From
the Research Triangle we drove straight north following a series of small highways
towards Charlottesville, VA, a city not much unlike Greenville. Also located in
the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Charlottesville is older than
Greenville but has a smaller population (established in 1762 and according to
the 2010 census the population is 43,475). Home to two U.S. presidents, Thomas
Jefferson and James Monroe, it was Monticello that brought us to
Charlottesville on this particular Friday.
Having
inherited the land from his father, Jefferson started building Monticello at
the age of 26, working on and expanding the home becoming a life-long project.
The exterior is instantly recognizable and can be seen reflected in dozens of
homes in the area as a brick façade adorned by columns and an octagonal dome.
Influenced by Italian Renaissance architecture, it includes traditional 18th
century elements as well as multiple elements of Jefferson’s design. Many of
these are still on display today, such as the Great Clock in the entrance hall
that told not only time but also the day of the week simultaneously to the
interior and exterior of the house. With an enormous face so that workers could
read it from afar, it also had a gong that could be heard three miles away.
The
entrance hall was used by Jefferson to display items of science, the parlor
behind it the base for the dome. The room under the dome, with yellow octagonal
walls, a green wooden floor and a circular window in each wall functioned as an
apartment, but it isn’t included on the house tour due to fire regulations. In
fact, there is no photography allowed on the tour (included in the Monticello
day pass and house tour which comes with the price tag of $25/adult and
$8/child during the months of March to October). If you just want to see the
house, tour the grounds and see the basement exhibits you can purchase a day
pass (excludes the house tour) for half that. If you do decide to take the
house tour, buy your ticket online to select a time convenient to you and
ensure the day’s last tour hasn’t sold out, as the 30 minute tour has a maximum
of 25 people. Also be sure to get to Monticello a good half an hour before your
tour as you’ll need the time to park, walk to the welcome area and take a
shuttle up the mountain.
As we
arrived later in the day we were able to park close to the Visitor Center where
we purchased tickets and hopped on the shuttle bus. There is a trail that climbs
the ½ mile up to the house, but we elected to experience that on our way out
(downhill!) after exploring the gardens. The shuttle approaches Monticello from
the east, the first glimpse of the majestic home being of the East Portico. As
there are dozens of online architectural resources that do a great job of
describing the interior of the home and its unique features (of which I have no
photos), I’ll continue with our experience on the grounds.
We
explored the cellar passage under the terraces and house where there were
several exhibits on the day-to-day life at Monticello. The beer and wine
cellars, all sorts of storage, the kitchen, smokehouse, dairy, stables and all
the other spaces needed to keep the home operational were hidden from view, but
connected and easily accessible, the walkways on top serving as terraces. The
South Pavilion was actually where Jefferson and his wife lived while the first
Monticello was under construction, and the North Pavilion now houses a shop
where tourists can buy snacks and drinks.
20
oval-shaped flower beds surround the house, and a “flower walk” encircles the
West Lawn. A fish pond was used to keep the catch from the river fresh until
needed for dinner, and the grove behind the lawn featured some of the 160
species of trees documented as having been planted during Jefferson’s life. It
was easy to imagine his grandchildren running across the wide expanse of lawn
while watching my own boys at play…
I was
pleased with our late-in-the-day visit as by 5pm (the estate closes at 6pm) it
had really cleared out other than the tour groups (last one starts at 5:10pm).
We had the West Lawn pretty much to ourselves, and the late afternoon light was
perfect for viewing the home from the western vantage point.
Several
additional tours of the estate are offered including a special “behind the
scenes tour” which does include the iconic yellow room; all the tour options
are found on the Monticello website, along with the interpreter-led walking tours
of the gardens. Thomas Jefferson was an avid gardener and grew many varieties
of plants and vegetables. The three main gardens were for flowers, fruits and
vegetables, and the garden served as a laboratory of sorts, with 330 varieties
of some 99 species of vegetables and herbs grown. Today the garden serves as a
preservation seed bank of 19th century vegetable varieties.
When
it came time to start heading back we headed south toward his gardens, walking
down Mulberry Row where the wooden structures that housed the workers and
craftsmen of Monticello were located more than 200 years ago. Further south
were the vegetable garden, vineyards and the orchard, and autumn was fully
evident here: in the fall crops that were still growing in the garden, in the
crunch of leaves underfoot, and in the colors of the vineyard and orchards.
Having traversed the length of Mulberry Row we entered the Grove, shortly
coming upon the Monticello cemetery.
The
cemetery originated in an agreement between Thomas Jefferson and his friend Dabney
Carr, that they would be buried under an oak tree on the grounds of Monticello.
Carr married Jefferson’s sister, but passed away in 1773 - the first grave on
the site. Jefferson was buried there in 1826, the present monument a larger
version of the marker he himself designed. The base covers the graves of President
Jefferson, his wife, his two daughters and his son-in-law.
Soon
enough we were back the Visitor Center. Within this complex are the ticketing
pavilion and also a gift shop, a theater, a café and various galleries and
educational rooms. A two hour visit is enough for a cursory exploration of
Monticello, but in order to fully experience the tour, the grounds and the
various resources 4 hours would suffice. Autumn is a beautiful time to visit
this historical mountaintop estate, not only because of the seasonal beauty of
the estate, but also due to the fantastic fall foliage in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
While our tour of Monticello was over, another Virginia adventure awaited us the
following day… the Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park.
Great photos, and I'd agree that a late-in-the-day visit in the fall was a wise idea. I visited Monticello on a 4th of July weekend--it was mobbed, in addition to being very hot! But it's definitely worth the visit. Jefferson is my 2nd favorite founding father - after Washington, of course. Others might have a differing opinion. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat was your opinion on the house tour Dziesma, was it worth it?
DeleteIt was quite interesting as far as I recall, though probably mostly due to the fact that TJ himself was such an interesting character, and the guide definitely filled us in on his life at Monticello.
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