A Trip to Mount Vernon & Monticello

Experience the homes of two of our founding fathers, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Join Ernie Kyger, Van Metre's resident Lifestyle Blogger and Resident Historian, while he virtually tours their Virginian homes, Mount Vernon in Alexandria and Monticello in Charlottesville. 

Mount Vernon

• The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, which owns the property, meticulously restored the estate's rooms to look the same way they did upon Washington's death in 1799. 

• Washington's estate was originally 8,000 acres. Currently, the estate has 384 acres, only 160 of which guests can actively explore today. 

• Telling the stories of Mount Vernon's slaves has been part of the estate's core mission since before the 1980s. The Enslaved Life Tour presents the biographies of those who were enslaved on the property. It explores various aspects of their lives, including what day-to-day activities looked like, their family life and more. 

• Several new technologies allow visitors to experience Mount Vernon. The first is a wonderful four-hour audio tour featuring individual devices that you just point to different things around the estate. Visitors can listen to stories from various perspectives, including Washington himself, laborers and slaves, even information from our curators. 

Monticello

• Monticello is an Italian word that means little mountain. And that little mountain is where Thomas Jefferson decided to build his home. Monticello is also the name of Thomas Jefferson's 5,000-acre plantation where hundreds of people—both free and enslaved—lived and labored.

• Jefferson's home was a 40-year construction project, but not because it took 40 years to build the actual house. Thomas Jefferson kept changing his mind. He said that architecture was his delight and that the putting up and pulling down was his favorite amusement. 

• When people visit Monticello, they learn a complete history of the plantation, including the stories of enslaved families like the Grangers, the Gillettes, the Herns, the Hubbards, the Fossetts, and the Hemings. 

• The grounds department works year-round to ensure guests enjoy features like the beautiful flower garden, the walk surrounding Monticello's West Lawn or the 1,000-foot vegetable garden that Jefferson used as his plant laboratory.