Mount Vernon & Old Town Alexandria Tour with Historian Guide

False Advertising - Be Warned

I WOULD LIKE A REFUND. Your advertised product stated a trip to Mt. Vernon and admission. Provided. It also advertised a one hour walking tour of Alexandria. That is why we booked this tour over others. However, this did not happen and when we questioned the driver, he knew nothing of this. This falls under litigious action of truth in advertising (Section 5 of FTC laws for non lawyers). Also, the driver had no record of our reservation and we had to scramble at the last minute in order to board our tour. A complete failure on Viator’s part.

Response from the operator: I talked to the customer this morning regarding the booking, and I apologize and asked to give them a tour for tomorrow. We were adjusting the pickup spot and the booking they made was amended from the 10th to the 9th April. The bus was waiting for them at the Hyatt Regency but they were in a different location. I talked to them and looking to provide them but they already get their refund. We were in communication this morning. I understand there anger. Very an fortunate If you comeback next time I grunt you a complementary tour Yohannes

via Viator

Too pricey for the trip

Too pricey for the tour at least we should had stop at Alexandria for a couple of pictures. Washington house was nice. The food at the inn was good as well.

via Tripadvisor

No seat belts!

The guide was great, Mt Vernon was great. The van did not have seat belts for every seat. I work at a trauma center and was very uncomfortable not having a seat belt on for a 30 minute drive. Will not take a tour with this company again.

Response from the operator: Dear Mr. Charle: thanks that you like the guide and the tour. As of the Set belt its not mandatory except for a driver and the front set . If you asked the driver she would have been siting you at the front set. So its what we have in all vans . I am soory for your inconvenient.

via Viator

Memorable

Tour guide was great and very informative. No markings or identification on vehicle at pickup so very confusing. Disappointed when most of mansion was not accessible due to construction. Would have been nice to know ahead of time. Rest of tour was great and just the right amount of time.

via Tripadvisor

Decent Tour/Ride If You Don't Want To Spend Excessive Time At Mt. Vernon

It was our first event of the family trip. Bobby was a great guide, very knowledgeable, and showed a great appreciation and love for history. He was a great storyteller and even got the riders involved by interlacing some historical trivia Q&A into the journey. The only negative of the event was not his fault but something I wish was required of all these tour companies, and that is that they inform us AHEAD OF TIME that a site is under repair. Much of the mansion was under renovation, so we only visited two of the many rooms (the rest being viewed in a glass-encased model). We were informed of this limit once we all were seated on the bus, so that seems a little...well, late and rather non-transparent of the tour company not to mention. Nonetheless, we learned a lot and can say we got to "see Mt. Vernon under renovation," if I were to put a silver lining on it. :) There wasn't much of a line, so any sort of skip-the-line benefit wasn't necessary. Maybe on a weekend it would be? (We were there on a Tuesday). But it was still nice to have the tour guide, Bobby, get us all our tickets. The grounds are sprawling, and there was still plenty to see. The slave quarters were well-presented, there was an actress portraying Mrs. Washington and telling stories in the first-person which we found unexpectedly entertaining, the revolutionary soldier actor spilled a lot of interesting info about encampment life, and there was helpful tram service between the tomb, the wharf, and the visitor center. Admittedly, there wasn't a lot of spare time to see it all, so there is the possibility that if you have the time to spend there, it is better just to take a taxi and head out there yourself so you can leave on your own schedule. While the drive through Alexandria was fine, I think less time on the journey and more time at Mt. Vernon would have satisfied us more. On the ride back we stopped off to get a distant view of a fort (Ft. Washington, I think?) and take a photo. Most people were wiser than we and remained on the bus as it didn't end up being much of a photo opportunity, but still, it was something to break up the return ride. (I also would add that the return ride was dedicated to listening to classic rock n'roll on the radio. Our guide was quite the fan, which he interlaced well with his tour offerings on the way up [the tour began with a drive through Alexandria, slowing down for a few historical buildings, which we appreciated]. He was so entertaining on the way up that we kind of missed him continuing his relating of historical facts and stories on the return ride, so listening to a radio station was a bit anticlimactic. Didn't ruin anything, just a preference note that we all discussed amongst the family later on.) In the end, Mt. Vernon should not be missed. Will be better when it's renovated by the end of the year or whenever and you can actually tour the mansion, but still not to be missed if you're going to be visiting. Again, the more I write this, I'm thinking that if you are already familiar with history and don't mind the taxi/rideshare fee (maybe there's a bus?), a straight-shot past Alexandria and right to Mt. Vernon is probably preferable. -- (Although you will miss viewing [from the bus] Washington's old home in Alexandria.)

via Viator