virtual tour of monticello

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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Virtual Tours of Monticello

Thomas Jefferson Foundation | Apr 23, 2021

Virtual Tours of Monticello offers teachers and students different tour options, including 360-degree unguided tours, Google street view unguided tours, and virtual field trips (by arrangement). Unguided tours feature video supplements to help viewers understand what they are seeing on screen. Site users can also access past livestreams and Q&A sessions. 

Tags: North America United States Lesson Plans Short Video Virtual Field Trip Software Tools African American Cultural Digital Methods Environmental Food & Foodways Labor Material Culture Medicine, Science, & Technology Political Public Social State & Local (US) Visual Culture Women, Gender, & Sexuality 1600-1800 1800-1900

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In This Section

Encyclopedia Virginia, Virginia Humanities

Virtual Tour of Monticello

This is a virtual tour of Monticello, the Albemarle County plantation home of Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States. Designed by Jefferson, who was deeply influenced by the architecture of ancient Rome, Renaissance Italy, and contemporary France, the house was constructed and renovated over the course of four decades, from 1769 until 1809.

• Hiring Out of the Enslaved
• Nicholas Philip Trist (1800–1874)
• Sound in Jefferson’s Virginia
• Thomas Mann Randolph (1768–1828)
• Wilson Cary Nicholas (1761–1820)
• Henry Martin (1826–1915)
• Jack Jouett’s Ride (1781)
• Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)
• Jefferson, Thomas and Gardening
• Thomas Jefferson and His Family

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Indigenous Acknowledgment

Virginia Humanities acknowledges the Monacan Nation , the original people of the land and waters of our home in Charlottesville, Virginia.

We invite you to learn more about Indians in Virginia in our Encyclopedia Virginia .

Thomas Jefferson's Monticello

• House & Gardens
• Rooms & Furnishings

Entrance Hall

Guests entered the Entrance Hall when arriving 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. Showcasing the objects in this room 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 state.

Virtual tours of this room

• 360º panoramic tour
• Google Street View

This room is included in all tours  of Monticello.

Furnishings of Note

The Great Clock in the Entrance Hall is one of most memorable features of Monticello.

The room held many maps of the world including one of Virginia as surveyed by Jefferson's father, Peter Jefferson, and Joshua Fry.

Busts of prominent figures such as Alexander Hamilton and Voltaire were placed here.

To accommodate many visitors, the room contained up to twenty-eight chairs.

Art on display included eleven copies of Old Masters paintings.

Indian artifacts numbered at least forty, including pipes, clothing, domestic objects, and a Mandan buffalo robe depicting a battle scene.

The Declaration of Independence was celebrated with the display of two engravings, one showing John Trumbull's famous depiction of the signing, and the other John Binn's embellished print of the text.

The room held natural history specimens such as antlers and bones.

Restoring Composition Ornament on Monticello’s Entrance Hall Fireplace Mantel Frieze

Entrance Hall Fun Facts: American vs. European Superiority

Related encyclopedia articles.

• Alexander Hamilton Bust (Sculpture)
• Mapa Geografico De America Meridional (1799)
• Ariadne (Sculpture)
• Map of Africa (1802)
• Map of Asia (1801)
• Declaration of Independence by Binns (Engraving)
• Map of Europe (1798)
• Declaration of Independence by Trumbull (Engraving)
• Map of the United States of North America (1802)
• Elk Antlers
• Marble Top Tripod Table
• Folding Ladder
• Marble Trestle Table
• Fry-Jefferson Map of Virginia
• Moose Antlers
• Great Clock
• Model of the Pyramid of Cheops
• Hanging Brass Argand Lamp
• Saint Jerome in Meditation (Painting)
• Thomas Jefferson by Gilbert Stuart (Painting)
• Bust of Turgot
• Jesus in the Praetorium (Painting)
• Upper Jawbone of Mastodon
• Bust of Voltaire
• Young Chief of Sack Nation (Painting)
• The Entrance Hall

Strange Furniture

"You enter, by a glass folding-door, into a hall which reminds you of Fielding's 'Man of the Mountain' by the strange furniture of its walls." --George Ticknor, February 7, 1815

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

Monticello is Now Doing Live Zoom Virtual Tours

The next best thing to being at Monticello is to experience their new Zoom-based live tour. We did and found ourselves virtually thrilled!

On a balmy afternoon, our talented guide Ashley Hollinshead welcomes our group of a half-dozen socially-isolated visitors (conceivably from the comfort of our separate living rooms) at Monticello’s front steps to orient us for a 60-minute tour. As we stare into our laptops, Ashley announces that we are about to embark on a famous house tour, what in Jefferson’s own time, became America’s first museum.

Monticello is “a place of stories,” she says, and it’s time to buckle-up! Then she turns up the steps and through the front door and into the great hall where the audio and video sustain us, even with an iffy internet connection.

Just like in the real world, we linger in each room, hear exquisite details of Monticello’s interior, and are invited to ask questions, creating the kind of shared experience that gives you goosebumps you can’t get when you’re alone! Ashley continues to Jefferson’s private suite and on to the parlor and dining room. Along the way, she tells numerous stories of the sage and his life on “the little mountain,” frequently pausing to ask if we have questions. More goosebumps. Ashley has turned the table, and now we can be the real speaker.

Remarkably, she next leads us outdoors, replete on this sunny day with panoramic views of Virginia bursting into spring. Past the east range and Mulberry Row and onto the majestic view of the domed rotunda from the West Lawn. In our moment of social isolation, this is a fabulous experience full of the stories and ideas unique to Jefferson’s Monticello community, accessible from home.

While Monticello is closed at least until April 23, their live tours are available several times a day, with separate options for adults and families. You have to make a reservation and the charge is $10 per connection.

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Monticello: Live Virtual Tours

Contributor : Margaret Hancock

As we continue to practice social distancing and avoid large groups, we cultural minds must identify new outlets for engagement and education. Monticello recently launched a live virtual tour that meets these needs through an hour-long look into the lifestyle, influences, stories, and, of course, architecture of Thomas Jefferson and his “ little mountain ” home in Charlottesville.  

Tour-goers buy tickets online, connect via Zoom at the selected start time, and follow a Monticello tour guide live-time. The red ropes are removed, the crowds are gone, and the camera is both zooming into all of the unique architectural features and out across the vast mountaintop panorama for a visitor experience like no other. The best part is that the session is not previously recorded, but an interactive experience with opportunities for questions and requests. “Can I see that Italianate detail again?” Yes, you can.

$10 per connection

Schedule your live tour here

• 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!