Happy Birthday, George! Free Admission Monday at Mount Vernon

PHOTO of Mount Vernon courtesy of the estate

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FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA --Mount Vernon will be celebrating George Washington’s birthday Monday with free admission to all at the estate.

But first, the answer to an age-old question:

Did George Washington chop down a cherry tree? Here’s what the folks at Mount Vernon have to say:

“Probably not. The story was invented by Parson Mason Weems who wrote a biography of George Washington shortly after Washington’s death. Since so little is known about Washington’s childhood, Weems invented several anecdotes about Washington’s early life to illustrate the origins of the heroic qualities Washington exhibited as an adult. Introduced to countless schoolchildren as a moral tale in the McGuffey Reader textbook, the parable has become a persistent part of American mythology.”

Here’s a schedule of events on Monday:

• 9 a.m. – 4 p.m: Mount Vernon will open to guests free of charge.
• 10 a.m. – 2 p.m: Meet “General Washington.” Wish “George Washington” a happy 284th birthday.
• 12 p.m: Wreathlaying ceremony at the Tomb of George Washington.
• 1 p.m: Naturalization ceremony. Celebrate with America’s newest citizens during a moving ceremony in their honor.
• 2 p.m: Birthday Cake with General Washington. Enjoy a free piece of birthday cake, while supplies last.

All day: #PoseLikeThePrez and take an unforgettable photo with props in the Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education lobby using the iconic Lansdowne portrait of Washington as a backdrop. Upload your photo to Instagram or Twitter and tag it with #PoseLikethePrez for a chance to win a $100 gift card.All day: Just in time for the birthday, Mount Vernon will feature a special display reuniting two of the General’s surviving battle swords. Believed to have been carried by General Washington during the American Revolution, these two swords have not been seen together for more than 200 years. Visit Mountvernon.org/swords for more information.

The swords went on display Friday and will be on exhibit through May 30. One is from a private collection and the other is on loan from the Smithsonian.

WHERE: George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate & Gardens, southern end of the George Washington Memorial Parkway, 16 miles south of Washington, D.C.

Discover the story behind one of America’s most iconic paintings of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart: