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Ash Lawn-Highland
Category: Public Services & Government Landmarks & Historical Buildings Landmarks & Historical Buildings [Edit]
1000 James Monroe PkwyCharlottesville, VA 22902
(434) 293-9539
12 reviews for Ash Lawn-Highland
12 reviews in English
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Review from Dave W.
12/3/2011
No comparison to Monticello, but it gives you a good idea of the differences between Jefferson and Monroe. It is pretty amazing to think about the fact that these two men were friends, visited each other as well as Madison and Barbour! How different things were back in that era.
The house is humble but gives you a very good idea of the way Madison spent his life while in this house. In those days our presidents didn't retire in the manner they do today so Madison had to do something to make a living. The tour is quite personal and our guide was knowledgeable and answered all questions put to him. He had a difficult time, however, dealing with the baby on our tour who was a little rammy.
Definitely a "must see" either before or after Monticello. -
Review from Jessica H.
Arlington, VA
4/16/2012
Bad experience on a tour here. We were lucky and -- after paying -- only had to wait 25 minutes on a nice Sunday afternoon for a tour (after being told to just wait outside for an indeterminate length of time), but some people had already been waiting 30 minutes when we showed up, and they were starting to plot a rebellion...
Then the tour itself was wince-worthy. We actually snuck out when the tour moved outside after an hour or so, it was that bad. The tour guide was completely lacking in context, and she talked SO SLOWLY that I didn't even want to ask questions, for fear it would never finish. She talked so slowly that other people on the tour got restless and started trying to do their own historical lectures in the middle of the tour, because she apparently knew so little.
I heard good reviews of this tour from friends, so maybe they were there on a better day with a better guide, but I just can't recommend this. I feel like I learned almost nothing about James Monroe, really.
And anyone who put "Madison" in their review apparently learned nothing either, because this is NOT MADISON'S HOUSE. -
Review from Arielle C.
Collingswood, NJ
5/17/2012
Once you've seen the grand Monticello, make sure to hop over 2 miles to Monroe's home for a modest, yet excellent, experience.
The home and history are lovely enough to enchant any visitor, but with the right tour guide Monroe's home comes to life.
My girlfriend and I were lucky enough to have a lively, charismatic tour guide, an older man with white hair (we unfortunately didn't get his name), who not only unlocked the lost history of our 5th President, but kept us laughing and engaged for the duration of the hour tour.
I can't recommend this tour strongly enough. Would gladly pay the $12 admission again! -
Review from Valarie C.
Alexandria, VA
4/22/2012 1 Check-in Here
When we showed up a tour was just getting started so we did not have to wait. This is a much more intimate tour than Monticello and it really gives you insight to Monroe. I really think you need to see both homes while you are here to see how different these two great men were.
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Review from Mike C.
Howard, MD
4/5/2012
Poor James Monroe: His home is not magnificent in any way. It's a modest farmhouse. The grounds can't boast fantastic gardens. The welcome center is a bit shabby compared to Washington's or Jefferson's. The public bathroom is certainly dirtier. And there were stink bugs all over the place.
That said, we enjoyed our tour. Admission was included in our Presidential Pass from Monticello. Our tour guide, while not wildly enthusiastic, was very informative and clear. We were sometimes in a room for 10 minutes and the guide encouraged us to ask questions. I came away from the tour learning a lot about Colonel Monroe (he liked to be called "Colonel").
This may seem to be a let down compared to nearby Monticello, but don't write it off! Enjoy the smaller crowds and more intimate feel. -
Review from Michael S.
Marina del Rey, CA
7/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
As the fifth U.S. President, James Monroe was the last of the Virginia Dynasty -- the state provided 4 of the first 5 U.S. presidents. Ash Lawn-Highland (in his day it was simply "Highland") was Monroe's home from 1793-1826 and today is a 535-acre working farm and museum.
Since Monticello (Thomas Jefferson's home) is only a couple miles away, a trip to Ash Lawn-Highland is a natural extension of a day full of presidential history. Entrance to the relatively simple Monroe house and tour is $12 for adults, but locals get in for just $5.00.
Monroe served with George Washington during the Revolutionary War and then began 50 years of public service including member of the first U.S. Senate, Minister to France, Britain, and Spain, Governor of Virginia, and James Madison's Secretary of State and Secretary of War during the War of 1812. He is most widely recognized as the key diplomat in the final negotiation of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, acquiring Florida from Spain in 1819, and authoring the famous Monroe Doctrine in 1823 which told Europe that they could no longer colonize the Americas. James Monroe was the last "Founding Father" to be president and his two terms are often referred to as the "Era of Good Feelings."
