George Washington Memorial Parkway
Follow in George Washington's Footsteps
| Departure: | Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens, Virginia |
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| Destination: | Turkey Run Park, Virginia |
| Time to allow: | 1 day |
Follow in George Washington’s footsteps and journey back in time. You’ll start at Mount Vernon, Washington’s home for over 45 years.
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Start: Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens
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Stop 1: Fort Hunt Park
Directions from previous place: Go east on George Washington Memorial Parkway and drive for 1.8 miles before turning left onto Vernon View Drive, then make a right onto Fort Hunt Drive to end at Fort Hunt Park.
Distance from Previous Site: 2.71 miles / 4.3 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 6 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 30 minutes Enjoy a day at Fort Hunt Park, which has a history that stretches back to the 1890's. Once a fort and then later a Prisoner of War camp, there is much history to be found here.
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Stop 2: Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve
Directions from previous place: Go east on Fort Hunt Road toward Winthrop Drive, then make a right onto George Washington Memorial Parkway. After 4.1 miles, end at Dyke Marsh.
Distance from Previous Site: 4.89 miles / 7.8 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 8 minutes Visit one of the largest tidal freshwater marshes along the shores of the Potomac River.
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Stop 3: Jones Point Lighthouse
Directions from previous place: Go north on George Washington Memorial Parkway toward Belle View Blvd, drive for 1.8 miles before turning right onto Green St, then make a right onto S. Royal St. After .1 miles, turn left onto Jones Point Drive.
Distance from Previous Site: 2.67 miles / 4.3 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 7 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 15 minutes Visit the Jones Point Lighthouse, which has been standing since 1866.
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Stop 4: Old Town Alexandria
Directions from previous place: Go west on Jones Point Drive toward S. Royal St., then make a right onto S. Royal St., then a left onto Green St. After .1 miles, turn right on S. Washington St. to end in Old Town Alexandria.
Distance from Previous Site: 1.33 miles / 2.1 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 5 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 2 hours Walk on original cobblestones and take in the views of historic homes of sea captains and colonial gentry. The same buildings that George Washington visited in the 1700's remain standing today.
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Stop 5: The National Mall
Directions from previous place: Go north on S. Washington St. toward King St, then the road turns into George Washington Memorial Parkway. Drive for 4 miles, then merge onto I-395 toward Washington, crossing over into the District of Columbia. After 1 mile, take the 12th St exit toward L'Enfant Promenade, and after exiting on the road, take a right onto D St. SW, then a left onto 7th St SW to end at the National Mall.
Distance from Previous Site: 6.83 miles / 10.9 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 12 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 2 hours Be one of the many visitors that journey to Washington DC to find inspiration among these primary symbols of America's Heritage.
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Stop 6: LBJ Memorial Grove/Lady Bird Johnson Park
Directions from previous place: Go south on 7th St NW toward Jefferson Dr. SW, make a right onto Independence Ave SW, then make a left onto ramp. Turn right onto 9th St. SW and take the I-395 ramp toward Virginia.
Merge onto I-395 toward Richmond, crossing over into Virginia and drive for 1.3 miles before taking the Boundary Channel Dr. exit toward Pentagon North Parking. Turn right onto Boundary Channel Drive and then take a left toward George Washington Parkway to end at the LBJ Memorial Grove.
Distance from Previous Site: 2.99 miles / 4.8 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 6 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 30 minutes Visit the LBJ Memorial Grove, which is home to the 19 foot, 43 ton monolith of granite and granite markers that bear quotations from speeches of Lyndon B. Johnson. The nearby park for Lady Bird Johnson provides excellent views.
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Stop 7: Arlington National Cemetery
Directions from previous place: Merge onto VA-110 N, take the ramp toward Arlington National Cemetery, then turn left onto Memorial Drive to end at Arlington National Cemetery.
Distance from Previous Site: 0.87 miles / 1.4 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 2 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 1 hour Visit this quiet memorial that honors all those who have served, from the Revolutionary War to the present military action in Iraq.
