Monticello, Charlottesville, VA

Monticello was the primary plantation of Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, who began designing and building Monticello at age 26 after inheriting land from his father. Located just outside Charlottesville, Virginia, in the Piedmont region, the plantation was originally 5,000 acres. Due to its architectural and historic significance, the property has been designated a National Historic Landmark. In 1987 Monticello and the nearby University of Virginia, also designed by Jefferson, were together designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The current nickel of the United States features a depiction of Monticello on its reverse side.

We took the guided tour of the interior of the estate. It had some interesting design features such as a wind vein that showed the outside wind direction on a needle inside the home. There was a clock at the front of the house that could be read from the inside or the outside of the home. Inside the weights were used to depict the day of the week. Jefferson designed and built a dumb waiter for delivering wine from the cellar to the dining room. We also learned a lot of history regarding Thomas Jefferson.