Our Monticello Trip
I'm a little slow at getting these up, I know!
We've been studying the U.S. Presidents this year, and when we read about Thomas Jefferson, the kids became really fascinated with his Virgina home, Monticello. Since we live not terribly far from there, I thought it would be fun to go take a tour and make an overnight trip of it.
And the kids thought so too...they were all very excited when we told them about our trip plans.
So, we drove to Charlottesville one Sunday after church.
These are the requisite though-the-van-windshield pictures.
I really like the challenge of trying to produce a passable photo while riding in a moving vehicle.
We stayed in a hotel that belongs to the chain where my brother works. They offer a really great friends and family discount, which means we can usually snag a hotel room for $39.
The kids felt the most important hotel feature was the pool. We went swimming that night.
And after breakfast the next morning.
And then we cleaned ourselves up and headed off to see what we had come to see.
Don't you just love brick? It's so classic and timeless.
Monticello has so much detail...this is the underside of the roof overhang. Can you imagine how long it took to make those designs back in the days before power tools?
We took a tour of the inside of Monticello but sadly, photos are not allowed inside the house. Boo.
However, outdoors and all the out-buildings/under-buildings are fair game.
The kitchen was really interesting. This was a fancy stove set-up back then...each of those basins is for a small fire, which gave the cooks the ability to have different heat levels for each pot.
Do you ever wonder how anyone turned out a decent meal when fire was the only way to cook things?
This is the back side of Monticello.
I made the kids sit there for a photo, even though the light was terrible.
Hmm. I just now noticed that Lisey chose a pair of jeans with holes in both knees. This is what happens when you let your children pack for themselves...they leave the non-holey jeans at home.
This is what you see from that seat. Not too shabby, huh? Even in January, it's pretty breathtaking.
Sonia says when she grows up, she's going to rent Monticello for 100 years.
If only.
It's pretty cool that you can walk around in Thomas Jefferson's yard. I'm sure his granddaughters ran around just like Zoe did.
When we had seen all there was to see, we hopped back on the shuttle that takes you up and down the mountain.
I did sneak in one last picture.
Down at the visitor's center, they have a great exhibit for kids. It's a space with replicas of a lot of the neat features of Monticello, but since they're replicas, you can touch them and play with them (whereas in the real house, everything is off-limits).
We tried out his polygraph machine.
There are Jefferson quotes on the wall, and I thought any of you gardeners out there would like this one.
This was the most interesting quote of the bunch, I thought. I wonder what Jefferson would think if he could see the lack of vacant land in our country.
Oh, I and I loved this list of his:
Though his counsel about money is wise, unfortunately he was no good at following it. He was always in terrible financial shape!
Monticello isn't a particularly cheap attraction (I think we paid $67 or so altogether), although it is less expensive if you go off-season. And since we squeezed in our trip before Zoe's birthday, she was free (5 and under get in at no cost).
I think it was worth it, though. Making it an overnight trip seriously upped the fun factor for the kids, and I think that seeing Monticello in person will definitely help them to remember what we've learned about Thomas Jefferson. Visiting his home and taking the tour really makes him seem more like a real person than just a figure in a history book.
Also, I was inspired by Jefferson's habit of placing mirrors opposite windows so as to maximize the natural light, and I've been thinking about how I can do that ever since we got home.
If you happen to find yourself in the Charlottesville area, I definitely recommend making room for Monticello on your itinerary, especially if you love early American history.
Gorgeous.
Neat!
I'm curious, though. Was the typo (it's culture) a Thomas Jefferson original, or did it come later?
It wouldn't have been incorrect in Jefferson's time, as Webster didn't even publish his first grammar until 1806. Before that, American English was not standardized and I see it's show up often, even in the Declaration of Independence. Today we have grammar rules that say that we can only use it's in place of it-is, but during Jefferson's time, I suspect no such rule existed. Actually, it might even be that Jefferson's use of it's in the Declaration of Independence is what pushed Webster and others to create the grammar rule that we have today. But I suspect no one really knows.
But my point is, you cannot apply grammar rules from today to Jefferson. Probably much of the rules were developed around and based on his and other founding fathers writings.
"Can you imagine how long it took to make those designs back in the days before power tools?"
