Hi everyone, today I visited the Poplar Forest for the first time. I drove from Florida to visit family and they recommended this historical site. I really enjoyed visiting the popular forest today. The property is very well maintained and peaceful. This place was one of my favorite historical sites. The docent who did the guided tour was very knowledgeable and good. read more

Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest - Museums Near Me - Lynchburg, Virginia

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Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest is a perfect pairing to the D-Day Memorial in Bedford. Get the combo ticket, you'll save a good deal of cash! There are guided tours available on a schedule, but we preferred to wander at our own pace. You can go in the house, just be nice and don't touch stuff. They had a free kennel on site, but we couldn't figure out how to work it, and dog's are allowed to stroll the grounds, so we just took turns going inside. I loved walking on the roof, and the cellar was extremely interesting! The shape of the home was intriguing, and there was a ton of information available to read and discover!! read more

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Had the opportunity to travel back East to enjoy some fall activities with friends from my DC days. We chose to attend the annual Thomas Jefferson Fall Wine Festival at Poplar Forest. Something we used to do as a group. I once worked for a vineyard in Leesburg VA that closed in recent years yet reminisced with the owner of Notaviva a nearby vineyard that knew the owners. The Founder of Notaviva wrote a book about thier wine and farming journey, pairing elements of wine and music. I really enjoyed the cabernet franc from the property. It may be a surprise that you can order the wine in a bag. Not a bottle and not a box, but a packable bag! It was a beautiful November 70 degree day and the event provided programs, glasses and live music to name a few things. A beautiful day at this historic property. #FallFestival #WineFestival #JeffersonsPoplarForest #CentralVA read more

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My visit to Poplar Forest was a side trip as a part of an event I was attending in Lynchburg. There were no tours available that day. So I didn't get to experience the inside of the house. Nevertheless I loved seeing the house's exterior. Historic Homes are one of my passions. So walking around the house & photographing while reading its history was very enjoyable. Having previously toured Jefferson's primary residence Monticello, I was certain that his retreat Poplar Forest must also contain his innovations. Jefferson was a man before his time with his design of features that centuries later would become mainstream. His architecture prowess was on full show at Poplar Forest. Should one be interested in history & historic homes a visit to Popular Forest is a must. From Coastal Virginia the route I prefer is by Hwy 460, which can be accessed from Hwy 58 leading to downtown Suffolk. The house is located northwest of Hwy 460 so I would recommend a GPS to take you through the roads that lead to Jefferson's retreat. For the best experience visit the historic home at time where a docent tour is offered. A Virtual Tour is available on the website for those unable to visit in person. The home has received a complete historical restoration aided by archeological finds. Events include historical and musical performances, wine tastings, & a lecture series. The Museum Shop features a wide variety of offerings. Should one have a love of history and historical homes, I would plan a visit to what Thomas Jefferson designed to be his and the Commonwealth of Virginia's crown jewel. read more

Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest - Museums Near Me - Lynchburg, Virginia

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Lovely place to soak in the spring sunshine. Informal setting allowed us to let our toddler run on the grass while adults took turns listening and viewing the building. Audio tour was perfect for our group that had two small children to oversee. read more

Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest - Child completing child scavenger hunt . - Museums Near Me - Lynchburg, Virginia

Interesting and enjoyed the self-tour. Not much more to say only we didn't purchase items because of the high cost.

After going to Monticello the previous day, Poplar Forest is definitely not on the same level. House caught on fire and burnt all the wood, except for a couple of doors. They mentioned a table that was original, but it was not displayed in the house. So most of the rooms are fairly empty. I'm glad I went, but it's a shame not much is original. read more

Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest - Museums Near Me - Lynchburg, Virginia

We really enjoyed our tour today with Karen. I was worried about construction but that is completed now and they are working on landscaping. So thankful that his historic home has been restored. read more

Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest - Museums Near Me - Lynchburg, Virginia

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Had a lovely walk around the grounds on an overcast, sultry afternoon while I waited for my buddy to take a certification exam at the nearby Pearson facility. I will definitely be back to take the estate tour later this summer! Easy parking, nice restrooms, and well curated gift shop with very friendly, helpful staff. read more

