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About 10,000 visitors gathered at George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate in Virginia on Presidents Day, celebrating the nation’s first president shortly before what would be his 294th birthday.

A Washington reenactor greeted guests, answered questions and posed for portraits while reflecting on how the first president might have wanted his generation remembered.

“I would say that I would prefer not to be remembered as the man, but I would prefer that my generation and the ideals that we stood for be remembered, because of the things that we have set into motion,” he told visitors Monday.

Doug Bradburn, president and CEO of George Washington’s Mount Vernon, called Presidents Day the estate’s biggest annual occasion.

“It is the Super Bowl here at Mount Vernon, absolutely,” Bradburn said. “This is our big day! And it’s all hands-on deck.”

Guests toured Washington’s newly renovated mansion and viewed weapons from the Revolutionary era alongside more modern artillery brought by the U.S. Army. Reenactors staged demonstrations, while the Army’s Old Guard provided music.

Ken Simmons of Stafford, Virginia, said the military traditions drew his interest, particularly the infantry display and the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps.

Karen Bass visited Mount Vernon while returning home from a tour of Revolutionary War battlefields in the Carolinas. She stopped at Washington’s tomb and described him as the greatest president in American history, agreeing with her son-in-law that Washington’s status as the first set him apart.

“After watching the Ken Burns series … we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for George,” Bass said.

Bradburn said Washington’s humility and willingness to consider different perspectives remain relevant in a world where technology delivers opinions at relentless speed.

“I think he would want people to take a step back and listen to people they disagree with,” Bradburn said.