Mount Vernon is home to some of the most beautiful and well-preserved 19th century architecture on the East Coast of the United States. The centerpiece of the neighborhood is the area around the Washington Monument which is in the middle of four small parks. The parks, which have survived almost intact, are considered to be the finest existing urban landscapes by the beaux-arts architectural firm of Carrere & Hastings, who also designed the New York Public Library, portions of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., and the residence that houses the Frick Collection. Elsewhere in the neighborhood are many older apartment buildings and three- and four-story rowhouses The historic beaux-arts Belvedere Hotel, opened in 1903, was converted to condominiums in 1991.

On the northeast corner of Washington's monument sits the Mount Vernon United Methodist Church. Conceived as a cathedral of Methodism, it was built on the site of the Charles Howard mansion
- the house in which Francis Scott Key died.

Being close to downtown, Mount Vernon is well-served by public transit. Many area major bus routes head through the neighborhood on their way to the financial district. The Light Rail line runs down Howard Street on the west edge of the neighborhood, and the Metro Subway runs beneath Eutaw Street a block west of that; both have stations within easy walking distance of the neighborhood. Penn Station, served by Amtrak and MARC commuter rail, is also one block to the north past Mount Royal Avenue and over the JFX.

Although mainly residential, Mount Vernon-Belvedere is home to a mix of institutions, including the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University, Walters Art Museum, University of Baltimore, Maryland Historical Society, Maryland Institute College of Art, Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, Baltimore School for the Arts, Lyric Opera House, Center Stage, Enoch Pratt Free Library Central Branch, Contemporary Museum, Spotlighters Theatre, Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute, and Theatre Project.