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Stop 8: Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial
Directions from previous place: Located in the same place as the Arlington National Cemetery.
Suggested Time at This Site: 2 hours 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.
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Stop 9: Arlington Memorial Bridge
Directions from previous place: Go northeast on Memorial Dr., crossing over into the District of Columbia, then enter the next roundabout and take the first exit onto Arlington Memorial Bridge.
Distance from Previous Site: 0.57 miles / 0.9 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 2 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 20 minutes Arlington Memorial Bridge and Memorial Drive are significant as important elements in the neoclassical urban design of the National Capital.
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Stop 10: US Marine Corps Memorial
Directions from previous place: Go northeast on Arlington Memorial Bridge and keep right on the fork to continue on that road. Take the ramp toward Kennedy Center, turn right onto Ohio Dr. SW, then take the E-Street ramp toward Roosevelt Bridge.
Merge onto I-66, then onto Arlington Blvd before taking the Rosslyn exit. Turn right onto N. Lynn St, then make another right onto Wilson Blvd. Merge onto Jefferson Davis Hwy to end at the Marine Corps War Memorial.
Distance from Previous Site: 2.63 miles / 4.2 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 6 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 20 minutes Listen to the famous Marine Drum and Bugle Corps perform on Tuesdays evenings during the summer at the US Marine Corps Memorial, which depicts the World War II flag-raising on Iwo Jima.
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Stop 11: Netherlands Carillon
Directions from previous place: Go south on Jefferson Davis Hwy, then make a right onto Marshall Drive.
Distance from Previous Site: 0.28 miles / 0.4 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 1 minute Suggested Time at This Site: 30 minutes At the Carillon, walk around thousands of tulips and take in the enormous bell tower, which houses fifty bells, symbolizing the Netherlands thanks to the United States of America.
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Stop 12: Theodore Roosevelt Island
Directions from previous place: Go west on Marshall Dr. toward Jackson Drive, and make right onto N. Meade St. before merging onto Arlington Blvd. Take the George Washington Parkway ramp toward Memorial Br, then merge onto George Washington Memorial Parkway.
Take the exit toward Memorial Bridge, then turn right onto Memorial Drive. Enter the next roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto George Washington Memorial Parkway, after 1 mile, end at Theodore Roosevelt Island.
Distance from Previous Site: 2.7 miles / 4.3 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 5 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 45 minutes Visit Theodore Roosevelt Island, a wooded island that provides a fitting memorial to the outdoorsman, naturalist and visionary who was 26th President of the United States.
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Stop 13: Fort Marcy
Directions from previous place: Go northwest on George Washington Memorial Parkway and after 4.9 miles, take the VA-123 N exit toward Chain Bridge. Turn left onto Chain Bridge Rd to end at Fort Macy Park.
Distance from Previous Site: 5.39 miles / 8.6 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 8 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 35 minutes Discover preserved earthworks left over from the circular defense system around Washington, SC during the Civil War.
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Stop 14: Claude Moore Colonial Farm
Directions from previous place: Drive south on Chain Bridge Rd. toward Merrywood on the Potomac Rd. Continue to follow the road for 1.3 miles, then make a right onto Georgetown Pike.
Distance from Previous Site: 1.73 miles / 2.8 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 4 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 25 minutes Come experience and view agricultural and household activities from this 18th Century farm with livestock, hand cultivated fields and hearth fires.
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End: Turkey Run Park
Directions from previous place: Drive east on Georgetown Pike, make a left turn onto VA-123 and drive for 1.1 miles before making another left to take the George Washington Memorial Parkway West ramp. Merge onto George Washington Memorial Parkway N and drive for 2.1 miles to end at Turkey Run Park.
Distance from Previous Site: 3.73 miles / 6.0 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 6 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 10 minutes Enjoy one of the most spectacular spring wildflower shows in Virginia at Turkey Run Park.
