Day 16 - Monticello

Today, we visited Thomas Jefferson's Monticello.  It's a 5,000 acre plantation on the outskirts of Charlottesville.  Jefferson inherited 3,000 acres from his father and expanded the grounds over time.  So, the history we learned about there actually encompassed Jefferson's entire life.  This was nice for the kids, because in addition to seeing the structures and learning about Jefferson's public service, they also got to relate to him as a child, hearing some stories about his youth on the farm.  Monticello is a unique structure that he designed as a self taught architect and then redesigned/added on to after an extended stint as the U.S. minister to France.  

We went on a special tour for kids that was guided by a man named, Charles, who was excellent at relating to the kids.  He carried bags of gadgets and items in each room that the kids had an opportunity to have hands on experiences with.  (OK, so the adults tried them too.)  

The place was extremely interesting.  Jefferson had so many gadgets he invented in order to save time.  For instance, he created a lazy suzan type book holder that allowed him to have up to five books open at once.  I related it to Chas as having five browser pages open simultaneously.  But really, Chas doesn't need much in the way of help.  Having just studied American history last year during school,  he has become our resource for quick answers to historical questions.  He was the go to guy for the answers to our guide's questions as well.

A few more interesting facts about Monticello and Jefferson that stood out to us:

-Jefferson could read seven languages:  English, French, Spanish, Latin, Italian, Greek and Olde English

-Jefferson had 23 different types of peas in his garden

-Jefferson's garden spanned the equivalent of three football fields

-Monticello was the first home (maybe the first building) in the U.S. to have a rotunda

-Monticello took 40 years to build

-Jefferson spent have of his adult life in public service -- though he preferred his time at Monticello.

The kids have been real troopers about the tours and sightseeing.  It is a lot of fun to see how well-behaved and attentive they have been.  Though, admittedly, it was pretty easy at Monticello -- it is extremely well run with polite and informative staff and lots of newly added hands on activities for the kids.

I think today will be one of the highlights of the trip.

After a full day at Monticello, we drove across the state to Williamsburg.