Lynchburg Series: Poplar Forest
The next stop on our vacation was a visit to Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest. Many people know about Thomas Jefferson’s home in Monticello, but while in Lynchburg, we learned that he also had another home in Poplar Forest. He would often come to this home as a private retreat. He’d visit for two weeks to two months at a time. As we walked around the property, we could see why he was so attracted to the beautiful land! There were lots of really cool-looking trees all over the property that caught my eye.
We took a tour inside the main house and around the property. You had the option of taking a docent-guided tour, a self-guided tour using an app, or also had the option to just walk around the property and explore on your own. We opted to look around ourselves at our leisure. It was a really hot day, and it was nice to be able to move into the air-conditioned parts as we pleased and take breaks when we were ready for them. We started our day at the visitor orientation center, where we watched an orientation video that shared a bit about the history of the property and how Thomas Jefferson and his slaves lived and worked there.
After the orientation video finished, we walked to the main house to begin our tour. Much of the building was reconstructed to show what it looked like when Thomas Jefferson visited there. The dining room was gorgeous, I loved how much light came through the ceiling and brightened up the room.
My favorite areas in the main house were the bedroom, which had a desk set up where he’d do his reading and writing, and the library. We learned that when Jefferson got his first reservoir pen, he still preferred to write with a quill. It makes me think about any time I get a new laptop, phone, or even pens and other writing utensils, it can take some time to get used to the new one… despite the new product likely being more efficient and advanced. Humans can have a hard time adjusting to change sometimes, and it seems Jefferson was no different! The library was stunning with large floor-to-ceiling windows and beautiful furnishings.
After the main house, we walked through the 1841 “Wing of Offices” which included a few rooms in a separate wing off to the right of the main house. My favorite space of the entire property was the kitchen. Very rustic, and perfect natural light coming into the room. There was a letter written by one of Jefferson’s slaves that was really interesting to read. Lots of rich history recreated within that room.
The last stop in our Poplar Forest visit before heading out was a visit to the Slave Quarter Exhibit. The slave quarters were a little further off towards the edge of the property. The families would live and eat together out in this space.
Overall, it was a pretty interesting visit to Poplar Forest! After we were done touring the property, we took a trip a little way down the road to Apocalypse Cidery and Winery for a refreshing cider to cool down after our visit on a very hot day! It was a fun little cidery and there was a brewery right next door, too! A perfect way to end the day.
