Thomas Jefferson's retreat is located in Forest, Virginia just outside Lynchburg. Noted on land records as far back as 1745, the Poplar Forest estate originally consisted of over 4800 acres. Today, there are 50 remaining acres and the subdivision of Poplar Forest and the Poplar Forest Golf Course surround the property. Construction on the octagonal shaped home wasn't started until 1806.

You'll notice many similarities to Monticello though Poplar Forest is not furnished. For almost 200 years the house had been used as a family home. By 1980 when the home was purchased it had fallen into disrepair. In 1984 the nonprofit Corporation for Jefferson's Poplar Forest was formed and raised enough money to purchase the property. It opened to the public for tours in 1986. This is a popular field trip destination, there are a lot of hands on activities for kids.

For more information on hours and admission or to set up a tour, please visit: http://www.poplarforest.org/

If you would like more information about Forest or Lynchburg, Virginia, please visit my website at http://www.debmalone.com/ or call me at (434)546-0369