I believe they made reusable molds. But it's startling how different the choices we make are, when imputs are priced differently. Then, labor was cheap and tools (i.e., captial) were expensive. Now tools are cheap and labor is expensive. For example, Dorothy Sayers remarked that she never though she'd be so rich as to afford a car or so poor as to not have servants. (Now you can have an economics lesson to go with your history lesson.)
That's such an interesting quote! I'm fascinated by changes in the standard of living over time.
I loved our trip to Monticello. That was about 18 years ago though. Our son was in a carrier on my husband's back and threw his pacifier into one of the rooms that had the velvet rope. My hubby snuck over and grabbed it but they caught it on camera and asked him not to do that again. Oops. 😉
That is so cool! I hope to take my kids on road trips more in the future (I'm expecting #4 right now so no travel for me). I love our homeschool fieldtrips that we do locally, also. Now that my oldest is getting to the point where we need to start including some history, we'll want her to see important places like this. Can't wait.
Ah, C'ville. I lived there for a while. It's so pretty.
I also like that all the girls have matching coats. 🙂
Mr. FG shaved his beard, I like it!
Feng Shui states that if you place a mirror opposite a window, it will cause good luck to bounce away. Not that I believe in feng shui... 🙂
We added some mirrors to our very narrow hallway. It definitely grants depth and light. (But mirrors facing mirrors still creep me out a bit, so we didn't go THAT deep!)
Great post Kristen! I love the picture of the kids out back. What a fun trip to take as a family 🙂
My husband shares Mr. Jefferson's birthday, April 13 and he was always our favorite president...until we learned some unsavory things about him. Not only did Mr. Jefferson die in severe debt, he never paid for the thousands of dollars worth of furniture he brought over from France when he was ambassador. He pretty much stole it! Guess politicians were no better back then than they are now. ~sigh~
That gives a new perspective on his giant, beautiful home. Which would you rather... a modest home within your means, or a giant, beautiful one that stresses you out because you can't really afford it?
I wouldn't assume those stories are correct. Much of what is being taught about Jefferson in history these days is outright lies. There was a book/pamphlet written about him by when he was running for president that was full of propaganda and lies to discredit him and give favor to his opponent. I read a story about that pamphlet and how modern history assumes it to be correct, or possibly people use it knowing it is untrue. I might have read that in the book "The Jefferson Lies". I'm not saying that the story it is not true, but it seems odd that a company would give Jefferson the furniture without having paid for it. But maybe they did.
Love the multi-temp stove! I have friends who speak fondly of their wood cookstoves from homesteading days, so I think it's all in what you're used to. One swears her electric oven doesn't do nearly as nice a job at baking bread as her wood stove did.
Hay what about the size of the rooms in the place. I always thought Mont. was supposed to be a mansion. When we visited I was really surprised at the smallness of the rooms. That really floored me. Did you go down into the garden area. I think this is the one. Someone is buried there. Really great history there. Also the farm animals were there. Then there is a dock. But at our age we were lucky to just walk the flat areas. It is a beautiful home and real interesting also.
Well, for back then, it was quite a mansion. 🙂
I was also going to ask if you got to walk down into the cemetery area where Jefferson and many members of his family, right up until recent years, are buried. And we also walked through a garden area that sold old time plants (I want to call them antique varieties, but I know that is not the word they use for it.) Maybe these areas are closed in the wintertime.
Loved the pictures, esp of the kitchen...We talked about Thomas Jefferson yesterday at homeschool coop, so it fit right in!
If you and your family are ever back in the area, and haven't already done so, I highly recommend checking out the University of Virginia as a whole, but especially the Rotunda (don't forget when you get to the top floor, stand in the middle and look up and also watch those bookcases! ;-)) and Jefferson's Academical Village (selected undergrad and grad students live on the Lawn/Range with professors. The small living quarters don't have A/C and currently the fireplaces are off limits due to structural hazard and no bathrooms are in the rooms, so it's a different experience.) Anyway, it's a lot of fun and I highly recommend it. Edgar Allen Poe's room is also on the Range and it's another little "attraction" to check out. 🙂
I'm glad y'all had a lovely time here in Charlottesville and were able to partake in one of our many historical landmarks and attractions! I enjoy living here and sometimes it's hard to imagine living anywhere else.
