by Sally O'Quinn

Created on: June 26, 2008

Typical Independence Day trips for American families may include visits to Washington, D.C, Philadelphia, Boston and New York, but for something a little different, let's not forget Monticello, the Virginia home of Thomas Jefferson.

Thomas Jefferson - author of the Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom, third president of the United States, and founder of the University of Virginia - voiced the aspirations of a new America as no other individual of his era. As public official, historian, philosopher, and plantation owner, he served his country for over five decades. He died, interestingly enough, on July 4, 1826, fifty years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Yet some of his happiest and most productive times were spent on the grounds of Monticello, the estate he began building when he was 26 years old.

Today's visitor can tour Monticello year-round, but the Fourth of July is an especially exciting time to visit when the estate hosts the 46th annual Independence Day Celebration and Naturalization Ceremony. Since 1963, approximately 3,000 individuals have been sworn in as American citizens on Independence Day at Monticello in proceedings presided over by the U.S. District Court, Western District of Virginia. This year's event will feature a speech by filmmaker Ken Burns, creator of numerous PBS specials on the Civil War, Baseball, Mark Twain and Lewis and Clark. Through the years, Burns' films also have addressed Jefferson and his legacy. In 1997, Burns produced Thomas Jefferson, a three-hour film exploring the contradictions of the third president. The list of past July 4 speakers at Monticello includes President Gerald Ford (1976), astronomer Carl Sagan (1992), historian David McCullough (1994), Gen. Colin L. Powell (1997), and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright (2000). Last year's speaker was the noted actor Sam Waterston.

Tours on the property cover the house, gardens and plantation community. Admission to the House Tour is $15 for adults, $8 for children 6-11 and children under 6 are admitted free. These prices include access to the grounds and two optional outdoor guided tours, of the Plantation Community and of the Gardens and Grounds, which are offered daily April-October.

The House Tour lasts about 30 minutes and covers the rooms on Monticello's first floor only, since fire codes do not permit visitors on the upper floor. From the Entrance Hall, with its balcony connecting two mezzanine-level

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