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Presidential Homes

Presidential Homes

Virginia was home to eight U.S. Presidents.  On this adventure you will visit Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, James Madison's Montpelier and George Washington's Mount Vernon.  You will also explore our nation's capital Washington, D.C.

  • Program Highlights

    Most American Christian Tours Education Programs doing the Presidential Homes Tour include:

    • United States Capitol Building
    • Supreme Court
    • Library of Congress
    • Night Illumination Tour of the national monuments and memorials (Lincoln, Jefferson, FDR, MLK, World War II, Vietnam and Korean Wars)
    • Smithsonian Museums
    • Arlington National Cemetery
    • Museum of the Bible
    • Dinner at Michie Tavern
    • Thomas Jefferson's Estate Monticello
    • James Madison's Estate Montpelier
    • George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate


    With extended time or an additional day the program may include:

    • The National Archives
    • Ford's Theatre and the Petersen House
    • Additional memorials (Air Force, Iwo Jima, Pentagon)
    • White House Photo Stop
       

    With another additional day the program may include:

    • Full visit of the Holocaust Museum
    • International Spy Museum, evening military program (in season)
    • White House Tour - (dependent on approval of request)
    • National Cathedral Tour
    • White House Photo Stop

  • Climate

    The climate in Virgina where the Presidential Homes tour takes place is very temperate.  Winter is mild and short.  Spring and fall linger with bursts of color in blossoms and changing leaves.  Summer is hot and humid.

     

    Spring temperatures are usually very pleasant with nice breezes and sun - average temperatures are in the 60's.  Rain is always possible. Travelers in February and March should have layers of clothing as it can be cool with the average temperature being in the 40's.

  • Geography

    Carved from south-central Maryland, Washington is bordered on three sides by that state and sits across the Potomac River from Virginia on its fourth side. The District is also divided by the Anacostia River and Rock Creek. One fourth of the District is park land. The city is divided into four quadrants: northeast, northwest, southeast, and southwest.

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    The District has three natural flowing bodies of water: the Potomac River, the Anacostia River, and Rock Creek.  Both Anacostia River and Rock Creek are tributaries of the Potomac.  The famous Tidal Basin is man-made and was developed in the early 1900s.

     

    Monticello and Montpelier are located in west Central Virginia, within the upper Piedmont Plateau, at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

  • Essentials

    Walking along Mulberry Row to the Jefferson Family cemetery and reading Thomas Jefferson's tombstone - seeing what he wanted to be remembered for.
     
    Standing in the library of Montpelier where James Madison spent 36 months studying political history coming up with the Virginia Plan that would provide the framework for the Constitution of the United States.

    Sitting in the large wooden chairs on the portico of Mt. Vernon and enjoying the peaceful view of the Potomac River below.

  • Get Prepared

    WATCH

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    Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Columbia Pictures (1939)

    National Treasure, Touchstone Pictures (2004)

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    READ

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    Article 1, Section 8, Clause 17 of the United States Constitution. This is where the Constitution establishes a district that will later be known as the District of Columbia.

  • Senses

    LISTEN

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    Patriotic marches;
    President's Inaugural Addresses;
    Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s, "I Have a Dream" speech; 
    Marian Anderson singing at the Lincoln Memorial

     

    EAT

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    Washington, D.C. is home to people from all over the world.  Be adventurous and try some ethnic food.

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    Washington is close to the Chesapeake Bay, so there is plenty of good seafood in the area. We recommend the clam chowder at the Fish Market in Alexandria.

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    DRINK

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    A lot of water.

  • In A Word:

    • Monticello - Visionary.
    • Montpelier - Posterity.
    • Mt. Vernon - Humility.
    • Washington, D.C. - Monumental.

  • Surprises

    Thomas Jefferson left public service and retired to his plantation in 1809 along with his daughter Martha Jefferson Randolph and her family that included eleven children.
     
    James Madison struggled with illness and was a slightly built man who stood just 5 feet 4 inches tall and rarely tipped the scales at much more than 100 pounds.  He was America's smallest president.  When he died on June 28, 1836 - six days before the 60th anniversary of the nation's birthday - he was the last surviving signer os the U.S. Constitution.
     
    The cupola of Mt. Vernon is topped with a weathervane in the shape of a dove of peace. George Washington ordered the weathervane with the instructions - “have a bird...with an olive branch in its Mouth...that it will traverse with the wind and therefore may receive the real shape of a bird.”
    The Capitol dome remains the tallest building in Washington, D.C., due to a rule within the building codes. The only exception to this rule is the Washington Monument, but this structure is not considered a building.

  • Included Cities or Destinations

    • Monticello
    • Montpelier
    • Mount Vernon
    • Washington, D.C.
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