We did a trip to central Virginia to enjoy the historical sites like Monticello, the wineries, and the outdoor attractions over Memorial Day weekend. We arrived at Monticello at about 9:30 in the morning intending to take an abbreviated tour of the house and gardens on our own to leave for our next destination and be back to our accomodations for noon check-out. We were immediately able to buy our tickets at the ticket counter (very pricey at $15 per adult) and had only a short wait for a shuttle bus to the actual property. Upon arriving there, however, we found out that the tickets were stamped with an assigned time for the house tour and our assigned time wasn't until 10:45, which was too late for us to be able to stay for the 45-60 min tour and still make it back in time for check-out let alone to get to our final destination before then. There was no option to tour the house independently. Judging by the number of people in line for the next tour to leave, we would not have been able to enjoy the tour due to the size of the group and the number of children who seemed too young to derive much benefit from such a tour. (People who got there not much longer after us had tickets for 1:30 pm, with this being only about 10 am by that point.) The grounds are not that impressive and definitely not worth the price of admission let alone the time that you would have to spend touring them waiting for your house tour time to come up. Once we got all of this figured out, we gave up and took the next shuttle bus back down to the parking and ticket booth area. We did manage to speak to a supervisor who agreed to refund the money from our unused tickets although the actual staff person gave us quite a bit of hassle about this despite her supervisor's decison to let us do this. This was a very frustrating end to what had been a very good vacation up until that point. If you do decide to tour Monticello (I think there are equally good and even better historical homes you can see elsewhere in the Southern and Eastern United States for less money), be aware of the amount of time you may need to budget for this attraction to actually get into the house.

We recently visited Monticello and had a wonderful time despite unseasonably cold, rainy weather. The admission price of $15 per adult is reasonable, in my view. The shuttle takes you to the house, where you wait in line (we did not wait long) for your designated time. Our tour guide was very friendly and knowledgeable. The tour was excellent! We learned a lot about the house and Jefferson. The gift shop is also not to be missed. We bought some preserves, two kinds of wine jelly (really tasty!) and a bottle of cider. They also sell seeds to plant in your garden.
Don't miss Jefferson's grave.

An absolute must-see. History, architecture and culture buffs alike will love what Monticello has to offer. The sweeping views and peaceful surroundings are lovely to gaze on as you wait for your guided tour inside the house. For $15.00 a person, you can see Jefferson's home and thus his heart. Jefferson brought more than wine and ideals of liberty back from France: it was the Age of Enlightenment, and his home reflects that great era. Admire the classical exterior architecture and then walk in: the entry with Native American artifacts, the amazing inventions -- a clock and calendar, a copier -- the artwork, such as paintings of John the Baptist and Locke, Galileo and Newton, and the books -- shelves upon shelves of books. And a dumbwaiter to haul wine up from the cellar into his living room: the man was a genius! Most of us don't live lives like this anymore: disciplined, curious, inspired. You must see Monticello to appreciate the inner workings of the man who penned the Declaration of Independence and who wanted to be known -- out of all his accomplishments -- for only three things: the Declaration, the founding of nearby UVA, and establishing VA's statute of religious freedom. Check out the dependencies as well, to see how such an estate was managed. Well worth the money and a reminder of America's rich cultural and historical heritage!

Monticello is a classic educational destination. This was my 3rd time touring this historic and important home. I felt as if they had made the tours shorter and we were rushed through the house. We had five children with us. A couple of the kids had many questions throughout and I felt as if the tour guide was ignoring them because she was in a hurry to get us through the house. It is still a great tour. If I were doing it again, I would call ahead to find out if there are any tours that are more in depth. (I'd be willing to pay more)