Guide to Monticello's Historic Areas
The House and Terraces
All tours of the interior of the main Monticello house are guided. During certain months, the house's 'greenhouse' and flanking venetian porches are open for visitors to enjoy. Every angle of the house's exterior has something to admire, and the raised flanking terraces offer sweeping views of the forests to the southeast and choice glimpses of Charlottesville and the University of Virginia to northwest.
Learn more
- During your visit, take one of the guided House Tours, Tours for Children and Their Families, or the Signature Tours.
- Explore online, in the House section of this site or in the Monticello Explorer.
Dependencies
Located beneath the main house and its terraces, the dependenices contain the kitchen, workrooms, storage areas, and slave quarters where members of Monticello's enslaved community tended a variety of domestic tasks. The dependencies are open to anyone with a ticket to tour the house. The kitchen and other select spaces are also included the seasonal guided tours of the Plantation Community, which run hourly April through October and are free to anyone with a ticket to tour the house.
Learn more
- Tours of the Dependencies are self-guided.
- Explore online, by opening the Monticello Explorer or viewing an image gallery of Monticello's dependencies
Gardens
Jefferson considered gardening to be a fine art. The Flower and Vegetable Gardens, the Grove, the Orchards, and the Vineyards at Monticello were a botanic laboratory of ornamental and useful plants from around the world. These gardens are open to anyone with a ticket to tour the house. Free guided tours of the Gardens and Grounds run hourly April through October and are free to anyone with a ticket to tour the house. And we also offer an audio tour of the Monticello Mountaintop, narrated by Sissy Spacek.
Learn more
- During your visit, take one of the optional guided Gardens and Grounds Tours.
- Explore online, in the Gardens section of this site or in the Monticello Explorer
Mulberry Row
Mulberry Row was a center of light industry and housing at Monticello and hummed with activity during Jefferson's day. Today, visitors can walk along its shady path and see the remains of Monticello's Joinery and the foundations of many of the site's original buildings. Mulberry Row is featured in our seasonal guided tours of the Plantation Community, which run hourly April through October and are free to anyone with a ticket to tour the house. Mulberry Row is also featured in our audio tour of the Monticello Mountaintop, narrated by Sissy Spacek.
Learn more
- During your visit, take one of the optional guided Plantation Community Tours.
- Explore online, in the Plantation section of this site or in the Monticello Explorer.
Jefferson's Gravesite - Monticello Cemetery/Graveyard
Jefferson is buried at Monticello along with members of his family and their descendants. His grave is marked by an obelisk inscribed with his own epitaph.
Learn more
- During your visit, stop by the cemetery and read the epitaph Jefferson wrote for himself.
- Explore online, by reading "All my wishes end . . at Monticello" in the Jefferson section of this site and a brief report on the Old Style calendar, or viewing the site in the Monticello Explorer.