Celebrate Independence
Acclaimed Filmmaker Ken Burns at Monticello on July 4
Ken Burns gave the keynote address at Monticello's 63rd annual Independence Day Celebration and Naturalization Ceremony.
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Monticello Launches Declaration Book Club
This engaging three-part reading and discussion tool kit is designed for learners of all ages to delve into the enduring principles of the Declaration of Independence and their relevance today.
New Tour
Monticello Announces New Founding Friends, Founding Foes Tour
New tour starting May 23 will explore the friendship and conflict between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams that shaped our nation’s founding.
Events
Celebrate America's 250th Birthday at Monticello
Join us in 2025 and 2026 for an array of special tours, engaging programs, and family activities that celebrate American independence and honor the fight for equality and freedom.
On Display
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.
July
Summer at Monticello
See What's Happening this Summer
Pursuits of Knowledge
Join us this fall for a monthly program with authors, scholars, and historic interpreters
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.