In the spirit of doing new things in the New Year and getting off our lazy bums before classes started, Joe, Kalli, and Dave and I visited Monticello this past Monday! For those of you who are interested in doing the tour (and I do recommend it) I also highly recommend waiting until the weather warms up so you can enjoy walking around Mr. Jefferson’s other grounds when they are ripe with tulips undaunted by the nipping mountain breezes.
Anyway, when you arrive at Monticello you pay $17 for an adult ticket (it’s BOGO with student IDs so bring a friend!) and then are told you have 20 minutes to wait until the shuttle takes you up to the plantation. How convenient that a gigantic gift shop awaits you right between the two destinations!
Sacagawea and Jefferson's Treasure Hunter extraordinaire, photo courtesy of Allison Campbell!
Monticello is of course featured on the nickel, but the entrance is the lesser known side of the home. Inside, although you aren’t allowed to photograph, there are dozens of replicas and actual portraits (we got to see his official Presidency portrait that switches off between the Smithsonian and Monticello with replicas!) of the Jefferson family, beautiful antique French clocks adorning every fireplace, and other various items of amusement such as Lewis and Clark expedition findings of pelts and game horns. My favorite thing was the dumbwaiter that slaves used to shuttle wine from the cellar up to the dining room!
My fourth grade teacher Miss Lingerfelt was actually in love with Thomas Jefferson for every genius he became as he dabbled with gardening, book-collecting, mapmaking, other more influential inventions, and of course politics. He surely was a fascinating man (probably on my top 5 list of people to meet when I do get around to making such a registry…) and his home is just lovely. We had a really engaging tour guide who knew everything I had hoped to hear, and he won me over when he mentioned the fact that on Jefferson’s tombstone he wanted to be known as
1) Author of the Declaration of Independence
2) Of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom
3) And Father of the University of Virginia
And so, for three of us at least, we ushered in the last “first day” of undergraduate classes.
P.S. The tourguide only gave us one half of this quote. It’s too epic not to share; Jefferson never would’ve been caught by a forcible fondler unawares!
“A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercises, I advise the gun. While this gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball, and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun therefore be your constant companion of your walks.” -- Thomas Jefferson
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