I rated this as 4 rather than 5 atar because 2 days earlier I'd visited Jefferson's Monticello which is vastly larger and more impressive. brI purchased my ticket on line about 2 weeks prior to my visit and even chose the time of my docent-led tour. It's likely possible to be admitted as a "walk-in" , although probably no assurance of a guide. The grounds are gorgeous with a lovely view from the front entrance of the mansion, although the Poplar Forest property seems to be surrounded on 3 sides by neighborhoods, although this was not a distraction. Oneventers through the gift shop which is small, but certainly adequate, and yes, I made several purchases. Next door is a short educational video at which time the docent takes you on a walking tour of the mansion lasting probably 45 to 60 minutes. After that you are free to wander the grounds and reenter the mansion which I enjoyed. It is ast near as fancy as Monticello, but there you must pay $99 for a 90 minute "behind the Scenes " Tour and cannot go back in once your tour is concluded, although you can wander the grounds at Monticello until it closes for the day. Remember, though, that this was Jefferson's private retreat where he could be himself, while at Monticello, he had many roles to play and had little control over what guests showed up and when. If you are a Jefferson afficionado, then most definitely come and see a ddifferent side of this amazing Founder. If just curious, then come and see the place and learn something about Thomas Jefferson. read more

Worth the trip to see thus property A must if you've been to Monticello Gift shop is very nice Staff great read more

As you would expect from TJ, the design of this home is exquisite, from the setting to the balanced proportions of the rooms, elegant skylight, modern feeling, and classical layout. I wish the audio recorded tour and signage had more fulsomely addressed the role and relationships between TJ and the Hemings clan, who had a prominent role In the building and operation of this lovely property and in supporting and caring for TJ himself. Their familial relationships with TJ are mentioned but only briefly and rather awkwardly. I enjoyed my visit tremendously and was happy to learn more about TJ's close relationships with his grand daughters, but the failure to explore his relationships with the Hemings is a missed opportunity and casts a tragic shadow over this beautiful place. read more

So, I'm a huge presidential history buff. That's how I ended up here (with my girlfriend, who puts up with me). Overall, happy we went. Some people may be disappointed to learn this is not the original home, but a reconstruction based on historical records. I'm one of those focusing on the fact we're lucky Poplar Forest exists at all. Wait until you learn how close the land was to being sold and developed.... This is a very simple "retreat" house, especially if you've experienced Monticello. But, the grounds are just beautiful, with massive trees probably 300 years old. Love the European influence in architecture and the fact Jefferson was a life long "learner"! God bless those who saw to it this place was reconstructed & preserved! Thank you! Just FYI, the tour (which is with your time) depending on tour guide, might be longer than you expect considering how little there is to see. We got there a little later in the afternoon and our tour went too long, in my opinion, minimizing the amount of time we were able to spend downstairs with the exhibits...which frustrated me. Definitely worth a visit, history buff or not! The surroundings alone are gorgeous. If you come in the "back way" (hopefully you didn't), drive out the "front". The long drive through the woods is how we started our Poplar Forest experience, and it's the ONLY way to go! I posted a picture! read more

Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest - The long driveway into Poplar Forest - Museums Near Me - Lynchburg, Virginia

Poplar Hall was Jefferson's retreat from the busy Monticello. He stayed here after he retired with his granddaughters. It completely reflects Jefferson's personality and the architecture he loved. It was rich in history with many places to see and exhibits to look through. There are 4 main tours a day, but there is also an app you can download if you want to do a self-guided tour (which is what we did). Before you start, there is a short video that plays every 30 min that introduces Poplar Hall. The main tour is in the house - which isn't very large. You can do the entire property in an hour. We took longer because we had people over 75 Make sure you stop at the gift shop on the way out! They have tons of cute trinkets! read more

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My review is regarding my attendance to the musical production 1776 that was performed there the last weekend in June, 2019. I love history and Thomas Jefferson so I will probably come back for the tour and walk around the place. We arrived for the show and were guided into a parking area which was a field... however, the grass had not been cut at all as it was up to our knees when we walked through it to get to the road. We got I quickly with our eticket and took a seat around the area where the production was going to be performed. They started on time which I appreciated. Most of the actors did a good job. My second big complaint about the performance was one or two of the people were not set up properly with their mics. The dissenting delegate from PA you could hardly hear at all, which is a shame as it takes away from the overall performance. Lastly, there was no control over young kids running around at the rear of the seating area yelling and playing which is especially distracting when the audio is hard to hear. My biggest piece of advice fix the mics and cut the grass. I will recommend it to others though as I thought the overall performance was good. read more

Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest - View of stage - Museums Near Me - Lynchburg, Virginia

This is a spectacular site to visit, while Monticello was Thomas Jefferson's main residence, Poplar Forest was his retreat. It is superb, what is so special about it is because of its restoration, you can feel what this house would have actually felt like. While I love being able to preserve historical homes...this one has been rebuilt inside...it has one coat of paint...It feels fresh...just as Jefferson would have felt it. The staff was personable, and attentive, and were able to deal with my "dad jokes" and sarcasm. read more

Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest - South Facade of Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest - Museums Near Me - Lynchburg, Virginia