Oh, I haven't been there in years and had forgotten what a gorgeous spot it is. Thanks for the reminder.
I loved the one quote by Jefferson.... Nothing is troublesome if we do it willingly. I was thinking in relation to being a mom..... Changing diapers, washing dishes, playing house, getting up at night - none are burdensome or troublesome if I do them willingly! That motivates me to work on my attitude rather than wishing my circumstances were different.
That place is amazing. I've always wanted to visit there and tour not just the house, but also the famous garden and the surround areas. I'm glad that your family had fun and that's a good deal you got on the hotel room, too. Love and hugs from the ocean shores of California, Heather 🙂
After my husband graduated college about 14 years ago, we took a trip up the southeast coast and cut across Virginia to Monticello. It was June, and I still consider it the most beautiful view I've ever seen. On top of that, the gardens were incredible, with giant, gorgeous butterflies floating around all the flowers. It's definitely one of my favorite places I've ever been. I hope you guys will get to visit again during the summer.
Sounds like a wonderful trip for your family! How cool to add education and fun vacation memories into the same trip. 🙂
I always love reading your blog! Thank you so much for sharing!
What a wonderful post! I thoroughly enjoyed 'travelling ' with you, learning more about your country and its history. I love those quotes and rules of Thomas Jefferson too!
great post! i like that you always include so many photos!! sounds and looks like it was a very memorable trip for the whole family and thats priceless! i do have to ask tho.. did you guys eat out or pack food? lol
Thanks for sharing your wonderful trip with us! That's a place on my "bucket list" to visit someday. The pics are gorgeous - it's obvious you all had a great deal of fun - and what a terrific way to teach American history to your children!
I think it is fascinating that neither you nor any of your commenters thus far have mentioned the fact that Thomas Jefferson owned slaves, and that the labor that built and maintained Monticello was slave labor. I find that much more "unsavory" than debt or unpaid-for furniture.
We definitely talked about that when we studied him. Like a lot of the founding fathers, he was really conflicted about it. It was so ingrained in the culture back then, it was almost impossible to imagine life without slavery.
And yes, Monticello could never have been built or maintained without slave labor either. Jefferson would not have had the money to hire the help he needed, so Monticello is what it is at least partially because of Jefferson's slaves.
That's definitely a sad aspect of that home.
Ahaha. If you ever find yourself back there, you should let them know there's a mistake in that gardening quote! It should be 'its culture' not 'it's culture' 🙂 looks like a lovely trip though! x
I was there back in 1987 and I loved it. I particularly liked the bookcase wall. I also went to the family cemetery. Small, but interesting. I went to the visitor's center first and I thought it was a perfect introduction to an amazing man.
I would second the suggestion for a trip to the University of Virginia. It was one of only 3 things Jefferson put on his tombstone. The students do a tour of the Rotunda building and explain how Jefferson designed the campus.
Also nearby is Ash Lawn, James Monroe's home. It's a beautiful drive from Monticello to Ash Lawn.
I have to end with one of my favorite quotes about Jefferson. It is from John F Kennedy, speaking at a dinner of Nobel Prize winners at the White House:
"This is probably the greatest concentration of talent and genius in this house except for perhaps those times when Thomas Jefferson ate alone."
We lived in Charlottesville for 4 years and it was the most lovely place in the world! One thing I remember hearing on the tour (actually it was when we asked questions privately of the tour guide) was the reason why Jefferson was always in debt. Back then they had to pay all their own money for any presidential expenses. Also, I believe he inherited his father or father in law's debt (can't remember which), so a lot of the debt wasn't his fault. It was an interesting part of the tour. The tour guides there are great! so knowledgeable.
We love that particular hotel, we have decided that it will be our hotel every time we drive down to the MD Renaissance Faire. (which is about 6 weekends a year.)
What is the name of the hotel where you stayed? Looks like a good one. We are planning a family trip over Father's Day weekend and places book up. I know this is a 3-years later post about your Monticello trip, ha. That's the cool thing about the internet. This is the first time I'm reading your blog - I'm hooked!
Gosh, I don't remember! I believe it was a Marriott family brand of hotel, and I think I remember them not serving breakfast, so that makes me think it was a Courtyard.
So glad to have you reading!