Heading up to tour the house. Sadly, pictures were not allowed. There were so many things that I wish I could have taken a picture of, starting with the very unique weather-vane Mr. Jefferson had installed (he recorded weather data daily).
View of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Peony Tulips.
Exploring the kitchen. It was located in the basement.
Headed to Mulberry Row.
A portion of the vegetable garden.
If you look closely you just might see Grace and Emma up there!
Checking out one of the many gardens.
On our way to the Jefferson family graveyard.
One last peek at this remarkable place!
This link explains more about the graveyard and who's buried there.
The wreaths were laid in honor of Thomas Jefferson's 275th birthday.
Paying their respects.
We spent roughly five hours at Monticello and I can safely say that had it not been such a cold wind we easily could have spent at least five more hours there too. The four of us agreed that this place was the highlight of the trip and that we would love to return soon and explore some more!
In addition to the house tour, we also learned about the enslaved people of Monticello (of which there were, over the course of his lifetime, roughly 600). We felt that it was important for us to go on this tour and truly understand about the dark side of Monticello, too. It was interesting to learn that while he was opposed to slavery his beliefs didn't line up with his actions. Some speculate that this is because he felt that he would be abandoning those people who had been at the plantation their whole lives and he didn't want to do that. Upon his death five slaves were freed.
Due to the chilly day we decided to skip the garden tour this time. That is top of our list for our next visit there, along with the "behind the scenes tour" where you get to see the rooms on the second and third floor. xo
In addition to the house tour, we also learned about the enslaved people of Monticello (of which there were, over the course of his lifetime, roughly 600). We felt that it was important for us to go on this tour and truly understand about the dark side of Monticello, too. It was interesting to learn that while he was opposed to slavery his beliefs didn't line up with his actions. Some speculate that this is because he felt that he would be abandoning those people who had been at the plantation their whole lives and he didn't want to do that. Upon his death five slaves were freed.
Due to the chilly day we decided to skip the garden tour this time. That is top of our list for our next visit there, along with the "behind the scenes tour" where you get to see the rooms on the second and third floor. xo
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