thomas jefferson monticello virtual tour

A Virtual Tour of Thomas Jefferson's Monticello

By Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello

Thomas Jefferson's Monticello Monticello was the home of Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence and 3rd president of the United States of America. The revolutionary ideas of this man of the Enlightenment were instrumental in the creation of the United States. His home in Charlottesville, Virginia, is an architectural icon, with its neoclassical design drafted by Jefferson himself. But Monticello was also a working plantation, and the home to hundreds of enslaved people. The Founding Father who wrote “all men are created equal” was also a lifelong slave owner. On this field trip, students will learn about Thomas Jefferson’s world, including his political accomplishments, Monticello - the house and plantation, and the enslaved men, women, and children, who made his lifestyle possible.

Entrance Hall Guests entered the Entrance Hall upon arrival at Monticello. This room highlighted Jefferson’s wide-ranging interests and dedication to learning about the world around him. In this room, visitors viewed artifacts of American natural history, western civilization, and American Indian cultures while they waited for a chance to greet the former President. This museum of sorts demonstrated Jefferson’s belief that “knowledge is power, knowledge is safety… knowledge is happiness,” and that knowledge should be shared among the people in a democratic society.

Family Sitting Room Jefferson’s adult daughter Martha Jefferson Randolph used this room as a sitting room and a place to manage the work of enslaved domestic servants. Martha and her husband, Thomas Mann Randolph, had 12 children, many of whom lived at Monticello during Jefferson’s retirement years. Enslaved families also lived at Monticello. As a 5,000 acre plantation, around 130 enslaved men, women, and children lived at Monticello at any given time. About 15 slaves worked in the house as domestic workers.

Library Jefferson reorganized his private suite of rooms after he sold his vast personal collection of books, maps and pamphlets to Congress in 1815. Jefferson referred to this room as the Library thereafter, and here he likely received incoming mail, stored books and scientific apparatus, and designed the University of Virginia — which he called “the hobby of my old age” — at his French architect’s table. Among the special surviving Jefferson possessions are an astronomical tall case clock, chairs from New York and Paris, and an octagonal table.

Cabinet In his Cabinet, Jefferson answered thousands of letters, recorded the weather and managed his plantations. The refurnished Cabinet, featuring many original possessions and a documented green color scheme, conveys Jefferson’s highly functional space containing books, papers, works of art, scientific apparatus and the Declaration of Independence. The restoration of Jefferson’s Cabinet was generously supported by David M. Rubenstein and Grady and Lori Durham and family.

Jefferson's Bed Chamber The Bed Chamber is the most private space of an intensely private man. His regimen of rising in the morning and retiring in the evening all took place in this room filled with his most personal possessions, away from visitors and most family. With an eye toward “comfort and convenience,” Jefferson furnished his Chamber with stylish silk curtains, marble-topped tables and upholstered armchairs from his house in Paris. These imported furnishings mixed well with the Virginia-made bureau his wife used during their marriage and furniture made at Monticello. It was in the Alcove Bed in this room where Jefferson spent his last hours, passing away on July 4, 1826, 50 years after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.

Parlor The Parlor was the center of social life at Monticello. Family and friends would gather here for games, music, and conversation, and it was the site of weddings, dances, and other important events. It held most of Jefferson’s art collection, including portraits of many people whom he admired or considered noteworthy.

Dining Room In the Dining Room, Jefferson, his family and many guests took meals twice a day. Common to the time, Jefferson used folding tables so that after meal were finished, the room could be used to entertain. The Dining Room connects to the Tea Room through double pocket doors. Enslaved butlers waited on Jefferson’s family and guests, but Jefferson used gadgets to minimize the number of slaves present, among them a dumbwaiter for wine and a revolving food service door (concealed in a niche along the wall).

Tea Room The Tea Room served as a place for overflow seating during meals as well as a reading and writing area for the Jefferson family. The westernmost, and coldest, room in the house, the Tea Room at one time had a stove in the semi-circular niche. Jefferson referred to the Tea Room as his “most honorable suite” because in it he displayed many likenesses of American heroes and friends.

Madison Room James and Dolley Madison used this guest bedroom so often that Jefferson’s grandchildren simply called it “Mr. Madison’s Room.” The Madison’s home, Montpelier, is located about 30 miles north of Monticello, a distance that required an entire day of travel. Guests tended to make the most of their stay when travel took so long, and the Madisons’ visits often lasted several weeks or even a month.

Dome Room The dome on Monticello is visible on the back of the US 5¢ coin. Two flights of very steep and narrow stairs lead to the rooms on Monticello’s third floor. The use of the Dome Room is not known with certainty; at times it served as a bedroom for a married grandson, as a storeroom, and probably as a playroom for the grandchildren

Mulberry Row The dynamic industrial hub of Jefferson’s 5,000-acre agricultural enterprise, Mulberry Row contained more than 20 dwellings, workshops, and storehouses between 1770 and the sale of Monticello in 1831. As the principal plantation street, it was the center of work and domestic life for dozens of people. While many free whites, free blacks, and indentured servants lived and worked on Mulberry Row – the vast majority of the people who lived at Monticello were enslaved African Americans.

West Lawn Monticello's West Lawn, which features the "Nickel View" of the house, is an icon of American landscapes. The winding walk defines the perimeter of the leveled, oval-shaped West Lawn. The earliest images of the West Front of Monticello reveal a weedy, disheveled surface. The lawn was probably scythed once or twice a year and its appearance inevitably reflected the pre-lawn mower technology of the early nineteenth century.

