Experience Monticello

What's Happening

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

A section of the Declaration written inside a profile silhouette of Jefferson's head with his signature superimposed over both along with the words "Our Guy Wrote It" and "Monticello"

250 Years

The Declaration of Independence

The Declaration turns 250 years old in 2026. Get ready for the celebrations by taking another look at this world-changing document.

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.