SLIDESHOW

MOUNT VERNON At George Washington's "new" Mount Vernon, high-tech wizardry seizes the senses.

The eyes of a ghostly bust of the man himself seem to follow you as you enter the extensive new education center. "Snow" falls inside a state-of-the-art theater, while on the screen Washington is crossing the icy Delaware River. That's after cannon fire rumbles through your bones, thanks to vibrating seats.

Dazzling as all the state-of-the-art devices are, though, there remains no better way to see Washington's estate than by candlelight on a cold December night. Cast a shadow as you stroll along the gravel path to the house, beneath original hemlocks and tulip poplars. It carries you back in time.

"I have to apologize to you," said an in-character guide, dressed in the clothing of the late 1700s, as we approached the great house for a tour. "General Washington has been called away on business this evening. Actually, he's been called over to the District for some pressing matters."

George or not, today's Mount Vernon is more than ever a visit worth making. Just don't plan to knock it out in a couple of hours, said Emily Coleman Dibella, a spokeswoman for George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens.

"That has been our biggest challenge since we opened the doors of the new facilities -- trying to make sure people understand that the Mount Vernon of old easily took a few hours, but the new Mount Vernon could easily take a whole day."

The new facilities include the Ford Orientation Center and the Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center, featuring 23 galleries and theaters and built largely underground so sheep can still graze on a pasture above it. The house itself, a football field away, has not been touched; only the experience of learning about Washington has been enhanced.

"Our new tag line is, 'You should come to Mount Vernon to discover the real George Washington,'" said Dibella, who grew up less than 2 miles from the estate.

"In the past, you'd come to Mount Vernon and learn about Washington as a farmer or as an entrepreneur, but we couldn't really talk much about his military career or his presidency."

The new buildings "take you through in a very interactive way, from Washington's early days all the way to his death."

In the orientation center, visitors can pick up maps of Mount Vernon -- in 11 languages. Dibella said Washington is an "international celebrity."

What's troubling to her and others, though, is that often visitors from other countries know more about Washington than do Americans.

Even the legendary stories about chopping down the cherry tree -- don't miss the cherry pie at the adjacent Mount Vernon Inn -- or throwing a silver dollar across the Potomac seem to be getting lost.

"I've had guides tell me they've talked to students and said something about tossing a dollar across the river, and the kids just look at them blankly," Dibella said. "The point is that people aren't even learning the myths, which scares us. We want to make sure they come here and learn about the real George Washington."

Beyond the new action-adventure movies and the expanded collection of artifacts, one thing that always made Mount Vernon special remains: the view from the house, on a bluff above the Potomac, looking out onto the river.

It is still magnificent.

Alas, holiday candlelight tours are limited each year to a few evenings in November and December. However, there's still an opportunity to enjoy the holidays at Mount Vernon. The 12 Days of Christmas will be celebrated until Jan. 6, during which visitors can tour the rarely open third floor -- just beneath the famous cupola. It was there that Martha Washington lived the rest of her days after George's death in their second-floor bedroom.

By the way, the Washingtons married on Jan. 6, Epiphany. They would be approaching their 249th wedding anniversary.

Contact Bill Lohmann at (804) 649-6639 or wlohmann@timesdispatch.com.

Contact Bob Brown at (804) 649-6382 or bbrown@timesdispatch.com.