This is the beautiful home that we just put a down payment on...ok maybe not. Instead we visited Mount Vernon, George Washington's Estate. It is about 8 miles out of Alexandria and the drive was beautiful. We took the George Washington Parkway and drove along the Potomac. Mount Vernon is privately owned and open year round. You do have to pay to visit the site, which is rare in D.C., but it is worth you $13 ($15 for us because we also visited the newly opened distillery and granary). The house is beautiful inside and out. Pictures are not allowed inside, but there is beautiful woodworking and vivid paint colors. The room on the bottom left is the room where GW was elected our first president and in the top right room of the house is where he died of a throat infection. The estate is restored to the year he died because there was a detailed description of the house from that time. It has a breathtaking view from the back, over the Potomac. On the other side of the river you will notice it is not built up because Maryland has put laws in place to preserve the view from Mount Vernon. 
And this is the view from the back porch, it is really dark because it started to pour rain for about a half an hour of our visit
There were all sorts of things to see, from the pasture and barns to GW's farming ground where he discovered innovative farming techniques. His grave (original and new) are both on the grounds. He was originally buried in a brick building that looked like a cellar and then I believe when Martha died there was a new structure build for them and family members. There is a memorial to the slaves that served on his estate as well. The grounds also keeps live animals around... many of which I am sure are from the time of GW himself.
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