At Ash Lawn-Highland, you can walk through President Monroe's house and see several pieces of art and furniture that were used by the family. His home is modest compared to his mentor Jefferson's estate and his good friend James Madison's home (Montpelier), but it is still an interesting piece of real American history and provides a chance to learn more about an icon who played a key role in shaping our nation.Listed in: DC Vacation
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Review from Ann B.
Annapolis, MD
11/5/2011
I can't add much to what has already been said, except that you can get a sense of the class structure of the early US. Monticello is fabulous, Montpelier is impressive, Ash Lawn is middle class.
Totally worth going to, the lack of tourists really adds to the experience. And we, like others, got to see (crash) a wedding reception as a bonus. -
Review from Olivia L.
9/6/2011
If you only have time for one president's home in Charlottesville, I'd go to Monticello. If you have an extra hour, I'd come to Ash-Lawn Highland as well.
The house is not impressive, and there's a large Victorian addition tacked on (that's where the tour starts). Our guide was ok, but the tour was as much about Jefferson as it was about Monroe (weird). The tour experience merits 2*s.
However...did you know you can get married here? There was a wedding setting up on the lawn, and between the lawn, the garden, and the banquet facility, I think this would be a great option for those in the Charlottesville area! (so an extra star!) -
Review from Jeremy G.
Humble, TX
8/15/2011
For my 300th review, I wanted to do something different. Normally, for these milestones, I would write about some big-name tourist attraction. But this time, I wanted to draw attention to one of the most underappreciated locations on the American landscape.
While I wouldn't call the home of James Monroe a "best kept secret," I think many tourists to the area are missing out on an important piece of history by skipping it. (It's also just a really good tour!) However, because of the modest traffic to this estate, the tours tend to be very intimate - mine had maybe eight people. The experience here is much more personal than nearby Monticello - and ultimately much more satisfying. The humble furnishings and quint surroundings work to its advantage, allowing one to get a good "feel" of the place. Indeed, one gets a truly "authentic" sense of how a middle class gentleman lived at the turn of the nineteenth-century, compared to most of the grandiose Presidential abodes on the East Coast.
If you've never been to Virginia before, and time is short, then - by all means - go see Monticello (or Montpelier or Mount Vernon). But if you're able, and you love American history, it's well worth the effort to come here. -
Review from Jen S.
3/29/2008 2 photos
James Monroe, the 5th President of the U.S. serving from 1817 to 1825, has his home up the road from Jefferson. Though his home is not as impressive as Thomas Jefferson's, it is very quaint and simple. It's a light yellow home with 2 stories with slave quarters in the back. Admission is $10 for an adult, $9 if you're a student. We had a great tour guide who knew the ins and outs of the Monroe home.
After our tour, we spent some time in the gift shop where the sales associate made some small talk, convincing us to buy this one particular postcard of man sitting down at his desk to write. It turned that the man in the postcard was actually the sales associate! He said that we could take this back to CA and show it to our friends to brag that we knew him. Sure, Mmmmhmmm..... -
Review from Hilary G.
5/7/2011 5 photos
It is definitely worth visiting Ash Lawn if you are in Charlottesville. It is not as glamorous as Monticello but the tours are much smaller and you can get a better feel of the home. The white part of the home is original and the yellow Victorian home is the add on. I have been to Ash Lawn during the summer for a concert and it's a great place to spend an evening. The home was given to William and Mary in the 70s, go Tribe. Make sure you check out the hilarious marriage glasswork in the gift shop (they should mention it on the tour as well).
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Review from Justin R.
Castro Valley, CA
12/17/2010 1 Check-in Here
Ash Lawn- Highland is a much smaller and simpler mansion than Jefferson's Monticello or Madison's Montpelier. It's even slightly unattractive, with a yellow Victorian addition in front of the white colonial main house. However, it has a great number of original artifacts and furniture, and while you cannot touch them, there are few roped-off areas, so you can look at everything from up close. Also the crowds are smaller than at Monticello, so you can get a much more personal tour. By the time you leave you can really get a sense of what life was like here for the Monroes, much more intimately than at the other presidential plantations. Our tour guide was excellent. I highly recommend a visit, but if you can only see one plantation, go with Monticello.
