Illustration by Brainstorm
George Washington spent his life in Virginia. Though military campaigns would take him beyond its borders for more than a combined decade—first as part of the French and Indian War and later during the American Revolution— most of his 67 years saw him surveying, defending, and developing the land of his birth. It’s altogether fitting during this year celebrating the 250th anniversary of American independence, that we take to the road across Northern Virginia and follow in the footsteps of the Father of Our Country.
The journey begins in Winchester, a former frontier town in the Shenandoah Valley that witnessed Washington’s beginnings in the three careers that would define his life: surveyor and landowner, soldier, and elected official. The trip continues east, over rolling hills commanded by sprawling horse farms and vineyards, to the village of Middleburg and a centuries-old tavern visited by a young Washington, then turns north to Great Falls on the Potomac River. Here, the route joins the George Washington Memorial Parkway and rolls through Arlington, Alexandria (his adopted hometown), and ultimately to Washington’s longtime home and final resting place, Mount Vernon.
• • •
Courtesy Visit Virginia
George Washington’s Office Museum
Built in 1748 as a workspace for itinerant professionals, this small log structure is among the oldest in Winchester. From the fall of 1755 until the end of 1756, Washington used its middle room as his office while he oversaw the construction of Fort Loudoun, which would become the site of his regimental headquarters during the French and Indian War. Displays and artifacts trace Washington’s time in the town from his arrival in 1748 to survey land for British Lord Fairfax through his election to the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1758.
Museum of the Shenandoah Valley
Museum benefactor Julian Wood Glass Jr. was a direct descendant of Winchester founder James Wood, who also served as Washington’s campaign manager in his 1758 run for the Virginia legislature. Following Glass’s death in 1992, the family’s ancestral home, Glen Burnie, was opened to the public, and in 2005, the museum was built on the grounds of the estate to showcase his collection of 18th- and 19th-century American and European furniture and art as well as Washington artifacts. Several Washington-related objects, among them an iconic portrait by Rembrandt Peale, will be on display as part of the museum’s Revolutionary Valley exhibition.
Old Town Winchester
The civic and commercial hub of Winchester has served as a meeting place and marketplace since Washington’s time. Today, visitors will discover a wealth of 18th-century buildings and a bustling four-block pedestrian mall along Loudoun Street filled with smart shops and boutiques, including century-old men’s clothier Bell’s and independent bookstore Winchester Book Gallery. Not to be missed is lunch at Water Street Kitchen, set in a former dry goods store and lauded for its grilled cheese sandwiches. And unrivaled accommodations are steps away at the George Washington Hotel, a stately institution dating to 1924.
Courtesy Visit Loudoun
The Red Fox Inn & Tavern
The tony village of Middlebury, set in the heart of Virginia’s horse and hunt country, lies midway between the cities of Winchester and Alexandria (thus its name) and was a regular stopping point for travelers between the two towns, including a young Washington. He also visited this storied tavern, established in 1728 as Chinn’s Ordinary. The lovely fieldstone inn later played host to a glittering array of contemporary notables, from Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Elizabeth Taylor to Paul Newman and Tom Cruise, who, like today’s guests, enjoyed countryside pursuits, classic yet cozy quarters, and intimate meals in the historic tavern’s firelit dining rooms.
Courtesy Visit Virginia
National Sporting Library & Museum
Founded in 1954 by four fox hunters who combined their personal libraries of sporting titles, this Middleburg institution is today the repository of more than 20,000 books on equestrian sports, fishing, shooting, and wildlife. Three historic volumes examine the sporting life of Washington, an avid hunter and angler who was also regarded as the greatest horseman of his day. The museum was added in 2011 to display sporting paintings and sculptures, as well as related artifacts such as trophies and dog collars. A special exhibition, America 250: Sports at the Founding, includes the model that renowned equestrian sculptor Herbert Haseltine used to create his bronze statue of Washington now on the grounds of the National Cathedral.
Courtesy Visit Virginia
Great Falls Park
At this national park site in McLean, the Potomac River courses through a series of rocks and boulders then tumbles into a narrow gorge before flowing on to Washington, D.C. and into the Chesapeake Bay. As a young surveyor, Washington came to regard the river as the best route west, and decades later, in 1784, he organized the Patowmack Company to construct a series of canals to allow navigation of the river, ultimately opening land west of the Allegheny Mountains to a young America. In addition to taking in the falls, visitors can view the remnants of Washington’s canals.
Arlington House
Between 1802 and 1818, George Washington Parke Custis, the step-grandson of Washington, built this Greek Revival mansion as a family home and the nation’s first memorial honoring the president. In 1831, Custis’s daughter, Mary, married Lieutenant Robert E. Lee in the home’s parlor; the couple would live in the house with their children until forced to evacuate at the outbreak of the Civil War. Today, the house (designated as a memorial to Lee in 1955) stands on a hill in the northwest quadrant of Arlington National Cemetery and offers tours of the storied structure, as well as panoramic views of Washington, D.C. from the columned portico.
Courtesy The George
The George of Old Town
Though its claim to fame lies in its origins as a property once owned by Washington, this boutique inn may be best recommended for its central location in Alexandria, a block away from the city’s historic and vibrant King Street. The townhouse, thoughtfully reconstructed in 1960 by a former Virginia governor, promises large suites flooded with light and common areas touted as “Mount Vernon with a twist,” featuring psychedelic Washington portraiture alongside historically inspired scenic wallpaper.
Courtesy Visit Alexandria
Gadsby’s Tavern
Occupying two historic structures in Old Town Alexandria, the 1785 tavern and a 1792 hotel, this establishment was a regular meeting place for Revolutionary era luminaries, including Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams. Its ballroom hosted birthday parties for Washington as well as Jefferson’s inaugural banquet. Today, the tavern welcomes diners for candlelit meals in period dining rooms (try Washington’s favorite peanut soup), and the adjoining museum illuminates the lives of its patrons and the amenities and entertainment they enjoyed.
Photo by Whitney Tomasino
Christ Church
This Episcopalian church in Alexandria has been active for 253 years and was attended by Washington for more than a quarter century until his death in 1799. The box pew he purchased at the time of the church’s opening in 1773 remains intact (though the other original box configurations were replaced by bench pews in the early 1800s). Eleven U.S. presidents have visited since 1900, perhaps most notably Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was joined by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill for services on January 1, 1942.
Courtesy Visit Alexandria
The George Washington Masonic National Memorial
After a decade of work by Freemasons, this 333-foot tower erected in Alexandria in honor of Washington was dedicated in 1932, the bicentennial year of his birth. Inspired by the Lighthouse of Alexandria in ancient Egypt, the neoclassical landmark serves as both a memorial to Washington, America’s best-known Mason, and a museum. Exhibits explore Freemasonry’s origins and influence in the history of the country, as well as the life of Washington (a highlight is his personal Bible, one of the first printed in America).
Courtesy Visit Virginia
George Washington’s Mount Vernon
In the 44 years Washington and his family lived on the estate eight miles south of Alexandria, he transformed the farmhouse constructed by his father in 1734 into the 21-room neoclassical mansion visitors see today. He also developed the surrounding plantation, and the estate’s multiple outbuildings, gardens, and heritage-breed farm animals speak to his commitment to farming. In fact, while he’s best known as a military and political leader, Washington thought of himself first and foremost as a farmer and believed America’s future success lay in agriculture. On December 14, 1799, he died here, and his on-property tomb is the site of a daily public wreath-laying ceremony.
This article appears in the Summer 2026 issue of Southbound.
Advertisement
Kevin Benefield
Source link