Day 3 - Monticello

Noah had another rough night but, since Friday would be the last day of our trip, we decided to push on!
Our only stop of the day - Thomas Jefferson's home, the beautiful Monticello. We hung out with Jefferson for a few minutes before taking the shuttle up to his home.

I was determined to get in a few pictures today.

We were in awe of the scenery around us! Jefferson certainly picked a gorgeous spot on which to build his plantation home.

Noah was still struggling a bit and needed to sit down and rest a lot throughout the day.

The East Front view...

and the West Front view.

Who knew that Monticello during Spring Break would be the next Disneyland? There were gobs and gobs of people there! To top that, the Monticello powers that be had decided to open the house to all rather than give guided tours. Sounds great, right? The freedom to wander Jefferson's home at one's leisure, taking in all the amazing architecture, furnishings (60% of which are original to Jefferson), decor and objects of each room. However, there were so many people crammed everywhere that we could barely move anywhere! Noah started feeling really ill so I quickly took him outside to find a bathroom while David, Savannah, and Xander battled it out with the other visitors in the house. After spending enough time in the bathroom to make me so nervous I almost busted in to see if he was still there, Noah emerged feeling much better. I'm sure the fresh air and sunshine was a big help as well. There were all kinds of activities going on outside so Noah tried his hand at some calligraphy and was joined by Savannah and Xander when they finally came out.

Next we checked out the ice house where Xander made sure to get as close a look as he could, ha ha;

a privy;

and other cool displays and rooms.

The weather was perfect so we spent a lot of time outside, admiring the garden, the flowers, and the hills around us.

We also spent time learning about the industry and housing of Mulberry Row which was the center of activity at Monticello.

A few more pictures of this stunning house!

Made it in another one!

And more pictures of the beauty surrounding us.

While Xander spent time at some of the archaeological stations around the grounds...

the rest of us relaxed on the lawn. This picture of my Union soldier with a piece of grass in his mouth, taking a snooze on the lawn at one of our Founding Father's homes, might be one of my favorite pictures ever!

Savannah kept giggling at Xander hanging out with a grandma though obviously he wasn't. Sisters! I was proud that he was out there learning!

Another wonderful stop on the Adventures of the History Nerds Family!

As we headed for the trail back to the Visitors Center, we passed the Monticello Graveyard where Thomas Jefferson and others of his family are buried.

The day before our visit had been Thomas Jefferson's birthday and there was a flower wreath from President Trump displayed.

After Monticello we headed home so we could get Savannah to her soccer tournament the next day. What an amazing Spring Break! Noah was such a trooper and the kids all said they had a great time. I know I did!