If you choose to visit Monticello, you have a choice of either taking a bus or walking from the parking lot up the house. Once you reach Monticello, you will wait for a costumed staff member to take you on a tour of the home. It's a very elegant home, and I found it very interesting that Jefferson was such an inventor. I also found the artifacts on display from the Lewis and Clark adventure very interesting.

Once you have finished touring the home, you have an opportunity to tour and walk around the beautiful grounds. This can be done either with, or without, a tour guide. We took a guided tour of the outbuildings and learned a great deal about Jefferson's slaves. Our guide was a seasoned history professor from the University of Virginia who knew his subject well and was very interesting to listen to. I highly recommend making this a stop on your visit.

From a historical perspective, I found it to be very interesting, especially in comparison with Monticello. As one can see from visiting Monticello, President Jefferson felt a large need to keep up appearances when entertaining and spent more than he earned to do so. On the other hand, the Monroe's appear to have lived within their budget, and lived a pretty average life.

When touring Ash Lawn-Highland, you'll see Monroe's home, along with several items that belonged to him and his family. If you're planning on a visit to Monticello and Michie Tavern as well, look into buying a combination ticket at Monticello or Michie Tavern—it's much cheaper in the long run.

If you're trying to save time or money, I wouldn't bother seeing Ash Lawn-Highland; I would see Monticello instead.

In addition, there are staff members who give tours every so often. When you check in at the gift shop, the staff will be able to give you a schedule so that you can be sure to get in on these.

The guides take you to places within the house that you cannot go on your own. When I was there in Spring of 2003, our guide took us upstairs and showed us areas that were being restored. It was amazing to see "historic graffiti." Workmen from many years ago had actually signed their names on a wall before putting wall paper over it. It was interesting to think that even then, they realized that they were working for some very important people to American history.

When you come, plan to spend several hours here. The grounds are beautiful, and we really enjoyed taking the time to walk around the grounds and over to the family cemetery and slave cemetery.

There is so much to do here. Before planning your visit, go to http://www.nps.gov/shen/pphtml/planyourvisit.html. We enjoyed stopping along the way and taking a few short hikes along the Appalachian Trail system.

In addition, be sure to watch for deer! We saw deer everywhere. Be cautious as they are quite tame, and are very curious. Unfortunately, people have started feeding them over the years. We had a couple come right over to our car window and want us to feed them.

For historical buffs, Manassas (or the Battle of Bull Run) is a must. It's about $3 per person, and another $3 to see the movie there. The park service has done a great job with the museum. There are plenty of artifacts, and there are a couple of scale models that are animated with sound, so that you can truly understand what happened during Manassas I and Manassas II.

When you arrive, check at the counter with the park staff for a schedule of tours. We went on a couple of different tours the day we were there, and it really brought the whole experience to life for us. While waiting for the tours to start, meander through the museum exhibits.

In my opinion, this is a great stop for families and anyone interested in Civil War history.

UVa was the brain child of Thomas Jefferson and opened in 1825. Jefferson set to work on building plans that would mirror his philosophical vision. For Jefferson, the college experience should take place within an "academical village," a place where shared learning infused daily life. Plans were developed for ten Pavilions—stately faculty homes with living quarters upstairs and classrooms downstairs—attached to two rows of student rooms and connected by an inward-facing colonnade. Each Pavilion was identified with a subject to be studied and inhabited by the professor who taught that subject.

When arriving at UVa, consider taking a tour of the university and rotunda area. Tours are free, and you can simply call the university to find out what the schedule is. It's a beautiful campus, and there are plenty of interesting sights along the way—including the former dorm room of Edgar Allan Poe, an alum of UVa.