Vegetable Garden The vegetable garden evolved over many years. Cultivation of crops started along the contours of the slope in 1770. Terracing was introduced in 1806, and by 1812, gardening activity was at its peak. Slaves hewed the 1,000-foot-long terrace, or garden plateau, from the side of the mountain, buttressed by a massive stone wall that stood over twelve feet in its highest section. Jefferson grew roughly 330 vegetable varieties in this garden.

A Nation Divided: The Election of 1800

Thomas jefferson foundation at monticello, thomas jefferson: establishing a new order of things.

• Encyclopedia Virginia

Virtual Tour of Monticello

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• Lesson Plans
• Educator Opportunities

Student Activities

Digital education programs at monticello, would you like to talk to monticello educators in person about thomas jefferson and monticello now you can with our digital education programs.

We offer two different digital education programs for your K-12 students. Check out the program descriptions and email us at [email protected] with any questions!

Live Virtual Tour   

On this hour-long virtual tour, a Monticello guide will lead your students in real-time through the first floor of Thomas Jefferson’s mountaintop home. Learn about Thomas Jefferson and his ideas that helped shape a nation, Monticello as an architectural icon and the stories of the free and enslaved people who lived and labored on this plantation.    

Pricing : This one-hour tour is $20 and exclusively uses Zoom to connect. The cost of this program is waived for Title I schools.  

Availability: We offer Live Virtual Tours on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the school year.

Book a Live Virtual Tour online here or email us to schedule!

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Digital Learning Experience (formerly called Electronic Field Trips)   

On this 45-minute FREE digital learning experience, students will work with a Monticello guide to examine different sources like documents, images, videos, and our 360° virtual tour to explore the history of Monticello. Learn about Thomas Jefferson and his ideas that helped shape a nation, Monticello as an architectural icon and the stories of the free and enslaved people who lived and labored on this plantation.    

Pricing : This 45 minute program is free!

Availability: We offer Digital Learning Experiences on Wednesdays during the school year.  

Book a Digital Learning Experience online here or email us to schedule!

Thomas Jefferson's Monticello

This is Monticello

Home of the author of the Declaration of Independence . A  World Heritage Site ,  historic house and plantation , museum , research institute ,  presidential library,  and private, non-profit organization .

Experience Monticello

October 24 on the West Lawn

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Join us for an evening with "New York Times" columnist Jamelle Bouie and Princeton professor Dame Linda Colley.

Pursuits of Knowledge

Kalela williams: tangleroot.

Join us Oct. 29 for a conversation with the author and “discover the truth that a whole town buried” in Kalela Williams’ young adult fiction book on Black history and heritage.

Iconic images and breathtaking vistas

The best views at monticello.

From the "nickel view" of the main house to Jefferson's favorite outdoor reading spot.

Declaration of Independence

See a rare engraving of the Declaration and learn more about how it went from the tip of Jefferson's quill to an international icon of democracy.

What's Happening

Step into the fascinating and complex world of Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s mountaintop home and plantation.

Fall at Monticello

From changing leaves to engaging events, there’s so much to experience at Monticello in autumn.

Gallery Talks

Select Fridays, Aug - Nov

Our new series of monthly conversations with authors

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

Thomas jefferson.

Get to know Thomas Jefferson—author of the Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom, third president of the United States, and founder of the University of Virginia.

An Architectural Icon

The house and gardens.

Monticello is the autobiographical masterpiece of Thomas Jefferson—designed and redesigned and built and rebuilt for more than forty years. Its gardens were a botanic showpiece, a source of food, and an experimental laboratory of ornamental and useful plants from around the world.

Slavery at Monticello

Thomas Jefferson enslaved over six hundred people throughout his life. Learn about the men, women, and children who lived and labored on this plantation.

ADDRESS: 931 Thomas Jefferson Parkway Charlottesville, VA 22902 GENERAL INFORMATION: (434) 984-9800

Virtual Tour: Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello

Aside from George Washington himself, Thomas Jefferson looms large as perhaps the most pivotal of the United States’ Founding Fathers. As author of the Declaration of Independence and the nation’s third president, Jefferson’s influence reverberated through generations of Americans. He’s also a key figure in French history , serving as the second U.S. Minister to France, succeeding Benjamin Franklin and consulting with the Marquis de Lafayette during the early days of the French Revolution.

The influence of French art, architecture, and culture is felt when visiting Monticello, his historic home in Virginia. Some highlights of the virtual tours include:

The Parlor – The main room of the home, where Jefferson hosted social occasions and gatherings, would be right at home in late 18 th century France, from the parquet flooring to the bust of Napoleon.

The Dome – Among the most noteworthy French influences in Monticello is the large domed ceiling on the third floor. Historians agree that the dome was modeled after the dome at the Halle aux Ble, a Parisian grain market Jefferson visited during his time as Minister to France.

The Bedchamber – Jefferson’s private bedchamber includes some of the most striking examples of French influences, from the silk damask bedcurtains he purchased in Paris to the skylight modeled after those he had seen in his rooms as a Minister to France.

With both paid and self-guided options, a virtual tour of Monticello will offer extensive and intriguing insight into the giant of both American and French history.

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