Johnson, offers 17 acres of trails and landscaped grounds for picnicking and hiking. A 19 foot, 43-ton monolith of granite and granite markers bear quotations from speeches of LBJ, expressing his philosophy on environment, education, civil rights and the US Presidency. Lady Bird Johnson Park offers scenic views.
10:45 - 0.3 miles / - 10:46
Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial
Arlington House is the nation’s first memorial to President Washington. The home was built in stages between 1802 and 1818 by George Washington Parke Custis, his slaves, and hired craftsmen. Custis was the grandson of Martha Washington and her first husband, Daniel Custis. At Arlington, Custis pursued his greatest passion: perpetuating the memory and principles of President Washington. He intended his home to be a living memorial to the President and filled it with his “Washington Treasury,” which included china, portraits, Washington’s bed and other Mount Vernon heirlooms. While at Arlington House, visitors should plan to make a stop at Arlington National Cemetery.
12:46 - 0.0 miles / - 12:46
US Marine Corps War Memorial / Netherlands Carillon
This statue depicting the World War II flag-raising on Iwo Jima honors the sacrifices of US Marines since 1775. The Marine Drum and Bugle Corps perform their famous sunset parade in front of the USMC War Memorial on Tuesday evenings during the summer. The 50-bell carillon near the statue was presented to the United States by the Netherlands in appreciation of support during World War II. It symbolizes a friendship characterized by a common allegiance to the principles of freedom, justice, and democracy.
13:16 - 0.3 miles / - 13:16
Theodore Roosevelt Island is a wooded island that provides a fitting memorial to the outdoorsman, naturalist and visionary who was 26th President of the United States. The island has a diverse history and was once a summer resort for wealthy Virginians. Today, all visitors to the island can pay tribute to Roosevelt’s conservation ethics, which resulted in over 234 million acres set aside as national parks, forests, monuments and wildlife refuges.
14:01 - 4.1 miles / 8 minutes - 14:10
Fort Marcy contains carefully preserved earthworks that were part of the circular defense system around Washington, DC during the Civil War. It is within a 15.2 acre park with wooded land and trails and paths that connects to the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail.
14:45 - 2.5 miles / 5 minutes - 14:50
Claude Moore Colonial Farm offers park visitors a unique opportunity to experience a living history site demonstrating the life of a farm family living on a small farm in northern Virginia just prior to the American Revolutionary War. Agricultural and household activities seen on the farm today represent an 18th Century farm with livestock, hand cultivated fields and hearth fires.
15:15 - 1.6 miles / 3 minutes - 15:18