Historical Tourist Spot Mount Vernon - Essay Example

Located on the banks of the beautiful Potomac River, it consists of mansions, plantations, flower and fruit gardens, a sixteen-sided barn, a slave cabin, a grist mill, and distilled operations.
The entry at the central passage in the mansion gives visitors a pleasant feeling of the tour in the beginning. The Virginia architecture of the eighteenth century is evident from the style and material used here. More than one million tourists visit Mount Vernon and appreciate the design and good maintenance of the mansion. The scenic beauty of the river also provides a lot of variety in entertainment to the tourists. The fishing operations at the river spot are enjoyed by tourists in general.

The main attraction to Mount Vernon for visitors is in the form of the sixteen-sided barn, which is the round-shaped building where threshing and winnowing of wheat is performed. It functions as a feeding plant for horses, and the circular shape provides convenience and efficiency in feeding many horses simultaneously. Three-dimensional farm animals march around the border here. The creativity of George Washington will be highly appreciated by tourists after visiting this fantastic location. The slave cabin is another important spot in Mount Vernon. The main reason for naming this a slave cabin is that several slaves used to stay in these houses while working in the plantations in the eighteenth century. About 316 slaves were reported to live and work in the plantations during this period. Even at the time of the death of George Washington, about ninety-seven slaves were reported to be staying at the plantations and the mansion house farm. They used to assist in the cultivation of wheat and corn and were instrumental in augmenting the crop productivity and net income of the farm. These houses got damaged over time, and some efforts have been made in recent years to restructure the model houses. A look at these spots provides us an opportunity to understand the cultural flavor and working conditions of the people.

The grist mill and distillery operations also constitute an important component of Mount Vernon. Wheat plantations brought a high quantity of grain yield, for which a grist mill was used, and a distillery was mainly used for the manufacture of whiskey. A Grist mill was, basically, a water-powered mill that produced flour of export quality. In addition to possessing engineering skills, Washington was a successful businessman, as we can see from the profitability of these distilleries. Huge income generation was reported by these operations. Even recently the American government has taken initiative to manufacture large quantities of whiskey by starting distilleries where the main aim is to utilize the natural wheat plantations in Mount Vernon.
The cultural richness of Mount Vernon is reflected in the form of a celebration of some special occasions at this historic estate. For example, Christmas is celebrated with a lot of fun and joy, and a unique decorative style is followed; hence, many tourists prefer to visit the place for this occasion. Washington also used to celebrate Christmas in Mount Vernon despite his tight schedule. He used to bring camels for the enjoyment of his guests.

The plantations mainly include wheat and other cereal crops, and gardens mainly served the purpose of testing new crop sorts (screening of the crop genotypes), production of suitable fruits and vegetables, and display of attractive and colorful ornamental flowers. The gardens are of different types such as upper garden, lower garden, botanical garden and fruit garden, and nursery. The upper garden comprises box trees, fruit trees, shrubs, roses, and other flowering plants and vegetables in the central portion. The lower garden represents an English kitchen garden with a variety of vegetables, such as asparagus, spinach, beans, onions, lettuce, and peas as well as fruit trees, such as apples and pears. A botanical garden, which is known as a little garden and fruit garden, is used mainly for seed production and nursery. Visit to gardens in Mount Vernon is worthwhile as it is very educational and aesthetically pleasant.

Overall, the components and richness, and uniqueness of Mount Vernon make it one of the most popular and attractive tourist spots in the United States of America. Moreover, it also reveals that George Washington was a great farmer and agriculturist with rich knowledge of crop cultivation aspects. He was also an expert in recycling farm products by integrating animal and engineering components, which are present in the form of a circular barn, a grist mill, and wheat distilleries.