Monticello – Home of Thomas Jefferson

The morning started out “dreary”, but when we arrived at Monticello, oh what a glorious morning. The fall leaves on the hill sides were beautiful. The tour of Monticello was fascinating. Most of the building is original as Jefferson built it. The design and contents are fascinating. He has a clock in every room, even one on the front porch. He had gadgets and inventions throughout the house to make life more convenient. The house is a beautiful mansion and must have been truly impressive during his day. His beautiful grounds are spectacular with splendid panoramic views.

We also walked past his garden and down to Jefferson’s cemetery located in a grove of trees.  It was very peaceful walking down there.

The group then stopped for lunch at the Michie Tavern and we ate a delicious fried chicken dinner with mashed potatoes, stewed tomatoes, and apple crisp. The stewed tomatoes were really good. The Michie tavern was very popular during Monticello’s day and they moved the building to the foot of the hill near Monticello when they opened Monticello. Michie purchased the tavern from the family of Patrick Henry who is famous for sayin “Give me Liberty or give me Death”. As we were leaving Jonelle and Emma found a baby Copperhead snake (about 6 inches long) on the sidewalk – it provide a bit of excitement as they can be more deadly than adults.

We are on our way to the Smithsonian now.