The Grounds

Gunston Hall's Grounds

Both the interior and exterior of Gunston Hall demonstrated the Masons’ good taste and refinement. The room arrangement, carvings, wall coverings, and furnishings combined to present a gracious, fashionable home. Visitors to the newly constructed and decorated home had no doubt that the owners were cultured, stylish people.

Outside told a similar story. George Mason shaped and interacted with the land in ways that underlined his status as one of the colony’s (and then state’s) leading planters, thinkers, and political actors. In fact, the landscape is arguably one of the most important extant documents of Mason’s personality and character. Mason self-consciously designed the setting for his home in ways that reflected European ideas of landscape, incorporating principles of perspective, symmetry, and grace. His careful arrangement of trees, walkways, fences, roads, etc. reminded his visitors of his education and leading role in Virginia society.

Picnicking on Gunston Hall's Grounds

Make the Mason home our own and enjoy a picnic lunch on the Gunston Hall grounds.

Gunston Hall’s grounds make the perfect setting for a picnic with your friends or loved ones. Whether you choose a spot underneath the famous oak tree, on our viewing mount overlooking the Potomac River, near the Mason Family Burying Ground, or a cozy spot near the Mason family home, there are beautiful views all over the property. You can enjoy your lunch either before or after your tour of George Mason’s historic home, or if you are not interested in a house tour, you can purchase a grounds pass to use the grounds for your picnic and activities for the entire day.

While you are eating, you may see archaeologists at work, wildlife, and tour groups walking the grounds. Feel free to ask Gunston Hall’s knowledgeable archaeologists and staff members any questions you may have while you are out enjoying the day on the grounds.

What's new on Gunston's Grounds?

Riverside Garden Update: Summer 2026

Despite heatwaves and thunderstorms, our historic garden is thriving and filled with life this summer. Moths, butterflies and bumblebees skip happily from flower to flower, pausing for just a brief moment before moving on. House swallows and bluebirds occupy neighboring birdhouses and get along pretty well, having moved past a lengthy series of property disputes earlier this spring. And our resident groundhog, tentatively named Mason Neck George, is always grateful for a snack or two from the vegetable beds.

Speaking of vegetables, we are currently growing a variety of food crops in the historic garden for use in programs. Some of our more interesting heirloom varieties include round zucchini, bullnose sweet bell peppers, and pattypan squash, just to name a few. One of our most popular annual events, the Cocktails by Candlelight Garden Party, will feature dishes prepared with a variety of fresh, organic produce straight from the garden. In the ornamental beds, beebalm, purple coneflower and rose mallow are among the favorites currently blooming, for both visitors and pollinators, and although they won’t last forever, we have many more to look forward to as the season passes.

Thank you to all of the volunteers who continue to brave the heat each week, and thank you to everyone who supports our work here as we continue to bring the vision of this space into focus.

-Aidan, Gunston Hall Horticulturist

Garden Project Background

Based on The Recollections of John Mason and archaeological evidence, we believe the garden included three terraces on the riverside. The single terrace on view during the 20th and early 21st centuries was a later design feature. Gunston Hall staff, volunteers, and researchers discovered evidence of a central viewing mount, with the three terraces cascading below. The same width as the mansion, the viewing mount provided a spacious area for enjoying vistas of the deer park and the Potomac river.

Archaeological surveying yielded a great deal of information about the structure of the garden. Additional research has contributed to our understanding of the plants that were important to George Mason. Staff are selecting plants for the garden by consulting, also, research into what fruits, vegetables, flowers, and shrubs were available in the 18th century, with concessions made for vegetables that no longer exist as well as selections chosen for sustainability and disease resistance.

The decision to restore Mason’s Riverside Garden was made with a significant amount of planning and research by Gunston Hall staff and volunteers, outside firms and experts, and more. For this project, the team consulted 18th-century gardening texts, as well as the records of other gardens from the region that were constructed during the same time period. Archaeological surveys were also completed to better understand the traces of the garden that were left behind, such as post holes from the fence that enclosed the garden.

Exploring the Grounds

Choose one of three ways to purchase your grounds pass:

Purchase a Pass Online

Use our online ticketing in advance to purchase passes.

At the Visitor Center

Purchase a pass from a staff member in the visitor center.

Become a Member

Consider a membership, for a year’s worth of free general admission and unlimited grounds use.

For a more complete experience, purchase a general admission ticket. General admission tickets include