It was a little discomforting in some ways. There were lots of people and school groups milling around. The visitors center isn't 18th century at all with its bustle of tickets, shops and galleries. But the tour guide was very well informed even if he was a bit disgusted either with us or the repetitiveness of his job or something.
Monticello was Jefferson's place to experiment on all sorts of things chief among them being the house itself. He built up. He tore down. He tinkered. Even now it has a restless quality to it that reflects Jefferson's curiosity. His true architectural masterpiece is the University of Virginia which is lumped together with Monticello as a UN World Heritage Site.
The grounds around the house are beautiful, full of gardens of all kinds. The inside of the house seemed kind of small. It was after all a private house and not designed for hordes of people.
You need a ticket for the shuttle bus and the house tour but you can wander around the grounds and check out some of the self-guided tours for free if you didn't mind the 10-minute walk up from the visitors center.
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