Stephen and I woke-up nice and early to head down to James Madison's Montpelier and then off to Charlottesville.
Wanting to take the scenic route to Montpelier we took the back roads that paralleled the highway. We saw some amazing houses, even the smaller houses were so quaint looking with their brick structure, adorable painted shutters and large front porches. Each lot looked to be no less than 10 acres, some with clean cut meadows framed by their own personal forest of trees, some with fields of tobacco, others with rolls of hay (not stacked and cut hay bale as you'd find in CA.) Also, a majority of these properties don't have a single fence...this is quiet different than properties in California.
At Montpelier we had the pleasure of having Bud be our guide through the mansion, not only was he very knowledgeable in regards to the Madison family and friends but you could tell he truly cared about presenting an accurate account of the history that laid before us.
James Madison was a very intelligent man, small in stature and he was a hypochondriac. Mr. Madison did an enormous amount of research of history, politics, civilizations, the rise and the downfall of many a government and king. He created the Virginia Plan which later became the groundwork for the Constitution. Mr. Madison was also the fourth President of the United States.
The Mansion itself is very beautiful, the structure, the pillars, the brick it was so lovely to look at. Inside the mansion the wall coverings and curtains are so ornate and vibrant in color. Interestingly, in the drawing room, paintings cover almost every inch of the available wall space. (unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pictures of the interior)
James Madison's Montpelier
Since travel was difficult in the late 1700's guests visiting the Madisons (such as Thomas Jefferson, close friend of James Madison) would be staying for weeks or months at a time. I can't imagine trying to entertain guests for that long. That must be one of the reasons why the garden at Montpelier is so large and gorgeous with several intimate spots for conversation and relaxation. There are so many different things to see and discover at Montpelier, I'm glad we had a whole day to explore.
Entrance to the Gardens (it became more of a flower garden in the 1900's when Mrs. duPont became the owner of Montpelier.)
The Temple - beneath it lies an ice well where the Madisons kept their ice cream and other perishable items cold (they were famous for being one of the first families in the US to have ice cream)
Slave Quarters in the South Yard (they are still being reconstructed)
On to our B&B in Charlottesville... The Inn at Court Square
This was by-far one of the most wonderful places we have stayed, on any vacation!
Built in 1785, the Inn at Court Square is the oldest existing house in downtown Charlottesville, Virginia. We stayed in the Susan B Fowler room, it had a king size four poster bed, adorable sitting area with a fireplace a dressing room with vanity and an amazing whirlpool tub!
I wish I could describe every detail, this room along with the rest of the B&B was like you stepped into the late 1800's with the latest in French fashion and décor and the hospitality was beyond measure!
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