Nice visit to Jefferson's Summer Home My wife and I were recently in Lynchburg and wanted to see Poplar Forrest, which was Thomas Jefferson's Summer Home; we both have seen Monticello years earlier. The introductory video was informative due in part to the actor portraying Jefferson; he has played Jefferson for many years and was quite convincing. It was quite helpful having Mary as our guide. As you'd expect, she knew much about the house and grounds that one cannot learn by simply walking around the grounds by yourself. The similarity of Poplar Forrest to Monticello was interesting; the same architect contributed to the design of both homes. As an added treat, the day we went there were archeologists who were excavating the rose garden in front of the house. They were trying to find where, and what type, rose bushes Jefferson had planted. In the process they were checking the cobblestones that had been used for the circular driveway. When we first saw it, it appeared that they had poured actual concrete on top of the cobblestones. What?!?, we said in shock. They explained that this was done, with a protective layer on top of the original cobblestones, to protect them until a later time. In fact, the lead archeologist explained what they were doing and the progress that had been made. Fascinating. As you might expect, reading these reviews are helpful, but only by coming onsite, seeing the house and grounds yourself, can you fully appreciate the entire experience. If you're in the area, or just passing through, come check out Poplar Forrest if you have an interest in Thomas Jefferson or his time period. read more

The quality of the tours offered at Poplar Forest is low. Our tour guide, Darla, was very knowledgeable about the architecture and the restoration process. However, she was uncomfortable with, and unable to knowledgeably respond to, guests' questions about history when of course tour group members will have questions about Jefferson himself and not just about the building and grounds. For example, when a tour group member asked about Sally Hemings' relationship to Jefferson, she stated that "what you hear depends upon who you talk to," as if there is no historical evidence and it's all opinionated hearsay. She did not provide information or recommend that guests visit the Monticello website section on Sally Hemings where historical and DNA evidence is presented. When another guest asked about whether Jefferson was against slavery as some of his writings indicate, she responded that yes, he was against slavery but that he was also a man of his time who held slaves just like others around him. But of course there were contemporaries of Jefferson of greater integrity and conscience such as Edward Coles and Robert Carter III, both of whom were wealthy Virginians who did free their enslaved people during their lifetimes. And when asked if Jefferson was a good slave master, she responded that Jefferson never beat his slaves which, while technically true in that there is no evidence that he himself beat people that he enslaved, he did have others beat them for him, as documented for example in the article "The Dark Side of Thomas Jefferson" easily accessible on the Smithsonian Magazine website. After completing the tour, we stumbled upon an interesting history exhibit downstairs that our tour guide had not mentioned. Upon seeing it, we wished that we had completed a self-guided tour instead. Poplar Forest would benefit from having their tour guides receive updated training from Monticello. Both Monticello and Montpelier provide excellent historical background during their tours; Poplar Forest should do so as well. read more

I stopped in on the last day of Winter Weekends, so there was a very relaxed atmosphere. Guests were allowed to explore the house at their leisure instead of the seasonal one hour. The docent was very knowledgeable, and I left knowing more about Jefferson than I did entering! Mr. Jefferson's vacation home is vastly different from Monticello, and isn't as decorated. Instead, Poplar Forest is more of a architectural experience, which is just as interesting! If you love early American History (like me), you will enjoy Poplar Forest! read more

Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest - The back of the house as Jefferson would have seen it! - Museums Near Me - Lynchburg, Virginia

This is a great experience. We had a very good guide. The shop is good with surprisingly good prices. In addition, they actually answer their telephone! I had to change the date of my tickets - no trouble. The person at the shop was also helpful in directing us to someplace to eat lunch. The only problem is the signage, or lack of. We found only one sign on the way in from the interstate . We then say another one on the way out that we missed. However, when we got their we saw no sign at all. I think there may have been a banner of some sort. Our GPS said that we were in the right place so we parked (also not well marked) wandered up and found it. Don't give up. it is there. read more

Really well done. Shows Thomas Jefferson's genius mind in architecture and design. The home is small with 4 octagon-shaped rooms surrounding a dining room. Then a series of work rooms on the side of the house serving various purposes. 3 hours was all we needed. Well worth the visit. read more

