Monticello and Mitchie Tavern, Charlottesville, Va.

On our way back from Richmond a couple months ago, we stopped by Monticello to stretch our legs. I really enjoyed visiting Thomas Jefferson's old home place and learning about the property.

I wrote and won a DAR award with an essay about Thomas Jefferson in fifth grade, so I sort of hold a special place for him and his home in my heart, as corny as that may sound. It was really cool to visit a place I'd written and read about all those years ago.

Isn't this place gorgeous? It has two large porches extending from each side of it.

Here's the wine cellar and the dumbwaiter used to transport the bottles upstairs:

Here are more photos of the grounds:

Thomas Jefferson's grave.

A big, old tree on the property.

Mulberry Row, where homes of slaves and trades workshops were located.