The Life of Sally Hemings
Daughter, mother, sister, aunt. Concubine. Negotiator. Liberator. Mystery.
| For | Pricing | When |
|---|---|---|
| All Guests |
$28 ($31 at the ticket office)
1:30 pm, daily, year round
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1:30 pm, daily, year round
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The Hemings family remains one of the best documented enslaved families in the United States. Decades of documentary research, archaeological analysis and oral histories of Hemings descendants provide related narratives of struggle, survival, and family bonds across generations. Their story echoes the history of race and slavery in America.
- Note: this tour is not recommended for children under 12.
This 1-hour, 45-minute, small-group interactive tour explores Monticello using the stories of several members of the Hemings Family. Through their experiences, you will learn about the challenges they faced as they negotiated to maintain family ties and strove for freedom. The tour also highlights how the Hemingses straddled the color line, defying the stark racial dividing lines imposed in American slavery. Guests on tour are encouraged to share their own experiences and perspectives along the way. The tour includes dialogue about race and the legacies of slavery in the United States in a seated small group setting as well as exploration of the site through the lens of the Hemings family; this includes a fair amount of walking over uneven terrain.
Guide to Your Visit
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Monticello is a big, beautiful, thought-provoking place. Leave time to explore it. Most guests spend about 3.5 hours.
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Tour Monticello Video - Tours of the main house are a highlight of any visit to Monticello. But there’s much more to experience.
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A visit starts at the David M. Rubenstein Visitor Center where you'll find exhibits on Jefferson and Monticello, an introductory film, a hands-on discovery room, and food and shopping.
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Our visually-rich introductory film, “Thomas Jefferson’s World,” describes Monticello’s central importance to Jefferson’s life and work, his consequential accomplishments and core ideas about human liberty, and explores Jefferson’s paradox as a slave owner.
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Explore the Wings of the House, including Monticello’s kitchens, cellars, and slave dwellings. Here you will also find exhibits on the life of Sally Hemings and the Getting Word oral history project featuring descendants of Monticello’s enslaved community.
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Explore Mulberry Row, where many enslaved individuals lived and worked, or take a guided Slavery at Monticello Tour (included with admission).
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Enjoy Monticello's gardens on your own, or take one of our seasonal, guided Gardens and Grounds Tours (included with admission).
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Visit the African American burial ground, a final resting place for more than forty of Monticello’s enslaved community. Jefferson enslaved more than four hundred African Americans at Monticello.
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Visit Jefferson's gravestone at the Monticello Cemetery.
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Look for one-of-a-kind gifts at our Shops. The main Shop is in our visitor center, and there's a Farm Shop in the House's North Wing.
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Refuel at the Monticello Farm Table café at our visitor center.
Included in the Hemings Family Tour
Tours and Exhibits
- First-floor tour of the main House, its South Wing and parts of Mulberry Row (about 1.75 hours)
- Guided Slavery at Monticello Tours (offered daily)
- A Dozen Exhibits Around the House Including, "The Life of Sally Hemings"
- Guided Gardens and Grounds Tours (mid-March—October)
- Exhibits and Film at the Visitor Center