So, we decided to do something a little different this holiday season. Instead of the usual mall madness or freezing our faces off at a tree lighting, we packed into the car and headed south to Charlottesville for a Holiday Evening Tour at Monticello.
Yes, we went to Thomas Jefferson’s house. At night. 🌙✨
If you’ve only seen Monticello on the back of a nickel, you are missing out. And honestly, even if you’ve toured it during the day, seeing it by candlelight is a whole different vibe.
🚗 The Road Trip (aka “Are we there yet?”)
First off, let’s talk about the drive. It’s a bit of a haul from DC—about 2.5 hours each way if the traffic gods are smiling on you (spoiler: they were mostly chill). We tuned up Audible and listened to a book and cruised through the Virginia countryside.
Once you get off the main highways, it gets dark dark. Like, “no streetlights, just deer staring at you from the woods” dark. But rolling up to the “Little Mountain” (that’s literally what Monticello means in Italian—Tom was fancy like that) seeing the house glowing on the hilltop was totally worth the drive.
🕯️ Jefferson by Candlelight
We booked the special Holiday Evening Tour, which is this rare chance to see the house after hours. The vibe is honestly magical. They don’t use blaring electric lights; instead, it’s dimly lit to simulate what it would have looked like in the 1800s.
The tour focuses on how the holidays were celebrated by everyone on the mountain—both the Jefferson family and the enslaved community who actually built and ran the place. It’s a really intimate look at history that feels less like a lecture and more like stepping back in time.
🕰️ The “Original Tech Bro”
Here is a little history lesson for you: Thomas Jefferson was the 3rd U.S. President and the author of the Declaration of Independence, but honestly? He was also the original tech nerd.
Walking through the house, you realize the guy was obsessed with gadgets.
- The Great Clock: Right in the entrance hall, there’s a clock that tells the day of the week and is powered by cannonball-sized weights. (Fun fact: He miscalculated the wall height, so they had to cut a hole in the floor for the Friday weight to drop into the basement. Classic DIY fail. 🛠️
- The Dumbwaiters: In the dining room, he had these mini-elevators built into the fireplace sides to bring wine up directly from the cellar. He also had a revolving service door so food could appear “magically” without servants entering the room. He loved a dinner party hack.
🪜 The Dome Room Workout
One of the coolest parts of the evening tour is that you often get to go up to the Dome Room.
Warning: The stairs are STEEP and narrow. It’s basically a colonial StairMaster workout. 🥵
But once you’re up there, it’s stunning. It’s this massive yellow room with a crazy oculus window in the ceiling (the “Sky Room”). Historically, nobody really knew what to do with this room—it was too hot in summer and too cold in winter—so it ended up being a storage attic/playroom. But standing there at night looking out the circular windows? 10/10 view.
Bonus quirky detail: Keep an eye out for the “cat holes” cut into the attic doors. Jefferson had a rat problem, and apparently, cats were the pest control solution of choice. 🐈
🎄 Was it worth the drive?
Absolutely. Seeing the house dressed up in simple, fresh greenery (no glittery tinsel here, folks, they keep it historically accurate) was refreshing.
It’s a long night with the drive back to DC, but if you’re a history buff or just want a holiday activity that doesn’t involve shopping, I highly recommend it. Just maybe grab a coffee for the ride home. ☕