George Washington’s Ferry Farm

Such a scam. It’s a complete waste of money. When we left my husband jokingly/​not jokingly said «how do they sleep at night?» They are literally charging you to see a big empty field. What you see from the parking lot is all there is to «see». No need to pay at all. Drive by and you saw it all. We paid $ 20 for 20 mins of time to see where his home once stood. The house isn’t there! They don’t tell you this before you pay! How can they charge to see his home when there’s no home there? The foundation of the house is there – big whoop. They are re building it to what *they think* it looked like. Though we wasted money that day by going, atleast we have the funny memory of that time we were scammed out of 20 bucks to see the empty land where George Washington once lived on instead of actually seeing his childhood home.

For the completist only: If you’re trying to take in every Washington home in Virginia, then I suppose Ferry Farm fits the bill. But, if that’s not you, as they say, there’s nothing to see here, move along. And, certainly, there’s no reason to pay the outlandish (as of ⁷⁄₁₂) $ 8 admission fee. Not that $ 8 is so much money, but, really, all you get for your 32 quarters is access to restrooms and an empty field. Literally, here’s what’s here: A very small visitor center, an even smaller modern garden and a stroll through largely unmarked grounds, a view of a building that proudly proclaims it was built a century after Washington lived here, and a peek at a tarp-​covered excavation site, marking where the Washington’s home actually did stand. There are steps leading to a view of the Rappahanock, but the (free) view from the other side (downtown Fredericksburg) is better. And, there’s a poorly maintained path through the woods — grounds on which young George undoubtedly frolicked, but there’s no description to be had.
The reason I give this ho-​hum attaction the lowest rating possible: With just a little bit of effort, this could be an interesting site. Some signage with historical interpretation, an interesting exhbit or two in the visitor’s center, a «throw a rock across the Rappahanock» challenge, or maybe a Geo-​cache or scavenger game for the kiddies. But, the fine folks running Ferry Farm seem to be interested only in taking your admission money.

George Washington’s childhood home! Well, at least it used to be here. It’s a National Historic Landmark for what should be obvious reasons. But upon actually visiting this site, you might be left wondering about the generosity of the Department of Interior. It turns out, there is nothing left from George Washington’s time on this property — not even the house. In fact, archaeologists only discovered where the house was located last year. There is one freestanding building (viewable from the parking lot) which is thought to be where George learned how to be a surveyor, but it actually dates to the 1860s. The self-​guided walking tour covers several markers which only have numbers on them which are cross-​referenced by an accompanying brochure. Just so you know, George’s boyhood home is number 5. Number 5 sure looks like a blade of grass though. So, yeah, much is left to the imagination. The only highlight is seeing the section of the Rappahannock river where it is thought that George threw a stone across as a young man according to legend. Yes, Rappahannock river, not the Potomac river. And yes, stone, not coin. But again, this has never been substantiated, so it is left to the imagination. Additionally there is a small walking trail, a modern garden, and some photos with quotes in the viewing room of the visitor center. I really wouldn’t recommend driving out of the way to see this. Mount Vernon and the George Washington birthplace are worth seeing in the area though.