WASHINGTON — George Washington’s Mount Vernon just got a whole lot easier to visit, even if you live as far away as Singapore. With the launch of a virtual tour, the doors of Mount Vernon are now open 24/7.
“Our new Mount Vernon virtual tour gives you a great way to visit Mount Vernon from your home or classroom,” says Rob Shenk, senior vice president for visitor engagement at George Washington’s Mount Vernon.
The tour gives you more information and detail about the estate than if you did a physical tour of the site, and you get to go behind the roped-off areas of the mansion.
Shenk says the virtual tour gives tremendous access to private spots, such as visiting Washington’s bed chamber.
“You can stand in the middle of George Washington’s bedroom, not from the doorway. It almost feels like you could jump right into his bed, if you wanted to, from where we shot this panorama,” he says.
That’s one of 29 large, interactive, panoramic images included in the tour. The images contain more than 200 clickable points of interest, which reveal even greater detail and information. He says the pictures are high-definition, high-resolution, 360-degree panoramic images.
“They’re really beautiful, and if you’ve been to Mount Vernon, you know that it’s a beautiful place to begin with. [This will] allow you to explore every nook and cranny of George and Martha Washington’s home,” he says.
Shenk says expert opinions are part of the tour, too.
“We also have 30 videos from experts here at Mount Vernon who share their knowledge and expertise on what you’re looking at,” Shenk says.
The virtual tour could be used as a way to prepare for a physical visit to Mount Vernon, or to just enjoy and learn about the mansion and about our first president and his wife.
“In time, we will release another 26 panoramas that would include the garden, the landscape, the out buildings, the farms, our distillery and grist mill and pretty much the entire historic estate,” Shenk says.
The virtual tour is also accessible on smartphones and tablets.
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