Ash Lawn - Highland, Monroe's home

Very near Monticello is Ash Lawn-Highland, the home of President James and Elizabeth Monroe. The home is small, but has been beautifully restored. It was full of period furnishings and decorations. It is now owned by the College of William and Mary and is used for many purposes. Since we got there in the morning, we got the longer tour and learned many facts about the Monroes and the other Founding Fathers.

Just outside the gift shop, the garden was being prepared. The flowers lining the path were in full bloom. You could hear the cows in the background. This was a working farm in the Monroe's day, not as fancy an estate as the other locations we visited, and many of the working buildings are being restored.

Another beautiful day to enjoy the blooms.

The more formal entrance (which we exited through) opens onto the formal gardens. We wandered around for a bit and then decided we had time for Montpelier before heading home.