George Washington Birthplace National Monument
Back in April 2018 during a spring break trip to Westmoreland State Park we stopped in to see the George Washington Birthplace National Monument. The history of the site was interesting to learn, however I think the kids rather preferred seeing and petting the farm animals around the property.
The kids were as goofy as ever as this picture of them behind picture cutouts attests. There was a bit of a walk from the visitor center to the house/grounds. So, there was a lot of ‘balancing’ practice on our walk.
Looking back at Westmoreland State Park
While our visit to the monument was not terrible in-depth, however, we did write a journal entry into the cabin’s welcome book providing more detail in our visit. I just found a photo I took of the page, and transcribed it below:
Weather/Temperature
Pretty Chilly. We wished we had our heavy coats – but it all worked out.
Guest / Visitors (Who?)
Mom, Dad, 8-year-old brother and 3-year-old sister.
What I/We Did:
We cooked out on the grill and enjoyed spending the night in the bunk beds. We went to George Washington’s birthplace and hiked down to fossil beach. one of the differs there had just found a large, fossilized shark tooth! we visited the discovery center and made creature crayon rubbings.
Wildlife/Nature Sightings:
Deer, baby lambs, cows, horses, pigs, woodpecker on the nature trail, and plenty of stinkbugs and ladybugs! Also, a pickled copperhead.
Favorite Moments/Special Highlights:
Singing “3.2 miles to go ’till we’re back on the muddy river!” Trying to find a place to eat was also an adventure. Almost as much as making the jiffy pop on the stove. Making s’mores using the fire in the fireplace.
If you are looking for a place to stay when exploring this area, I don’t think we can go wrong here. We had a great time as a family, taking in the local sites, exploring nature, and enjoying popcorn by the fire!
Collecting Park stamps at George Washington Birthplace
As explained in my very first blog post, I just started collected the park stamps in 2022. Since this trip was several years prior, I sent a letter to the park unit asking for their help in obtaining the stamp. I included a nice letter, a SASE and a few stamp stickers and hoped they would replay. I was really surprised how quickly the park turned this around (I got a reply in less than a week!)
I have found that so far, the smaller parks have a faster turnaround, but it may just be the luck of the letter arriving when it was not very busy. So, one more stamp locked in the collector’s edition passport!
Check out more National Park Sites in the Southeast USA HERE
Unit: George Washington Birthplace National Monument
Path to 428+: 12
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Month/Year: April 2018