Okay, so I go to all the history stuff (American Revolution, Civil War, Local history, Presidential stuff) and this is like the last thing on my list cause it was far to go to. I made a trip to "Walton's Mountain", continued onto "Mountain Lake Lodge" where Dirty Dancing was filmed (some of it not all) and the down to Sinking Creek Bridge, to Black Dog Salvage in Roanoake, then onto This before returning home. I was worried I'd not have enough time to do it but turns out it's smaller than Monticello and less to see and do so I was fine. Took maybe 2 hours to do the app tour (self guided). We didn't want to wait an extra hour for the next tour (glad because our car broke down later and it would have changed my life as the mechanic would've been gone!). Anyway, about this place. GPS quit when we entered the road to it, so we were not sure we were going the right way but went straight up and it was parking on the left to what looked like contemporary barns. So I was confused at first. But it was the right place. It was a discovery center and a gift shop that were i the barns. The gift shop is where to buy your tours (guided, self guided or no guided). The gift shop itself was cute. I bought a small piece of fudge only for 1.50 and it was delicious (not that sweet). But it was maple walnut, my fave and I haven't had that in at least a year or two so... ;) So we walked the grounds. Not too much there, two "privy" outbuildings, some signage, a potential site of slave quarters (we saw a deer there), and two other buildings which was storage and where the person that ran the estate was. I am having a blackout (tired) at the moment... so can't recall what they were. Not all seems original but what is, is held up by metal posts. Anyway, they are excavating more I believe. We then toured the house (not much in there) but was pretty interesting to a point. Then went downstairs and saw where the laundry, kitchen, guest quarters was. Typical of the time. That's about it. The price to get in was reasonable (they have AARP/Senior discount and military). Cost under 20 dollars each to go it all. I gave it four stars because there's not that much here and I've seen all these kinds of things before and it's "just another". THOUGH, it is like a smaller version of Monticello. If you have to choose between the two, Monticello is better to go to... but this is worthy of a visit. Can't give you a review of the docents, but I heard they were pretty good. read more

Wonderful and interesting tour! Our docent Darla was so nice and informative. Also, Dave, the supervisor of the renovations, was very informative and had so much to add to this tour. The drive in was just beautiful in the fall. See the pictures I've added. Highly recommend this tour! read more

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Popular Forest was the 4,800 acre plantation President Thomas Jefferson inherited in 1773 and made it his summer home. Popular Forest is open for visitation from March 15 to December 30 10am to 4pm with tours and cost from $2.00 to $14.00 depending on age of those on tour. Museum shop on site is very cool. During the year Popular Forest host musical performances, lectures & historical theater on the grounds as well as ongoing excavation. No cafe on site so you will need to bring your own food & drinks (no alcohol), blankets or tables for enjoyment. Here you will learn about the man who was Governor & legislator of Virginia, founder of University of Virginia, pinned The Declaration of Independence, foreign Statesman and third President of these United States of America. What an extraordinary person! read more

Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest - The back of Popular Forest and lawn - Museums Near Me - Lynchburg, Virginia

I'm a little late writing this review (it's October, and I visited in June), but give credit where credit is due, right!? This site is amazing--beautiful, historical, informed, and mid-restoration (which is ESPECIALLY interesting to history buffs)! Our (my mom and I) were toured around the grounds and buildings by an extremely friendly docent (I can't remember her name), and she introduced us to all the other members of the project as we walked around (all of whom were volunteering their time and valuable expertise, mind you)--from the woodworkers restoring the intricate details inside (and being so attentive and aware to not only style, but also materials) to the UVA students excavating and repaving the original "driveway". The docent was particularly proud of a piece of furniture her son had crafted to resemble a similar piece Jefferson would have had (the furnishings are sparse here as it's still a restoration underway, but I actually appreciated that! It didn't detract anything from the beauty and simplicity of Jefferson's architectural intent)--and it was gorgeous. This site is wonderful. It's not crowded--a true hidden gem--and if you love history, please try to visit as soon as possible! Actually seeing the restoration process underway was such a treat!! Only regret: I live in Oregon and won't be back soon enough! read more

While I love history, tours and especially gift shops- the tour guides here were pretentious, condescending and slightly rude. The house really isn't all that great and the traffic to and from the freeway isn't worth it. Make the trek up to Monticello and skip this for a few more years or perhaps until they learn a little hospitality... read more

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For a local historical plantation its okay. Showed up for the July 4th 2014 event. First off I found out after paying veterans were allowed on the grounds for free and the tour was an addition $8. For the day it cost me $16 and there wasn't much to see. The tour was rushed and due to the guide taking to long talking and answering questions seen a hand full of unfinished rooms. She had to hurry back for her next tour group. I'm figuring you're not suppose to take pictures so people will come and tour the house so they can make money for the restoration. If I didn't live local I wouldn't have been real happy with the visit. 3 out of 5 at its best. read more

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The outside was nice, but there was almost nothing inside. I say just go to Monticello.

Amazing tour guided by a knowledgeable historian. Very much worth the time and the money.

How can one fairly judge history like this? A treasure of a place is Poplar Forest. The grounds are spacious, the tours by the docents excellent. I know this costs money that is hard to get, but they must liven up the tours and the displays with living history cinematic recreations, puppets, sound, things like this to bring back folks (those valuable return customers) who have already visited it once. The out buildings are interesting, to a point, and the small meeting area a plus up, but the young people today are tech driven and staring at an old wall, no matter who designed and built it, will only get a one-time visitor... read more