Fall Events Coming Up at Mount Vernon

Colonial Fair, Wine Festival, Gala Dinner, Book Event, Trick or Treating and more coming up at Mount Vernon.

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Fall is one of the busiest seasons at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, with a multitude of events that will appeal to crafters, gardeners, families, readers, wine and whiskey aficionados, and lovers of history.

Key fall events include the Colonial Market and Fair, the always popular Fall Wine Festival (tickets always sell out, so move fast!), a Black-Tie Gala benefitting the George Washington Presidential Library, a book event with General David Petraeus, the George Washington Leadership Lecture, a Slave Memorial Commemoration, the Plant and Garden Sale, Trick-or-Treating, and much, much more.

The full roster of events and activities in September and October are listed below in chronological order. Images related to upcoming events at Mount Vernon are available here and should be attributed to the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association.

  • Watch historical dressmaking on September 9-10. Mount Vernon’s historic costumer Kathrin Breitt Brown and Brooke Welborn of Burnley & Trowbridge complete a late 1790s Italian nightgown using hand stitching and 18th-century techniques. Learn more.
  • Experience the Colonial Market and Fair on September 16 and 17. Step back in time for food and wares by colonial artisans, theatrical entertainment, live music, and demonstrations; all included in the regular price of admission. Learn more. 
  • Attend the Luke Adams Glass Art Signing on September 17. Renowned Massachusetts glassblower returns to sign handblown glass pumpkins and other one-of-a-kind pieces. Learn more.
  • Mount Vernon After Hours Exclusively for Members is scheduled for September 24. Members and their guests can explore the expansive grounds after hours, purchase a picnic from the Mount Vernon Inn Restaurant, and dine al fresco on the lawn. Members also will receive 20 percent off on all purchases from The Shops at Mount Vernon. Learn more.
  • Home school families are invited to learn about the 18th century by exploring the Farm at Mount Vernon. Ticket discounts are for this September 25 special event.  Learn more.
  • Attend a Black-Tie Benefit Gala in celebration of the tenth anniversary of the George Washington Presidential Library on September 30th. This dinner on the Mansion's east lawn will feature performances from the American Pops Orchestra, private after-hours tours of the Mansion, a sunset reception overlooking the Potomac River, and dancing. Event proceeds directly support the preservation of George Washington’s home and education programs about his life and legacy. Learn more.
  • Taste Virginia’s best wines at the Fall Wine Festival on October 6-8 on the banks of the Potomac River. Bring a blanket and relax on the East Lawn while enjoying unlimited samples from the state’s finest wineries. Attendees can tour the Mansion, visit the The Shops at Mount Vernon, and purchase food. VIP tables are also available. Learn more.
  • Attend the Enslaved People Memorial Commemoration on October 7. Mount Vernon joins Black Women United for Action in remembering the enslaved people who lived and worked at Mount Vernon with a program and wreath-laying ceremony. Learn more.
  • Meet the 14th Librarian of Congress, Dr. Carla Hayden, at the annual George Washington Leadership Lecture that will explore the Father of our Country's lifelong accomplishments on October 12. This year's 10th-anniversary event will feature a conversation with Dr. Hayden, followed by a reception with complimentary beer, wine, and hors-d'œuvres. Learn more.
  • Hear from General David Petraeus and acclaimed British biographer Andrew Roberts, authors of Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine on October 20. This acclaimed historian and a battlefield commander have collaborated on a landmark examination of war, including the ongoing war in Ukraine. Attendees can submit questions and get books signed. Learn more.
  • Shop for seasonal color and heirloom plants along with native perennials, trees, and shrubs during the Fall Plant and Garden Sale on October 7. The exclusive General's Choice line features plants propagated from seeds or cuttings collected from plants growing on George Washington's estate. Learn more.
  • Celebrate autumn with 18th-century activities at the Fall Harvest Festival on October 21-22. Attendees can explore the expansive farm, meet General Washington, view demonstrations of 18th-century cooking, candle-making, spinning, and textiles, play 18th-century games, navigate a straw bale maze, and more. Learn more.
  • Acclaimed artists John and Cheryl Blenko will sign their hand-blown glass pieces at The Shops at Mount Vernon on October 21. Established in 1893, Blenko Glass Company features imaginative designs that have made the company renowned for the time-honored craft of hand-blown glass. Learn more.
  • Meet award-winning historian Cassandra A. Good, author of First Family: George Washington's Heirs and the Making of America on October 26. Dr. Good shows how George Washington grandchildren played a role in American society and politics. Attendees can submit questions and get books signed. Learn more.
  • Trick-or-Treat at Mount Vernon on October 28th. And it is more than just candy! There’s a costume parade on the historic grounds, 18th-century entertainment, magic, demonstrations, a puppet show, live music, and more. Tickets for this popular event go on sale in September. Learn more.
  • Taste Mount Vernon's one-of-a-kind distilled products on Saturdays in September. George Washington’s Whiskey Tasting is an outdoor event featuring samples of three distilled spirits made using 18th-century distilling techniques. Learn more.
  • Watch the 18th-century baking process with Resident Baker Justin Cherry of Half Crown Bakehouse on selected dates in September and October. Each loaf is baked in a reproduction clay oven and made of grains authentic to the period that, when possible, were ground at George Washington's Gristmill. Demonstrations are scheduled on select dates, with baked goods available for purchase until sold out. Learn more.
  • George Washington’s Distillery and Gristmill is open for the season thru October. This fully functioning reconstruction of George Washington's Distillery and Gristmill is located 2.7 miles from the estate’s main entrance. Tours are offered on weekends through October and are included with a Mount Vernon grounds pass. Learn more.

Read the complete listing of Mount Vernon events here. Most Mount Vernon events are free or discounted for members. Information about Mount Vernon membership is available here. 

Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, is owned and maintained by the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, the oldest national historic preservation organization in the United States. The estate is open to visitors and includes the Mansion, a museum and education center, gardens, tombs, a working farm, a functioning distillery, and a gristmill. It also includes the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon.   

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