Sections
  • Design & Home
  • Editors’ Picks
  • Events Calendar
  • Food
  • Health
  • News
  • Longreads
  • Our Events
  • Parenting
  • Real Estate
  • Shopping
  • Things to Do
  • Travel
  • Weddings
Find Washington's Best...
  • Apartment Rentals
  • DC Travel Guide
  • Dentists
  • Doctors
  • Financial Advisers
  • Health Experts
  • Home Resources
  • Industry Leaders
  • Lawyers
  • Pet Care
  • Private Schools
  • Real Estate Agents
  • Restaurants
  • Retirement Communities
  • Wedding Vendors
More
  • Subscribe
  • Manage My Subscription
  • Digital Edition
  • iPad App
  • Shop
  • Contests
  • Newsletters
  • About Us
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Jobs
© 2018 Washingtonian Media Inc.
Privacy Policy
All Rights Reserved
 Rss
Skip to content
Washingtonian.com
  • Search
  • Subscribe
  • Menu
  • News
  • Things to Do
  • Food
  • Health
  • Shopping
  • Design & Home
  • Real Estate
  • Weddings
Sponsored

This Fall, Make a Historic Escape

This Fall, Make a Historic Escape
Tweet Share
Less than 2 hours from Washington, D.C. a verdant oasis of American history welcomes visitors every day. James Madison’s Montpelier, the Virginia home of the Father of the Constitution and 4th President of the United States, sits on 2,650 acres. Walk the trails, plan a picnic or eat in the Exchange Cafe, and escape from the noise of the world. You’ll be immersed in a landscape of meadows, old-growth forests, and pastures, with an unobstructed view of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Inside Montpelier, you’ll learn about James Madison the man, as well as the Constitution, The Bill of Rights and the archetype for the modern First Lady, Dolley Madison. The newest exhibition, The Mere Distinction of Colour is a modern, interactive experience that brings visitors up close with the history of Montpelier’s enslaved people. As always, Montpelier offers full family-friendly tours, walking tours, and a hands-on living archeology lab. Don’t miss the Montpelier Hunt Races on Saturday, November 4, 2017.

A New Look At Our American Story
The Mere Distinction of Colour is a new multimedia exhibition that offers visitors the opportunity to hear the stories of those enslaved at Montpelier told by their living descendants, and explore how the legacy of slavery impacts today’s conversations about race, identity, and human rights. The exhibition includes both an interior interactive house tour and newly constructed exterior dwellings constructed from historical findings.


More to see on grounds:

Annie duPont Formal Garden
This stunning enclosed 2-acre garden incorporates many of the perennials in the early duPont garden – many varieties of bearded and Japanese iris, Day Lilies, and Peonies – along with other plant materials common to the period.

Queen of Hearts: Dolley Madison in Popular Culture
During her lifetime Dolley Madison was called a “queen of hearts” for her engaging manners and animated conversation. Only a quarter-century after her death, Dolley’s name and image began to appear on cigar boxes, milk bottles, and packaging for cakes, ice cream, and household products. See the exhibition on how and why America’s first First Lady became an advertising icon.

Gilmore Cabin
A Freedman’s Farm
George Gilmore was born a slave at Montpelier around 1810. Following his emancipation after the Civil War, he purchased land across the street from what are now the gates of Montpelier, and built his family’s cabin in 1873.

Train Depot
The picturesque 1910 train depot is located adjacent to the Montpelier gates and houses the permanent exhibition “In the Time of Segregation”.

More: Montpelier

Share this!
Share Tweet

Editors' Picks

Is DC Being Too Mean to Louise Linton?

Is DC Being Too Mean to Louise Linton?

Trumpworld sees the actress-turned-cabinet-spouse as a victim of the Beltway's mean-girl social set. Le tout Washington disagrees.
Read More
Which Washington-Area Neighborhoods Will Boom Next?

Which Washington-Area Neighborhoods Will Boom Next?

All across the region, big change is on the way in formerly quiet places. Here’s a look at the spots poised for some of the...
Read More
Why This Is the Golden Age of DC Grocery Shopping

Why This Is the Golden Age of DC Grocery Shopping

Washington once had two main supermarket chains, and they sold just food. Here's how everything changed.
Read More
The Ultimate Guide to DC’s Cherry Blossoms

The Ultimate Guide to DC’s Cherry Blossoms

Read More
More Editors' Picks

Most Popular

1
Here Are the Floor Plans for Jeff Bezos’s $23 Million DC Home

2
Inside Jeff Bezos’s DC Life

The Amazon founder and Washington Post owner has quietly become a freewheeling DC socialite—and soon he'll be spending more time here, in the mammoth Kalorama...

3
Four Takeaways From the Trumps’ First State Dinner Menu

4
Asian Food Hall The Block Is Opening a Second, Bigger Location in North Bethesda

5
The 100 Very Best Restaurants in Washington

May 2018: Jeff Bezos in D.C.

May 2018: Jeff Bezos in D.C.
See What's Inside

Subscribe

Related Posts

The Descendants of James Madison’s Slaves Are Reviving Their Ancestors’ History

The Descendants of James Madison’s Slaves Are Reviving Their Ancestors’ History

More from Sponsored

Washingtonian’s Guide to Retirement Living in the DC-Area

Washingtonian’s Guide to Retirement Living in the DC-Area

The earlier you do your financial planning, the greater your chances of a worry-free retirement

The earlier you do your financial planning, the greater your chances of a worry-free retirement

Retirement living doesn’t have to mean slowing down

Retirement living doesn’t have to mean slowing down

How to avoid common health problems

How to avoid common health problems

With more seniors determined to age in place, home care agencies step in to lend a hand

With more seniors determined to age in place, home care agencies step in to lend a hand

How This Philly University is Empowering the Next Generation of Changemakers

How This Philly University is Empowering the Next Generation of Changemakers

Need to Warm Up Your Summer Smile? Here Are 5 Ways to Make It Happen

Need to Warm Up Your Summer Smile? Here Are 5 Ways to Make It Happen

Most Popular

News

Here Are the Floor Plans for Jeff Bezos’s $23 Million DC Home

News

Inside Jeff Bezos’s DC Life

The Amazon founder and Washington Post owner has quietly become a freewheeling DC socialite—and soon he'll be spending more time here, in the mammoth Kalorama...
Food

Four Takeaways From the Trumps’ First State Dinner Menu

Food

Asian Food Hall The Block Is Opening a Second, Bigger Location in North Bethesda

Food

The 100 Very Best Restaurants in Washington


© 2018 Washingtonian Media Inc.
Privacy Policy
All Rights Reserved.
Washingtonian is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
 Rss
By signing up, you agree to our terms.
  • Subscribe
  • Manage My Subscription
  • Digital Edition
  • iPad App
  • Shop
  • Contests
  • Newsletters
  • About Us
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Jobs